verbal reasoning

verbal reasoning Introduction

You have probably already heard a lot about the verbal reasoning tests that you can take for entry to selective schools. With more and more parents deciding that a grammar school education will provide the best opportunities for their child in an environment in which the pursuit of scholarship is paramount, competition is steadily rising for these coveted selective places.

LEAs and schools have to compromise between extensive testing and the demand this would make of pupils, plus time-tabling, logistic and budgetary considerations. Consequently, pupils usually take two or three tests, plus one or more practice papers in some LEAs.

Each area may have a different selection process to another as there is no real national standard exam, however, the verbal reasoning exam typically covers up to 4 areas:

Where to Start

Don’t panic! Although the whole process can seem like a test for the parents, not the children, it can be straightforward. Firstly, do your homework!

Your local educational authority will be able to give you a list of selective schools in your area for verbal reasoning . Request prospectuses, make visits (schools hold impressive open days but personal visits can sometimes give you a better insight to the true day to day running), talk to both teachers, pupils and other parents and you should get a ‘gut’ feeling for a school that might suit the individual needs of your child. Areas to focus on are: support and guidance for pupils' welfare, quality of teaching, attitudes and behaviour, leadership, staffing and resources, attainment and progress, links with the wider community, activities beyond the school day, etc. Information can be found about league table positions on BBC websites and standards from OFSTED reports. Backgound information on verbal reasoning testing can be found here.

Because standardised scores depend upon a pupil's raw score and age, a standardisation table is called a ‘two-way entry table’. In a column at the left-hand side of the table are the raw scores. Along the top of the table are the different ages - for example, 10:11 means 10 years and 11 months. As an illustration, a pupil aged 10:07 with a raw score of 23 will have a standardised score of 106 on this example test.

Taking the Selective Route

Once you have decided to take the selective route, you may wish to find a local tutor (see our growing list of recommended tutors – if you find a good one, let us know). Do not assume that the national curriculum will automatically cover all learning required for the verbal reasoning exam, it probably won’t. Above all start early! Experience tells us that pupils should start to study as soon possible prior to sitting the exam – the earlier the better – but its never too late for some last minute practice. Obtaining old exam papers can be a minefield, with schools constantly changing their formats, and every day spent looking for verbal reasoning resources is another day lost.

The verbal reasoning Advantage

This website will give your child an advantage and confidence when sitting the verbal reasoning exam. Your child can actually take the tests interactively online – a great fun incentive for the type of child who enjoys computers or needs that extra motivation to study. This interactive practice is tracked so that the child can see the progress made and of course doesn’t require hours of marking by the parents!

In many cases, there is a pre-determined number of selective places, and these are largely filled from an order of merit. Your location relative to the school can also play a part. If your child is out of the immediate catchment area you may find it harder to obtain a place.

verbal reasoning Club Membership

To get the best from the website you will need to join our verbal reasoning club. Membership is available at 3 levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold with a duration ranging from 3 to 12 months. Each level of membership allows you to download the papers for viewing and printing with the option of taking the test online. All verbal reasoning papers taken online are in multiple choice format. The questions are the same irrespective of format. Papers can be downloaded in the following formats:

• Maths - Multiple Choice & Standard
• English - Multiple Choice
• Verbal Reasoning - Multiple Choice & Standard
• Non Verbal Reasoning - Multiple Choice

Eleven plus test scores are published by the school or education authority in the form of standardised scores. If more than one test is administered, the scores may be given for each test separately, or it may be that only a composite score is given. If a composite is given, it will be either the total standardised score or the average (mean) of the standardised scores.

verbal reasoning Bronze

Two papers available in Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non Verbal Reasoning - a total of 8 test papers.

verbal reasoning Silver

Four papers available in Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning, Non Verbal Reasoning - a total of 16 test papers.

verbal reasoning Gold

Five papers available in Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning, Non Verbal Reasoning - a total of 20 test papers.

Parents notes, comprehensive hints and tips.

Off air...

For a step by step approach to getting started click here. Why not sign up today! Full membership pricing can be found here.

Online Testing

Downloads

Also available are full papers in all the required subjects to download which cover every possible type of question, so that your child can complete them under simulated exam conditions, all the time gaining confidence through practice. Rest assured that the questions have been devised by teachers with years of experience in tutoring pupils in preparation for the 11+ exam – you can’t give your child a better head start!