For generations of prep-school families, the 13+ Common Entrance examination was the gate. A child worked towards it across Year 8, sat a clutch of papers in the summer term, and the result decided where they went at 13. That story is now only half true. For most academically selective senior schools, the deciding moment has shifted two years earlier, to a short online test taken in Year 6 or Year 7. Common Entrance still exists, and many children still sit it, but its job has changed: from the hurdle that opens the door to the step that confirms a place already won. If your child is heading for a Year 9 (13+) entry, understanding this two-stage timeline is the single most useful thing you can do early.
What Common Entrance at 13+ actually is
The Common Entrance examination is set by the Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB) and taken as part of an application to a senior independent school. At 13+, candidates sit it in Year 8 for entry into Year 9. ISEB runs three examination sessions a year — in November, January and May/June — but the overwhelming majority of candidates sit in the summer term, in May or June of Year 8.
Every candidate takes three compulsory papers: English, Mathematics and Science. Beyond that, schools choose from a wide optional range — French, Geography, German, Classical Greek, Classical Civilisations, History, Latin, Theology/Philosophy/Religion (TPR) and Spanish. Senior schools usually expect most candidates to offer Geography, History, TPR and a modern language. Several subjects are available at more than one level, so children are not forced onto papers beyond their reach.
A point that surprises many parents: the papers are not marked by ISEB or by your child's prep school. Scripts are sent on the day of the examination to the senior school the child is applying to, and that school marks them and sets its own standard. There is no single national pass mark. What counts as a 'good' result at one school may sit below the expectation at another.
The shift: pre-tests now decide the offer
Here is what has changed. A large number of selective senior schools — particularly the most competitive London day schools and many leading boarding schools — no longer wait until Year 8 to choose their pupils. They assess and offer much earlier, using a pre-test in Year 6 or early Year 7.
The most widely used is the ISEB Common Pre-Test: an online, adaptive assessment covering four areas — Mathematics, English (reading comprehension and grammar), verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. It can be sat at any point in a long window running from October to June, and crucially a child takes it only once, with the results shared across every participating school they have applied to. Many schools combine the pre-test score with their own written tasks, an interview and a reference from the current head before making a decision.
When a place is offered on this basis, it is normally conditional. The condition varies by school. Some make the place subject to a satisfactory Common Entrance result in Year 8. Others — Westminster among them — ask for nothing more than continued good conduct, academic progress and an unreserved reference of support from the child's prep school in the spring of Year 8, with no entrance examination at all. Either way, the competitive decision has already been made, two years before Common Entrance.
ISEB itself is explicit about the order of events for schools that still use the exam: a child should only be entered for Common Entrance at 13+ if they have already been offered a place at a senior school, subject to passing it. In other words, Common Entrance has become a confirmation, not the contest.
The two-stage timeline at a glance
| Stage | Year group | Typical timing | What happens | What it decides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registration | Year 5 (often closing in Year 6) | Autumn of Year 5 onward | Family registers with the senior school(s) | Secures a place in the assessment process |
| Pre-test + assessment | Year 6 (sometimes early Year 7) | Pre-test window Oct–June; many schools test Oct/Nov | ISEB Common Pre-Test, school's own tasks, interview, head's reference | The offer — usually a conditional place |
| Common Entrance (or confirmation) | Year 8 | Summer term, May/June | CE papers marked by the senior school, or simply a school reference | Confirms the place already offered |
| Scholarship assessment | Year 8 | Spring term; some sport from autumn | Separate, harder papers or auditions/trials | Awards and recognition, not basic entry |
Timings differ from school to school, so always check each school's own admissions page. The pattern above is the common shape, not a rule.
13+ scholarships are a separate journey
Scholarships sit apart from this entry route. They recognise particular strength — academic, music, art, drama, sport and, increasingly, areas such as design or innovation — and they are assessed at the senior school, usually in the spring (Lent) term of Year 8, though sport assessments can begin earlier in the autumn.
The academic scholarship route is more demanding than standard entry. Many schools use the Common Academic Scholarship Examinations (CASE), which are built on the Common Entrance 13+ specifications but pitched harder, with schools choosing and marking the papers themselves. Some run their own. At Eton, for example, the King's Scholarship is a distinct examination of compulsory and optional papers sat in late April or early May; a strong performance guarantees entry for a boy holding a conditional place, and the award carries financial value. The key thing for families is that a scholarship is additional to securing a place — it is not the way in for most children, and a child does not need to chase one to gain admission.
How 13+ differs from 11+ entry
Independent schools broadly offer two main entry points, and they are genuinely different routes rather than the same exam at different ages.
- 11+ is entry into Year 7, at age 11. It is the dominant entry point for most day schools, including many well-known names in cities. Assessment falls in the autumn term of Year 6, around six to nine months before entry.
- 13+ is entry into Year 9, at age 13. It remains the traditional door for many boarding schools and a number of day schools, especially those with their own attached prep schools that run to Year 8.
The practical consequence is one of timing and nerves. An 11+ family runs a relatively compressed campaign in Year 5 and Year 6. A 13+ family commits much earlier — registration can open in Year 5 — but then, for schools that pre-test, learns the outcome in Year 6, well before the child has finished prep school. That long gap between offer and arrival is the defining feature of the modern 13+ route, and it is why the old image of everything resting on Year 8 Common Entrance no longer matches how most selective schools operate.
What this means for prep-school families
The headline for planning is simple: treat Year 6 as the year that matters most, not Year 8. Registration deadlines for the most competitive schools fall early — sometimes a full two years before entry — and missing one can close a door before your child has been assessed at all. Build your shortlist while your child is in Year 5, and confirm each target school's exact deadline directly with that school.
Because a child sits the ISEB Common Pre-Test only once and the result is shared, there is no value in over-drilling: the test is adaptive and designed to reflect genuine attainment and reasoning, not coaching stamina. Familiarity with the format and steady curriculum strength matter more than cramming.
Finally, keep Common Entrance in proportion. For schools that still require it, it confirms an offer your child has already earned and helps the senior school set and stream them sensibly for Year 9 — so it deserves honest preparation, but not the dread it once carried. For a growing number of schools it has fallen away entirely, replaced by a reference. Knowing which camp each of your shortlisted schools sits in turns a confusing, multi-year process into a manageable plan.
