Plenty of parents start out thinking the 11+ is one exam. Then they look at a private school's admissions page and find words like ISEB, Pre-Test and Common Entrance, none of which appear in the grammar school guidance they've been reading. So which is it? Are independent school entrance exams just the 11+ under a different name, or something else entirely?
They overlap more than the schools admit and less than the tutoring companies imply. If you're weighing up a grammar school place against a fee-paying one, or hedging your bets across both, the differences matter from the start. They shape when your child sits, what they're tested on, and how you prepare.
The 11 plus is a state grammar school exam
Let's be precise about terms, because the confusion usually starts here. The 11+ is the entrance test for state-funded grammar schools. It's free to sit. It's run by a county council or a consortium of schools, and in most areas it uses papers from GL Assessment. Kent, Buckinghamshire, Birmingham, Essex and the rest each have their own version, but the basic shape is shared: maths, English, verbal reasoning and usually non-verbal reasoning, sat in the September of Year 6.
A grammar school can't charge fees. It selects purely on the test, sometimes with a catchment rule layered on top. Pass the qualifying standard, live in the right place, and your child has a strong shot at a place that costs you nothing beyond the uniform and the bus.
Independent schools are a separate world. They charge fees, often well over £15,000 a year, and they run their own admissions on their own terms. That single fact drives almost every difference that follows.
Independent schools don't share one exam
Here's the part that catches people out. There's no single "private school 11+". Each independent school decides how it selects, and there's real variation.
A lot of senior independent schools now use the ISEB Common Pre-Test. It's an online, adaptive, multiple-choice assessment in English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, usually sat in Year 6 or Year 7. Adaptive means the questions get harder or easier depending on how your child is doing, so two children sitting the same test see different questions. A child sits it once and the result can be shared with several schools, which saves families from doing five separate exams across one autumn.
Other schools set their own papers. A school might write its own maths and English exam, add an interview, ask for a piece of creative writing, and weigh a reference from the current school. The most academically selective ones in London and the Home Counties are known for tough, bespoke papers that go beyond anything in the standard grammar syllabus.
Then there's Common Entrance, which trips up parents who assume everything happens at age eleven. Traditional Common Entrance at 13+ is the route into many senior independent schools from prep schools, sat in Year 8. There's an 11+ Common Entrance too. The point is that "entrance exam" can mean an exam two years later than the grammar 11+, which changes your whole timeline.
What gets tested, and where the prep overlaps
The good news for anyone considering both routes is that the foundations are shared. Verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English comprehension show up across grammar 11+ papers and most independent assessments, including the ISEB Pre-Test. A child who's prepared properly for the GL-style grammar test has already done most of the heavy lifting for an ISEB Pre-Test, because the question types are close cousins.
Where they diverge is at the top end. The selective independents tend to push harder on written English. Extended creative writing, comprehension that demands real inference, sometimes a discursive piece with a point of view. A few set maths that reaches into material a state primary won't have covered, which is partly why prep schools exist in the first place. If your child has been in the state system and you're aiming at a highly selective independent, that gap is the thing to scope out early.
Interviews are the other difference. Grammar schools almost never interview. Plenty of independents do, and they're not just checking your child can hold a conversation. They want curiosity, a bit of personality, evidence the child actually wants to be there. You can't cram for that the way you cram for verbal reasoning. But you can make sure your child has talked to an adult who isn't a relative at some point before the day.
The timing rarely lines up neatly
This is where I see families get caught. The grammar 11+ in most areas happens early — September of Year 6, sometimes before the autumn term has properly settled. Independent school deadlines and exam dates are all over the place. Some sit in November of Year 6, some in January, some run pre-tests in Year 5. Registration deadlines can fall a full year before the exam.
If you're chasing both, you're managing two calendars that don't sync. The grammar test result usually lands in October. Independent offers often come later, in the spring. That gap can be useful, because a grammar pass in the bag takes some pressure off the private route. It can also be stressful, because you might be paying registration fees and sitting exams for a place you won't hear about for months.
Can a child sit both? Yes, and a lot do. The overlap in content makes it workable. The thing to watch is exam fatigue. A Year 6 child doing the Kent Test, then an ISEB Pre-Test, then a school's own paper, then an interview, is doing a great deal in one term. That's a real load on a ten-year-old, and worth being honest with yourself about before you sign them up for all of it.
So which route makes sense for your family?
I won't pretend this is only about exams. The honest version is that the choice between a grammar school and an independent one is mostly about money, fit and what's available where you live. The exams are the gate, not the decision.
If a strong state grammar is within reach and you'd rather not pay fees, the 11+ is your focus. The prep is well documented and cheap to do at home. If you're set on a particular independent school, read its admissions page properly. Find out exactly which assessment it uses, and check the dates the moment your child hits Year 5. And if you genuinely don't know yet, prepare the shared foundations well, because those carry across both routes. You can specialise later, once you've narrowed down the schools.
What you shouldn't do is assume the two are the same exam with different price tags. They're not, and treating them as interchangeable is how families miss a registration deadline or walk into a bespoke paper unprepared.
FAQ
Is the ISEB Pre-Test the same as the 11 plus?
No, though they test similar skills. The ISEB Pre-Test is an adaptive online assessment used by independent schools in English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. The grammar school 11+ is a free, paper-based test run by councils or consortia for state grammar places. The content overlaps, but they're run by different bodies for different schools.
Can my child sit both the 11 plus and independent school exams?
Yes, and many children do. The shared content in reasoning, maths and English makes preparing for both realistic. The main thing to manage is the timetable, since the dates rarely line up. Watch out for exam fatigue too. A child sitting several assessments in one autumn term is doing a lot.
Are independent school entrance exams harder than the 11 plus?
It depends on the school. Less selective independents set papers broadly in line with grammar standards. The most academically selective ones, especially in London, set harder maths and demand stronger written English than a typical grammar paper. There's no single answer, which is why reading each school's own admissions information matters.
When do independent schools hold their entrance exams?
There's no fixed national date. Some assess in Year 5 with a pre-test. Some sit exams in November or January of Year 6. The traditional Common Entrance route happens at 13+ in Year 8. Registration deadlines often fall a year ahead, so check the specific school as soon as your child is in Year 5.
If you're trying to work out whether your child is academically ready for either route before you commit time and money, readyfor11.co.uk gives you a free benchmark across reasoning, English and maths. No account, no paywall, no upsell. It takes about 20 minutes and gives you an honest read on where your child stands, whichever schools you end up considering.