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Westminster 16+ Entrance Exam

Hi,
I’m thinking about taking the exam for Westminster this year (November 2023). I’m probably going to take the exams for biology, chemistry, maths and physics. Does anyone know if there are any past papers or good resources to use for these? Also, what are the timings and the general format of the examination day, and what do people usually wear to it (girls)?
Thank you!
I didn't apply to Westminster but I sat entrance exams at two independent schools last year for 16+. I mostly practiced past papers that I found online (Hamstead and Frognal Tutors have a good selection). Exam timings vary depending on the school but each exam will probably be an hour long. They'll likely be sat one after the other on the same day with small breaks in between.
They might give you a tour. Probably lunch too.
There was no dress code at the sixth forms I went to so there wasn't one for the exams either. A lot of girls were wearing their school uniforms and others were just wearing casual clothes. I wore cargos and a hoodie. When you apply though, the admissions will guide you through the process and email you all the details, including timetable and dresscode if any etc.
hii i haven't taken the exams myself bc im also doing it nov 2023 but i heard that apparently it's quite similar to the westminster 13+ challenge papers so you can try those. each exam is 45 minutes long, and you sit 4 papers in the same day from 9am till 2pm
Hi, I am also taking the exams this November and I’m also doing maths and physics. If anyone’s got any advice it would be much appreciated!
i went to the open evening and they said for physics try the physics olympiad to help you revise, but for maths i would also recommend smc/imc past papers
hi! i applied to westminster and didn't get in with very similar subjects. its important to note that unfortunately westminster are looking for more humanities students as they tend to find that most of the boys are applying for the STEM based subject, so off the bat you have a bit more difficult time. dont let that put you off, but just worth keeping in mind because i found that applying for humanities subjects (and naturally also being good at them) meant that you were more likely to get accepted. this is just my experience.
the format of the exams is about 1 hour per paper as well as around 30 minutes (can't remember exactly) on questions about "what makes you suited for westminster" and "describe yourself in 30 words or less". just know your strengths before going on and be prepared to write about yourself impressively.
in terms of what to revise, its so important that you know your gcse knowledge inside and out. obviously thats a nobrainer but like make sure youre getting the hardest MCQs correct as that is about 50% of the chemistry paper in particular. they will also test you on some alevel chemistry knowledge, by explaining it you first and then helping you through questions. this section is more to see how you think, but it might be useful to practice some problem solving skills and preparing to be faced with questions you may have no idea about. for biology, you will get a long essay question on something like "explain how carbon moves through plants to humans, detailling all of the processes and systems". very complex and hard to tackle, just be clear with what youre wriitng and present an argument that shows off your knowledge BUT PLAN the essay before you write it. maths just practice questions, as its mostly hard questions but simple concepts.
(edited 1 year ago)
Reply 6
How do u plan if u don’t know the questions there’ll be though
Original post by junkerton
hi! i applied to westminster and didn't get in with very similar subjects. its important to note that unfortunately westminster are looking for more humanities students as they tend to find that most of the boys are applying for the STEM based subject, so off the bat you have a bit more difficult time. dont let that put you off, but just worth keeping in mind because i found that applying for humanities subjects (and naturally also being good at them) meant that you were more likely to get accepted. this is just my experience.
the format of the exams is about 1 hour per paper as well as around 30 minutes (can't remember exactly) on questions about "what makes you suited for westminster" and "describe yourself in 30 words or less". just know your strengths before going on and be prepared to write about yourself impressively.
in terms of what to revise, its so important that you know your gcse knowledge inside and out. obviously thats a nobrainer but like make sure youre getting the hardest MCQs correct as that is about 50% of the chemistry paper in particular. they will also test you on some alevel chemistry knowledge, by explaining it you first and then helping you through questions. this section is more to see how you think, but it might be useful to practice some problem solving skills and preparing to be faced with questions you may have no idea about. for biology, you will get a long essay question on something like "explain how carbon moves through plants to humans, detailling all of the processes and systems". very complex and hard to tackle, just be clear with what youre wriitng and present an argument that shows off your knowledge BUT PLAN the essay before you write it. maths just practice questions, as its mostly hard questions but simple concepts.
For physics practice intermediate physics challenge question. For maths make sure you’re confident with algebra because that’s what came up a lot last year and maybe try a few mic questions, not the logic ones but the actual maths one if u get what i mean. For bio practice some Cambridge NSAA questions, that’s what case up last year and also they have longer answer questions. For chemistry maybe try really hard gcse questions and some Olympiad style question, the chemistry papers are really hard so it’s hard to say how you can prepare. For everything make sure you’re super confident with gcse knowledge. If there r graph draw them because even if you don’t understand questions you can score quite a few marks just by plotting a graph. Good luck@

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