The Student Room Group

What was your 11+ exam experience like?

It's that time of the year again, and I look at those poor year 6s who are so nervous about taking their 11+..when I think back to mine, it really doesn't seem THAT long ago! I remember how I couldn't sleep properly the night before my exam because I was so nervous and spent most of the night texting my friend who was also taking the same exam :p: And when I finally did the exam, I came out so upset because I thought I had got loads of the questions wrong..

..I can't believe I'm in the sixthform now, time sure does fly when you're bogged down with tons of coursework and exams :biggrin:
So yeah,do you still remember the day you took your exam? Did you have a good, bad experience or any funny moments to share?

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Reply 1
I didn't even know it still existed :O
I got an A... so I guess I wasn't too traumatised.

I am on placement well observation week in a primary this week and don't have to go in till 11:30am so my 11+ this week is good. :yep:

In N.Ireland, this is the last 11+ ever so I bet there will be a lot of commotion on the news. However the new replacement for the 11+ is strange in NI. Plus it has no science, which is strange since in my old grammar school science was the only subject we actually streamed for...:rolleyes:

People keep saying it is too much pressure on 11 year olds but surely even at 8 yearold they do keystage 1 and that would be worse.
No I don't remember it at all. Except the teachers said we should all bring water, and everyone got chuffed and got water 'cause it was their first proper exams, my mum didn't get me any though :frown:
I think it's pretty bad they should do exams when they're 11 =/ But that's me. My sister is in y6 and she'll be doing them soon, her birthday is only in July though, so she'll still be 10.
Reply 4
I'm pretty sure I never took the said exam.
I remember the 1 hour bus journey to my first choice school to sit the exam and generally walking around in a trance...I guess I was rather bemused by it all. I knew the exam was important and so was pretty nervous.

I still remember during the break going up to the front of the hall and collecting some fruit juice and a digestive biscuit. I sat back down and exchanged nervous smiles with this Indian girl sitting next to me. I think we had a little chat too. :p:
Reply 6
I was bored out of my mind. I finished within a third of the time and then sat there looking around wondering what to do and if I'd missed the point of something.
Reply 7
I skipped the maths section of my 11 plus and remained entirely silent at all the school interviews I went to.

I REALLY wanted to attend the local comprehensive and stay with my friends. Stupid bloody 11 year old me.
I was 9 lulz
Reply 9
no longer exists here... my fiancé took it though. he's from kent
Reply 10
I remember the whole day very vividly. I also had a music scholarship exam. Wondering around Leicester in the rain beforehand. Had a McDonalds, Oasis were playing on a loop. Wrote a story about cats in a cave for one of the papers. The boy sitting next to me was called Mark and was very quick at sums.
Reply 11
pinenuts
I skipped the maths section of my 11 plus and remained entirely silent at all the school interviews I went to.

I REALLY wanted to attend the local comprehensive and stay with my friends. Stupid bloody 11 year old me.


I really wanted to go to the local comp with my friends too, but I never would have dared to deliberately mess up. Plus I don't think my pride would have allowed it.
Reply 12
I failed mine miserably and I remember feeling really, really awful about it.

the_alba
boy sitting next to me was called Mark and was very quick at sums.


The boy sitting next to me was Tim, he was extremely tall, and I still know him (and he's a cock).
Reply 13
the_alba
I really wanted to go to the local comp with my friends too, but I never would have dared to deliberately mess up. Plus I don't think my pride would have allowed it.


Ha. Yeah. I was an obstinate child. I think I'll regret messing up my 11 plus on purpose forever... I'll become a bitter old shelf stacker, cursing the short sightedness and stubbornness which blighted me aged 11.
Reply 14
I can remember 2 questions off my paper- one about a bicycle lock and you turned the first one so many places to the right, and then to the left, what number did it stop at? I can remember the picture on the page as well.

And another one about being in a field and you turned this direction and then so many degrees that direction, and you had to say which direction you were facing.

I also remember after the second test we were forced to watch Star Wars :frown: Never been so bored in my whole life. When the caretaker came round asking for volunteers for something, I volunteered and escaped for a while thank goodness!
Reply 15
Hmm, my primary school was private and in Year 6 everyone had extra lessons after school for it and stuff, me included...
But my school was a bit away from my house, so my mum wanted me to go to a more local secondary school (none of which are private around here) so I didn't have to take it anyway xD
The practice papers that I did were all pretty good though :]
Sorry to sound stupid, but can anyone fill me in on how the 11+ is taken in England in terms of:
a) How many papers?
b) When is it taken?
c) Does everyone take it?
d) What is on it? e.g. maths etc.
e) When are results?

I remember the room I sat in and it was labelled "s" and I was quite near the front and I got in done quickly. We then went to the canteen for refreshments. :yep:
Reply 17
tradingmyheartforyours
Sorry to sound stupid, but can anyone fill me in on how the 11+ is taken in England in terms of:
a) How many papers?
b) When is it taken?
c) Does everyone take it?
d) What is on it? e.g. maths etc.
e) When are results?

I remember the room I sat in and it was labelled "s" and I was quite near the front and I got in done quickly. We then went to the canteen for refreshments. :yep:


Heya :]]
Well the type of exams and no. of papers for the 11+ varies with different schools. The schools in my area, the male grammar schools get tested on English whereas the female ones don't but both are tested on maths. There's also verbal and non-verbal reasoning exams too. And no not everyone has to take it, its optional.
Reply 18
pinenuts
Ha. Yeah. I was an obstinate child. I think I'll regret messing up my 11 plus on purpose forever... I'll become a bitter old shelf stacker, cursing the short sightedness and stubbornness which blighted me aged 11.


It didn't necessarily blight you, did it? I passed, but loathed the school that meant going to, and left after two years. Meanwhile my friends had a great time at the comprehensive, which hardly held them back like my mother seemed to think it would, as they now have degrees from Warwick and Oxford. So I wish the opposite to you!
Reply 19
I never got the chance to do it ;__; I've never even heard of it until year 9... that's what you get at a East London comprehensive. Grrr *bitter fumes*

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