We look forward to welcoming you and your son to Warwick School on Saturday, 15 November, as he takes the forthcoming entrance assessment.  

Choosing your son’s senior school is one of the most important decisions that we make as parents, with the decision often being made over several months — or even years — after numerous school visits, hours spent browsing, and conversations with friends and family.  

As such, once that decision has been made, and you have applied to the school of your choice, it is completely natural for you or your son to feel a sense of pressure or nerves in the lead up to the day of the assessment. He will likely have put in countless hours of preparation for the assessment, and you will undoubtedly want to see all his hard work pay off. 

We share this desire wholeheartedly, and as a result, we asked Ben Andrews, our Deputy Head (Academic), for his top tips for boys taking the entrance exam:  

1. Ensure that your son is familiar with what is being tested 

We know that you will likely have applied to additional schools as well as Warwick School — other independent schools, but perhaps some grammar schools as well. Often, entrance assessments may vary slightly from school to school, and so to give your son the best chance of succeeding at our exam, I would encourage you to ensure that he is familiar with each aspect of our assessment here at Warwick: 

Mathematics test (1 hour) — testing your son’s understanding of the Year 5 and 6 curricula with a mixture of short and long questions. Candidates should also expect there to be worded questions in this section to test problem-solving skills, along with extension questions that test the ability to apply known material in unfamiliar situations.  

English test (1 hour) — consisting of two sections: comprehension and essay, with each section lasting 30 minutes. Candidates are asked to answer shorter questions on a prose passage for the comprehension and are given a follow-on task for the essay. The comprehension questions test vocabulary, inference, empathy and the ability to select appropriate information, whilst the essay title is designed to elicit an imaginative response and will be marked for spelling, punctuation and grammar. 

Ability test (1 hour) — an online assessment that includes mathematics, English, non-verbal reasoning, and verbal reasoning questions, with boys given 1 hour to complete the test. The test has been introduced to measure verbal, numerical and non-verbal skills and is designed to enable all children to demonstrate their academic potential without excessive preparation. 

2. Practise with past papers 

This tip is nothing new, and you have probably heard this countless times — but for good reason. Utilising past papers is one of the most essential tools for preparing effectively for any exam. 

We have several sample papers listed on our website. For the ability test, there is a familiarisation website for parents and candidates to introduce the look and feel of this assessment. 

By practising using these papers and tools, your son can familiarise himself with effective exam techniques, improve his time management, and reveal any gaps in knowledge that he may have in certain subject areas. 

Utilising past papers also allows candidates to become accustomed to the structure of a paper, the language that is used, and how marks are allocated across a variety of different question types. 

3. Read the question thoroughly 

I have lost count of the number of boys over the years who have missed simple marks due to not reading the question properly or skimming over it! 

It is understandable; in the perceived pressure of the exam environment, and with candidates often feeling as if they need to make progress quickly through the sections to avoid running out of time, it can be easy to miss words or assume the meaning of a question without having actually read it thoroughly — despite not making this mistake when practising! Make sure to remind your son to read the question thoroughly — more than once if necessary.  

4. Understand that preparation doesn’t just mean revision 

When you think about ‘preparation’ ahead of an exam or assessment, you will most likely think about learning content, practising past papers, and spending as much time as possible revising technique. 

While this is, of course, an integral part of assessment preparation, it is important to understand that preparation goes beyond this. For example, the day before the exam, I would strongly suggest that getting a good night’s sleep is a priority. I would also recommend that he drinks enough water and stays hydrated — it is vital for brain function. 

If your son is particularly prone to feeling the pressure, it can often be beneficial to step away from the revision and do something that he enjoys and that allows him to relax — whether that is gentle exercise, spending time with friends and family, or simply some relaxing downtime that takes his mind off the exam. 

These things may seem simple, but they really can make a big difference when it comes to setting him up for success on the day of the exam. 

5. Relax 

It is completely normal to feel a sense of pressure or nerves when taking any form of exam — after all, after putting so much work ahead of the day itself, you and your son will want to see it all pay off. 

Candidates may be prone to looking around and comparing how far along they are in the paper compared to those around them and start to panic and rush through if they feel like they are behind. I would advise your son that if he finds himself doing this, to slow down and to read the questions carefully. By consciously slowing down, he will likely become less tense, more considered, and be in a better position to answer the questions to the best of his ability. 

Secondly, make sure that he tries to avoid breathing quickly and shallowly or holding his breath, which often happens subconsciously when we feel nervous. If this does happen, he should take a few moments to regulate back to normal breathing, relax his shoulders and any bodily tension if necessary, and then get back to answering questions as best as he can. 

Finally, make sure that he trusts himself! The vast majority of candidates who sit our entrance exam each year are highly capable young men and have spent a lot of time preparing ahead of the assessment, meaning that they are in a great position to succeed. Make sure to remind your son of his abilities, to think positively, and to trust himself and all of the work he has put in. 

I hope that the above tips help somewhat ahead of the exam next month, and I sincerely wish your son the very best of luck once the day comes. 

In the meantime, if you have any questions at all, please contact our friendly Admissions Team who will be happy to help.