ISEB Common Pre-Test

They are a series of four online, adaptive and shared entrance assessments used as part of the admissions process to many of the UK's leading independent schools. The four assessments cover mathematics, English (reading comprehension and grammar), verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, and are often taken in Year 6 or Year 7.

Registration is completed by the pupil's parent or guardian via the Guardian Portal. The guardian creates an Applicant Profile and Applicant ID, which they share with senior schools and invigilation centres, and can also upload evidence of SEND or access arrangements through the same portal.

Tests are completed at an invigilation centre, which could be the pupil's current junior or prep school in the UK or internationally, or an approved third-party centre such as a British Council. Invigilation centres use their own admin portal to view applicant details and to schedule and launch tests.

Yes. The four assessments can be taken together on the same day or split into multiple days. The tests can be taken anytime between the Autumn and Spring term of that academic year, though senior schools set their own deadlines, so check timing with each school you are applying to.

Because the Pre-Tests are a shared assessment, pupils sit the tests once and results are shared with all the senior schools they have applied to and have shared their unique Applicant ID with. Results are available immediately after a pupil completes their tests, and senior schools view them through the Senior School Portal.

Yes, the assessments are online and adaptive, so the questions adjust to the pupil's responses. Practically, this means the test is designed to find the edge of a pupil's ability rather than to be passed or failed on a fixed mark, so pupils should expect questions to become challenging and should not be unsettled by that.

The source material does not set out a retake policy. It does note that if a senior school receives a late application from a child who has already sat the Pre-Tests in the current academic year, the school can access those results easily without bespoke test arrangements. Confirm retake questions directly with the senior schools you are applying to.

Results are standardised against a sample of pupils applying for independent school admission, giving consistency across each cohort. Pupils anywhere in the UK and overseas can sit the tests, so senior schools can compare results from all applicants no matter where or when they sat them, and age-standardisation supports comparison for late applicants.

Build broadly rather than cramming. Reading widely develops vocabulary, comprehension and critical reading; regular mental arithmetic and multi-step problem-solving help mathematics; and familiarisation with verbal and non-verbal reasoning question styles reduces surprises on the day. Keep sessions short and low-pressure, since the tests are child-facing and the shared format already limits the number of sittings.

The main pitfalls are registering at the wrong time or through the wrong route, missing a senior school's own deadline because only the ISEB timeline was checked, and over-preparing with narrow drilling that raises anxiety. ISEB recommends speaking to current and prospective schools to confirm any additional deadlines beyond the published session dates.