Few questions cause more confusion at the start of the admissions year than a deceptively simple one: which exam will my child actually sit? Parents often talk about "the 11+" as though it were a single national paper, like a driving test with one syllabus. It is not. Behind that label sit several different assessment providers, several formats, and a sector that has shifted noticeably in the past few years. A child applying to a North London girls' school, a selective state grammar in Kent and a traditional independent senior school could face three genuinely different tests. Understanding who sets which paper is the first step to preparing sensibly — and to avoiding the trap of preparing for the wrong thing.
This guide walks through the main providers as they stand in 2026, explains what happened to CEM, and sets out the practical difference between familiarising your child and over-tutoring them.
The provider landscape, briefly
Three names dominate. GL Assessment supplies the tests used by most selective state grammar schools. The ISEB Common Pre-Test is the shared online assessment used widely across the independent sector. And a number of individual independent schools — together with collaborative groups such as the London 11+ Consortium — set or commission their own papers. The provider your child meets depends entirely on the schools you apply to, which is why the admissions pages of your target schools matter far more than any general advice.
| Provider / route | Used by | Format | Subjects |
|---|---|---|---|
| GL Assessment | Most selective state grammar schools | Paper or on-screen; non-adaptive, multiple-choice | English, maths, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning (combinations vary by area) |
| ISEB Common Pre-Test | Many independent senior schools | Online, adaptive, multiple-choice; sat once, results shared | English, maths, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning |
| London 11+ Consortium | 13 member independent schools | Single online, partly adaptive assessment | Reasoning, English, maths and creative/problem-solving components |
| Bespoke school papers | Individual independents (e.g. St Paul's, Westminster) | School's own exams, often after a pre-test stage | Typically English and maths, plus comprehension/interview |
What happened to CEM
For years, parents weighed up two acronyms: GL and CEM. CEM — the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, originally based at Durham University and later part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment — built a reputation for less predictable, more "tutor-resistant" papers that leaned on vocabulary and tight timing.
That option has effectively gone. CEM announced that it would stop offering its paper-based 11+ entrance tests from September 2023, moving away from the standard grammar-school market. The decision affected more than 40 selective schools, and the great majority responded by switching to GL Assessment for their admissions. In practice, this means GL Assessment and bespoke or shared independent-sector papers now dominate the 11+ landscape. If you are reading older guidance that frames the choice as "GL versus CEM," treat it as out of date — and check directly with each school which provider they currently use.
GL Assessment: the grammar-school standard
GL Assessment's materials cover four areas — English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning — though the exact combination, timing and number of questions vary from one local authority or school to another. Verbal reasoning features in most papers because it is regarded as a strong predictor of academic potential; non-verbal reasoning (problem-solving with shapes and patterns) is also common. English and maths papers, where used, are pitched around curriculum content covered in the early part of Year 6.
GL's tests are non-adaptive and standardised: every child sits the same questions, and scores are age-standardised so that younger children in the year are not disadvantaged. GL publishes around ten hours of free familiarisation material precisely so that no child is meeting the multiple-choice format for the first time on exam day.
The ISEB Common Pre-Test: the independent-sector route
The ISEB Common Pre-Test is the assessment many independent senior schools use to manage early entry, typically in Year 6 or Year 7. It is a set of four online, adaptive, multiple-choice tests covering verbal reasoning, mathematics, non-verbal reasoning and English (reading comprehension and grammar). "Adaptive" means the questions adjust to the child as they go, so each pupil follows a unique path and may see a different number of questions.
Its defining feature is efficiency for families: a child sits the pre-test once, and the result is shared with all the participating schools they have applied to, rather than repeating a similar test at each one. The four sections run to about two hours and fifteen minutes in total — broadly maths and English at around 40 minutes each, non-verbal reasoning around 30 minutes and verbal reasoning around 25. Many academically selective independent schools use it for all or part of their entry process. For many academically selective independents, the pre-test is a first sift; strong performers are then invited to the school's own assessments or interview.
Bespoke papers and the London 11+ Consortium
This is where London parents most often come unstuck. Several of the capital's independent schools set their own bespoke papers, frequently after an initial computerised pre-test. Westminster, for example, invites successful candidates to its own examinations in maths and English; St Paul's Girls' School uses an on-screen cognitive test followed by its own papers and comprehension. The detail differs school by school, and the school's admissions page is the only reliable source.
A second model is collaborative. The London 11+ Consortium is a group of 13 independent schools that share a single entrance assessment so that a child applying to several member schools sits just one test, not one per school. Since 2022 it has been delivered online and is partly adaptive — running to around 100 minutes with a break, and combining adaptive reasoning and maths sections with non-adaptive components testing English, problem-solving and creative or critical thinking. Member schools include Channing, Godolphin and Latymer, South Hampstead High School, Notting Hill and Ealing High School, both Francis Holland schools and St Helen's, among others. Assessments fall on set dates in late November or December, with offers in February.
Familiarisation versus over-tutoring
Whichever paper your child meets, the same principle applies. There is a clear difference between familiarisation — making sure a child has seen the format, understands the instructions and can work calmly under a time limit — and over-tutoring, where preparation is pushed so hard that performance no longer reflects the child's natural ability.
Providers build in familiarisation material for a reason, and a few practice sessions genuinely help children who have never encountered reasoning questions. But the Good Schools Guide and many admissions staff caution that heavy coaching tends to produce diminishing returns: an over-prepared child can come unstuck at interview, and one who wins a place beyond their natural level may then struggle to keep up. Adaptive tests such as the ISEB pre-test and the Consortium assessment are also harder to "game," because the questions adjust to the child in real time.
The sensible posture is modest and steady. Confirm which provider each of your chosen schools uses, let your child meet the relevant format in good time, practise enough to remove surprises — and stop short of turning the autumn term into a second school day.
The one thing to do first
Before buying a single practice pack, list your target schools and check each admissions page for the test they set. Two schools on your shortlist may use entirely different providers, and preparing for the wrong format is the most common — and most avoidable — mistake in the 11+ year.
