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What is the ISEB Common Pre-Test?
The ISEB Common Pre-Test is an online, adaptive, multiple-choice assessment, usually taken in Year 6 or 7, that UK independent senior schools use as a first-stage screen for Year 7 or deferred Year 9 entry. It covers four areas — English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning — and is age-standardised, so there is no fixed pass mark.
Because it is adaptive, the questions get harder or easier depending on how the child answers, and a single sitting is shared across multiple schools a family applies to — so a child sits it once rather than repeating it for each school. Over 160 schools use it, including names such as Eton, Harrow and Dulwich College.
It is a screen, not the whole decision: a strong Pre-Test typically leads to an interview and, for many schools, a later 11+ or 13+ (Common Entrance / ISEB) exam. Light familiarisation with the online format helps, but the reasoning sections reward genuine ability over cramming; the English and Maths sections track the national curriculum a well-taught child will already have covered.
Reviewed by Priscilla Han. BrightKey is independent and takes no payment from schools or universities.
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