Where to start?

If your child is expecting to take the 11+ exam in the next year or two, you are probably wondering how best you can support them. Where and when do you start the journey? And what supplies and materials will you need along the way?

Help is at hand. AE Publications’ books offer a complete solution for the busy and overworked parent and child. Our textbooks, split across three categories (workbooks, testbooks and testpacks) are the ideal ‘one-stop-shop’ and will give you everything you need to help your child achieve the best results they can, allowing you, in turn, the reassurance which only the most comprehensive resources can give.

How to use them

Our workbooks and testbooks are designed to be used together, according to their subject matter. The books cover English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-verbal Reasoning. Each workbook provides context for the tests that follow, with accompanying exercises in the related testbook. Aim to complete one book every couple of months, but don’t panic if your child does not hit his or her stride quickly; allow them time to get used to the scheme.

Try to undertake one test each week, recording the results in the score table at the back of each workbook to assess progress. This will show where improvements are being made, and will enable you to encourage your child as you track their development. If your child is not improving, they can always try again. Remember that it is more important for them to get the answers right than to do the tests rapidly. Speed will come with practice.

As a guide, allow fifteen minutes for English tests. Our maths tests range between six and thirty-five minutes.

When to start?

Techniques and best practice for tests like the 11+ can be taught, and children will benefit from taking their time to learn how to undertake these in order to achieve optimal results. Once you have worked through our workbooks and testbooks, we suggest that you start to introduce your child to our testpacks, which will give them a taste of what their test papers might look like, in the Spring preceding their 11+, revisiting their workbooks once any gaps in their skills and knowledge are identified.

When to finish?

Don’t become disheartened if your child achieves low test results to start with. Allow them time, and give them some space. It is more important than anything else for your child to learn, and that they don’t feel as if they are undergoing test after interminable test. They will become discouraged if they feel that they have gained nothing. But, once they get a feel for the tests, the process, and the format, and they begin to see results, their confidence will improve.

Be patient, and consistent. With the right preparation, by the January of their 11+, they will be all set and ready to go.