Entrance exams - which are harder grammar school or private school?

Depends if your county has changed the 11-plus or not, but usually 11-plus is largely based on actually practice rather than knowledge, apart from the Maths paper I guess. Independent school entrance exams, however, are based on knowledge. You should give both an attempt, obviously if you have the option of private school than that's the wiser decision. Grammar schools can never provide the same environment, they aren't as supportive and all. But that's my opinion, and Grammar Schools in your area may be better. I'd say work hard for both so you have the choice to choose. It's hard work but it's worth it as it means you wouldn't have to bother changing for the next 7 years if you get into a good school, good luck!

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Reply 2

I found my school's entrance exam harder than the one I had to sit for the other very good state schools that I applied for, simply because I had done lots of practice on NVR and VR which makes it easy to score highly and also because I was always good at VR. For my school, I had to sit an English and a Maths exam plus I had to have an interview, although obviously it depends on how the standard of the schools compare and the competition, regardless of whether they're private or state.

Reply 3

Izabeli

Original post by Genevieve2004

Hello, my name is Genevieve and I am 10 yrs old. My parents say that soon I must take my entrance exams for getting a place at senior school. Some of the schools are grammar schools, like Newstead Wood school and Wilmington grammar school, and some are private schools, including Eltham College and Sevenoaks school. My mum says that if I pass one of the exams then I will not have to take anymore of the other ones. So I would like to know which type of exam is the easiest out of grammar school ones and private school ones, so I can take that one first. If you know the answer to my question then please reply to me. Thank you. :smile:

Hi there,
I think that grammar school exams are on average harder but it is really down to who takes that test on the day. Most Grammar schools accept the top 100 (they can accept more or less but for the purposes of this lets say 100). For private schools there is normally a pass mark and they will only take the top amount of people who passed if more people that they have space for pass.
In theory for grammar schools they tend to be more subscribed than private schools because of the cost, meaning that the exam is harder to pass.
I would take the private school exam first if you want it to be easier but if you dont pass that one then don't give up and take the grammar one as well because you can not be sure if you will get in until you have taken the test.
Hope I don't confuse you and good luck! :smile:

Reply 4

I don't know about the others but I know that Sevenoaks is a very good school so theirs would probably be harder.

Reply 5

Original post by Izabeli

Hi there,
I think that grammar school exams are on average harder but it is really down to who takes that test on the day. Most Grammar schools accept the top 100 (they can accept more or less but for the purposes of this lets say 100). For private schools there is normally a pass mark and they will only take the top amount of people who passed if more people that they have space for pass.
In theory for grammar schools they tend to be more subscribed than private schools because of the cost, meaning that the exam is harder to pass.
I would take the private school exam first if you want it to be easier but if you dont pass that one then don't give up and take the grammar one as well because you can not be sure if you will get in until you have taken the test.
Hope I don't confuse you and good luck! :smile:

I don't think that they're (grammar school entrance exams) any harder, to be honest. A lot of prep does the trick, usually.
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Reply 6

MidnightDream

16

When I did it I found the private school test harder than the Grammar school test. I'd say with practise you'll be fine - good luck :smile:

Reply 7

Grammar schools are harder to get into. It's not about the difficulty of the test- having done both grammar and private school tests, I can say both are generally equal in terms of difficulty. However, for top-end grammar schools, about 800 students apply, and they take 100. For private schools, about 300 apply, and they take 100.

Reply 8

Original post by suzylemonade

Grammar schools are harder to get into. It's not about the difficulty of the test- having done both grammar and private school tests, I can say both are generally equal in terms of difficulty. However, for top-end grammar schools, about 800 students apply, and they take 100. For private schools, about 300 apply, and they take 100.

Top end grammar schools like Tiffin Girls and Boys and Nonsuch (don't know what it's like for Kendrick etc.) still have easier exams than top end private schools, in my opinion but I agree that it's statistically harder to get in to a grammar school, although I imagine that there will be a lot of unrealistic applications with people just applying from the catchment area to see if they get in. I sat exams for Guildford High and St Paul's Girls' School and they were definitely harder than the standard 11+. I did some entrance exam papers for Wycombe Abbey, City of London etc. for my 11+ prep and I can say the same again. But then again, if non verbal and verbal aren't your thing, then I guess it could be harder -- this is assuming that you have to sit NVR and VR for your state schools.

