The 11+ is sat in Year 6, typically in September or October of that year. The exam itself lasts a few hours. The preparation that goes into it can span three or four years — or, for families who start late, a frantic six months that leaves everyone exhausted.

Neither extreme is ideal. The families who navigate this best tend to be those who understand that the 11+ journey has distinct phases, each with a different purpose — and who don't try to compress three years of work into one.

The four stages

Year 3 — Building foundations and the habit of studying

This is the easiest and most underused stage. The goal is not exam preparation — it's building the underlying skills and daily habits that make later preparation so much more effective.

  • Vocabulary: read widely, discuss what you read, introduce new words naturally
  • Arithmetic: times tables and mental maths — 5 minutes a day compounds significantly
  • Pattern recognition: short NVR exercises to introduce the question types — no pressure, just familiarity
  • Study habit: 7 minutes a day, same time, every day — the habit is the achievement

Year 4 — Broadening and deepening

The foundations from Year 3 begin to compound. Sessions extend slightly and cover more ground.

  • Verbal Reasoning: introduce the main question types — synonyms, antonyms, letter sequences, analogies
  • Maths: fractions, word problems, number sequences alongside continued mental arithmetic
  • English: comprehension practice, grammar, spelling — short sessions, not past papers
  • NVR: all three question types should be familiar by the end of Year 4
  • Sessions: 15 minutes a day

Year 5 — Serious preparation begins

This is when the work intensifies. By now the question types should feel familiar — the focus shifts to accuracy, then speed, then exam conditions.

Year 6 Term 1 — Final preparation and the exam

By September of Year 6, most schools will have their 11+ exams scheduled. The final few months are not the time for learning new content — they're for consolidation, confidence, and exam technique.

  • Continue regular practice but avoid increasing intensity in the final weeks
  • Mock exams under realistic conditions: timed, quiet, exam paper format
  • Focus on weak areas identified by diagnostic data
  • Maintain normal life: clubs, sport, friends, downtime — these are essential recovery
  • The night before the exam: rest, not revision

The question every family asks: is it too late to start?

Families starting in Year 5 can absolutely achieve strong outcomes — but they need to be realistic about the pace required and the pressure that creates. The work that would have happened gradually over two years now needs to happen in one. That's manageable, but it leaves no margin for bad weeks, illness, or slow periods.

Families starting in Year 6 are really using the platform for diagnostics and mock exam practice rather than preparation. That still has value — knowing where the gaps are and practising under exam conditions are both meaningful — but the timeline for addressing those gaps is very short.

How to keep it manageable as a family

  • Keep sessions short and consistent — a sustainable daily routine beats occasional intense sessions every time
  • Protect non-study time fiercely — sports, clubs, and friendships are essential, not distractions
  • Talk about progress, not just problems — what's improving matters as much as what isn't
  • Keep the exam in proportion — it's one route to secondary school, not the only measure of a child's intelligence or worth
  • Let the data do the worrying — weekly progress reports mean you don't have to carry the uncertainty yourself
  • Use the Weekly Reward — build something the whole family looks forward to, so the journey belongs to everyone