Most families start structured 11 Plus preparation at the beginning of Year 5, approximately 12 months before the exam. For super-selective grammars such as Tiffin Boys’ and The Judd, and top independent schools, some will start in Year 4 with reading, vocabulary and mental maths work. Last-minute preparation in Year 6 alone is rarely sufficient at the most competitive schools.
Each child will learn at their own pace; do not be overly concerned about how early or late your child’s peers are starting throughout the year. The Good Schools Guide states that most families begin their 11 Plus preparation around Year 5, although for the most competitive schools, some will start even earlier.
The Standard 11 Plus Timeline
You can register for most grammar schools in the autumn of Year 5 through the government admissions process, and the exam is sat in September of the following year (Year 6). This includes grammar school areas such as Kent, Buckinghamshire, Birmingham, and Trafford.
The process is slightly different for independent schools. Many use the ISEB Common Pre-Test, which is typically taken in the autumn of Year 6. These are followed by interviews and written assessments later in the year.
Examine your targeted schools’ website for the latest details, such as Tiffin Boys’ School admissions or the council region you are interested in (such as the Kent test).
11 Plus preparation timelines by school type
| School type | Start prep | Exam sat | Minimum realistic preparation window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super-selective grammar (Tiffin, Judd, QE Boys) | Year 4 ideally | September Year 6 | 12–18 months |
| County grammars (Kent, Bucks, Birmingham, Trafford) | Year 5 September | September Year 6 | 12 months |
| London Independent 11+ | Year 5 September | January Year 6 | 14–16 months |
| Less selective grammar schools | Year 5 January | September Year 6 | 8–10 months |
| ISEB Pre-Test (independent schools) | Year 5 | Autumn Year 6 | 12 months |
Lionheart Education can help you make the decision when to start; we provide a free consultation through our 11 Plus tuition service to benchmark your child’s current level and readiness for 11 Plus preparation.
Year 4 – The ‘Get Ready’ Year
Whereas Year 3 should be about developing foundations and familiarity with reading, writing, and numbers, as your child moves into Year 4, it’s time to get ready. Preparation needs to become more structured; daily reading of around 20 minutes per day will ensure a firm base in vocabulary, and mastering the core Maths foundations (such as times tables up to 12) is essential.
The key verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning topics, such as Synonyms, Antonyms, Odd One Out, and Series, should be introduced at this stage. For more depth on this area, see our guide on how to improve non-verbal reasoning for the 11 plus.
Year 5 – The Structured-Prep Year
By Year 5, there needs to be a clear change in emphasis. All possible topics need to be covered, along with an understanding of the base skills required for each of them. Exam technique needs to be developed, such as answering questions in a set time, the ability of your child to check their own work for accuracy, and making sure they don’t get stuck on a certain part of a test.
It would be ideal to have a baseline assessment of your child’s progress in September of year 5 to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Then, through the autumn term, the focus is on building up their core skills, including English comprehension, arithmetic fluency, and reasoning techniques.
The spring term is the time to introduce some past paper practice and see how well those core skills can be applied, and then by the summer term, your child should be working through full papers under timed conditions.
A regular weeklystudy routine matters more at this stage than long, infrequent sessions. Shorter blocks that are spread across the week tend to stick better and stop children from burning out. For more on this, see how many hours your child should study for the 11 Plus.
Year 6 -The Race to The Exam
By Year 6, of course, preparation should be almost complete. The summer holidays will be the final push for those taking exams in September (such as the grammars in Kent, Buckinghamshire, or for Tiffin). This is the stage where mock tests and regular timed practice really matter.
For those taking exams in January (the independent schools), preparation will continue through the autumn term, with an increasing focus towards exam technique and written responses. Nearly all the learning and understanding should be in place by now, with the main focus on refining performance.
When Late Starts Can Still Work
There is no need to panic if you are late starting compared to these timelines. If your child has strong foundations in vocabulary and numeracy, then starting in Year 5 or even early in Year 6 is still possible, particularly if they are able to focus under timed conditions.
If you are a little late in starting, then a focused 6-month programme with a specialist tutor can be effective, particularly for many grammar schools. They will also be able to help provide a realistic shortlist for schools to go for, as the highly selective schools may be out of reach if you are starting this late; the depth of knowledge and technique required for these entrance exams takes a significant amount of time to develop. Thinking about getting support? Our guide on when to get a tutor for the 11 Plus covers this in more detail.
Questions to Ask Before Deciding on Your Timeline
Take a step back before deciding when to start preparing for the 11 plus and assess your child’s current abilities and which schools you are aiming for. What is your child’s current reading age compared to their chronological age? A strong reading age is one of the clearest indicators of being able to start preparing, particularly for comprehension-heavy exams.
How does your child handle timed pressure? Some children perform well in untimed work but struggle when the pressure of a time limit is introduced.
Which schools are you aiming for? If the schools (blog can link is how to choose the right school for your child) are super-selective grammars such as Tiffin or The Judd, consider starting earlier than for the county grammars.
Answering these questions will give you a realistic starting point.
How Lionheart Education Supports Timing Decisions
As you can see, it is not straightforward to decide when is best to begin preparation for the 11 Plus, particularly when aiming for competitive schools.
Lionheart Education supports families by providing a free consultation to benchmark your child’s current level and readiness for 11 Plus preparation.
For families starting earlier, our Year 4 foundation programme focuses on reading, vocabulary and core numeracy skills.
For those entering the main preparation phase, our Year 5 structured tuition builds exam technique, reasoning ability and confidence in a consistent, progressive way.
This ensures that preparation is aligned with both the child’s ability and the schools being targeted.
FAQs
When should my child start preparing for 11 Plus?
Most families start structured preparation at the beginning of Year 5, about 12 months before the exam. For super-selective grammars and top independent schools, some begin foundation work in Year 4. The exam is sat in September of Year 6 (for most grammar school regions) or January of Year 6 (most independent schools).
Is it too late to start in Year 6?
It depends on the foundation and the target. If the child is a strong reader, numerate and handles timed pressure well, a focused 6-month programme with a specialist tutor can succeed at many grammar schools. For super-selective schools, late starts are harder reasoning and arithmetic fluency cannot be compressed into a single summer.
Can you start too early?
Yes. Over-preparation can exhaust children and blunt their interest in reading. In Year 3 and early Year 4, structured past-paper work is rarely helpful. Focus on reading, arithmetic fluency and informal reasoning games until Year 4’s spring term; move to structured preparation in Year 5.
How many hours per week are needed?
Typical structured preparation is 2–4 hours a week during Year 5 autumn and spring, rising to 4–6 hours a week in Year 5 summer and Year 6. This includes tutor time, past-paper practice and reading. More than 6–8 hours per week at this age is usually counter-productive.