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Reply 9

Original post by yl95

Top end grammar schools like Tiffin Girls and Boys and Nonsuch (don't know what it's like for Kendrick etc.) still have easier exams than top end private schools, in my opinion but I agree that it's statistically harder to get in to a grammar school, although I imagine that there will be a lot of unrealistic applications with people just applying from the catchment area to see if they get in. I sat exams for Guildford High and St Paul's Girls' School and they were definitely harder than the standard 11+. I did some entrance exam papers for Wycombe Abbey, City of London etc. for my 11+ prep and I can say the same again. But then again, if non verbal and verbal aren't your thing, then I guess it could be harder -- this is assuming that you have to sit NVR and VR for your state schools.

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Fair point. Private school exams are probably harder, due to the knowledge they require. Though I do know that from next year, some grammar schools are going to be doing exams in Maths and English as well, so the first people to be doing this will be either the Oct 2014 people or the Oct 2015 people. Not too sure yet xD
NVR and VR are pretty simple in general. Practice makes perfect, really.
You sat for Wyc Abbey and SPGS and Guildford High? Jeez, way to go for all the hard ones :tongue:

I'm the first child, so my mum didn't even know what grammar schools were until a friend told her about Kendrick. Pretty much the only place I applied to, apart from Farnborough Hill which was a low-down private, hence the simple exam xD

Reply 10

Original post by suzylemonade

Fair point. Private school exams are probably harder, due to the knowledge they require. Though I do know that from next year, some grammar schools are going to be doing exams in Maths and English as well, so the first people to be doing this will be either the Oct 2014 people or the Oct 2015 people. Not too sure yet xD
NVR and VR are pretty simple in general. Practice makes perfect, really.
You sat for Wyc Abbey and SPGS and Guildford High? Jeez, way to go for all the hard ones :tongue:

I'm the first child, so my mum didn't even know what grammar schools were until a friend told her about Kendrick. Pretty much the only place I applied to, apart from Farnborough Hill which was a low-down private, hence the simple exam xD

Tiffin Girls' has had an English paper for a few years and I think Tiffin School is also introducing it (or has already introduced it). Tiffin is very, very good anyway - my brother goes there. Competition is very tough! I think about 10% get in every year.
Haha, no, I didn't sit for Wycombe Abbey (I did their entrance papers, though for practice) but I did sit for SPGS & Guildford High (+ Tiffin Girls' + Nonsuch + Wallington). My parents were league table crazy then and I had to do a heck of a lot of prep for the 11+ so I burnt out by the time I got to Year 7 and hardly worked! Not that it mattered at all... I sat for SPGS after I got my Guildford High acceptance so I didn't really try in the exams (they were hard, too) and I also remember getting lost in the dining hall so that probably didn't make a great impression, I hardly talked during the day and at my interview, I was all over the place and the Headmistress didn't look particularly impressed. ;_; Their fees are more expensive anyway so it's kind of good that I didn't get in 7 years ago, lol. Didn't even know that they had a science paper, which I completely mucked up on...I didn't really properly enjoy Science until about Year 10.
Oh yes, I've heard of Farnborough Hill. :smile:

Kendrick's a good place, too.

Reply 11

Original post by yl95

Tiffin Girls' has had an English paper for a few years and I think Tiffin School is also introducing it (or has already introduced it). Tiffin is very, very good anyway - my brother goes there. Competition is very tough! I think about 10% get in every year.
Haha, no, I didn't sit for Wycombe Abbey (I did their entrance papers, though for practice) but I did sit for SPGS & Guildford High (+ Tiffin Girls' + Nonsuch + Wallington). My parents were league table crazy then and I had to do a heck of a lot of prep for the 11+ so I burnt out by the time I got to Year 7 and hardly worked! Not that it mattered at all... I sat for SPGS after I got my Guildford High acceptance so I didn't really try in the exams (they were hard, too) and I also remember getting lost in the dining hall so that probably didn't make a great impression, I hardly talked during the day and at my interview, I was all over the place and the Headmistress didn't look particularly impressed. ;_; Their fees are more expensive anyway so it's kind of good that I didn't get in 7 years ago, lol. Didn't even know that they had a science paper, which I completely mucked up on...I didn't really properly enjoy Science until about Year 10.
Oh yes, I've heard of Farnborough Hill. :smile:

Kendrick's a good place, too.

Really? Thank gosh I didn't apply then xD
My sister sat for Wycombe Abbey and got in, but she sat for my school and didn't get in. I like to think that makes me school better (when in reality, it just means that she probably had a bad day when sitting Kendrick's entrance exam :tongue:

)
SPGS sounds like a nightmare xD Science at 11+? That's insane! One of my friends sat for it and didn't get in xD I sat for sixth form and didn't get in :tongue:

I blame it on the French xD
Yeah, Kendrick's okay xD I'm moving to one of the privates in Oxford for sixth form though, closer to home xD

Reply 12

Original post by mynameishello

obviously if you have the option of private school than that's the wiser decision. Grammar schools can never provide the same environment, they aren't as supportive and all.

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Ignore this nonsense OP; private school does not necessarily mean better school, it simply means that your parents have to pay for the cost rather than the government. The only thing that private schools can typically offer that state grammars cannot is better sports facilities and more varied extra-curricula activities.

Newstead wood is one of the best girls' schools in the country (state or private), they consistently achieve outstanding GCSE results, which they certainly couldn't do without providing ample support to their pupils. In addition, contrary to what this poster has said, they have their own entrance exam in lieu of the standard 11+ (including Maths, English and verbal reasoning). Needless to say, because of the high quality of the school, competition for places is consequently very fierce -- I believe the application success rate is around 12%. By constrast, there are likely to be less applicants per place at private schools because many parents are unable to afford the fees. Thus, entry is typically less competitive at private school than at state grammars.

However, before you decide that you want to take the private school tests first because they're easier, you might want to consider that if you were to get a place at a state grammar you'll not only be receiving an outstanding education, you'll also be saving your parents a lot of money.

Reply 13

Original post by suzylemonade

Pretty much the only place I applied to, apart from Farnborough Hill which was a low-down private, hence the simple exam xD

Is Farnborough Hill a "low-down private"? According to this it's the 3rd best school in Hampshire. :confused:

Reply 14

Original post by joseon

Is Farnborough Hill a "low-down private"? According to this it's the 3rd best school in Hampshire. :confused:

Looking at it in comparison to the whole country, it's pretty far down. Around 80th or so. That's what I mean :tongue:

Reply 15

Original post by suzylemonade

Looking at it in comparison to the whole country, it's pretty far down. Around 80th or so. That's what I mean :tongue:

Well I personally wouldn't call 80th out of about 2500 private schools "low down" lol, but I guess you must have higher standards than me. :tongue:

Reply 16

Original post by joseon

Well I personally wouldn't call 80th out of about 2500 private schools "low down" lol, but I guess you must have higher standards than me. :tongue:

Yeah, I have high standards :tongue:

Reply 17

Original post by suzylemonade

Yeah, I have high standards :tongue:

Well to be fair, having had a look at the results comparison, there isn't actually much between Farnborough Hill and Kendrick (1-2% difference in terms of proportion getting 5 A*-C grades). Plus, Farnborough Hill's school building/campus is just :coma:

Reply 18

Original post by joseon

Well to be fair, having had a look at the results comparison, there isn't actually much between Farnborough Hill and Kendrick (1-2% difference in terms of proportion getting 5 A*-C grades). Plus, Farnborough Hill's school building/campus is just :coma:

Yeah, but then if you look at the number getting A*s at GCSE... The gap widens :tongue:

Yeah, that was one of the things that swayed me towards F.H. their campus is stunning, and so is the library. Unfortunately, a lot of the girls that went there are now quite, erm, promiscuous, so I'm glad I didn't :tongue:

Reply 19