How do CEM tests differ from other entrance exams?

The CEM 11 plus historically differed from other entrance exams by mixing English and maths together unpredictably within the same paper, changing its question balance every year, and leaning heavily on vocabulary and speed rather than familiar, practised question types. This was meant to make the test harder to coach for compared with GL Assessment, which uses separate, consistent papers for each subject. Importantly, CEM was bought by Cambridge University Press and Assessment in 2019, and it withdrew from producing paper based grammar school tests in 2022 and 2023, so a pure CEM test no longer exists today. Most former CEM areas, including Birmingham, now use GL Assessment or their own bespoke tests instead.

If you have heard other parents mention the CEM 11 plus test and wondered how it compares to GL Assessment or other entrance exams, this guide explains it clearly. We will also cover something a lot of guides miss, that CEM tests have not actually existed in their original form since 2022, and what has replaced them.

What is the CEM 11 plus test?

CEM stood for the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, a unit based at Durham University. It became one of the two main 11 plus providers in England, alongside GL Assessment, and was adopted by grammar schools and local authorities including Birmingham, Buckinghamshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire and Shropshire.

CEM's guiding idea was to create a test that was genuinely difficult to coach for. Rather than clearly labelled sections for English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, CEM blended subjects together within the same paper, and the exact mix and style of questions could shift from one year to the next. There was a strong emphasis on rich, varied vocabulary and on working quickly under pressure, and CEM did not release past papers or official practice material, which made it genuinely harder for families to prepare for in a targeted way.

Is CEM still used for grammar school entrance exams?

This is genuinely the most important, and most commonly misunderstood, part of this whole topic. In 2019, Cambridge Assessment and Cambridge University Press jointly acquired CEM from Durham University. Then, in 2022 and 2023, CEM formally withdrew from producing paper based 11 plus tests for grammar schools.

This means that a pure CEM paper test, in the form many parents remember or have read about in older forum posts, no longer exists. Areas that previously used CEM have needed to move to a different provider or format. Birmingham, for example, switched its shared grammar school entrance test to GL Assessment in 2023.

Cambridge, which now owns the CEM brand, has continued to develop computer based assessment products under the names CEM Select and Cambridge Insight. These exist as options for schools, but they are a different, more modern format compared with the original paper based CEM 11 plus that many families remember.

How CEM differed from GL Assessment

GL Assessment remains the most widely used 11 plus provider in England today. Comparing it with how CEM historically worked helps explain exactly what made CEM distinctive.

In simple terms, GL Assessment has always been the more transparent, predictable option, which is exactly why most former CEM regions moved towards it once CEM stepped away from grammar school testing altogether.

How CEM differed from the ISEB Common Pre-Test

The ISEB Common Pre-Test is a separate assessment entirely, created by the Independent Schools Examination Board and used mainly by independent senior schools rather than state grammar schools. It is fully computer based and adaptive, meaning the difficulty of each question adjusts in real time depending on how a child is performing.

CEM, by contrast, was historically a fixed, paper based test that did not adapt to an individual child's performance during the test itself. While both tests share a broad interest in testing genuine reasoning ability rather than memorised facts, they were created by different organisations, for different types of school, using fundamentally different formats.

How CEM differed from Bespoke School-Set Tests

Some schools, particularly certain independent and selective girls' schools, have always set their own entrance tests rather than using an external exam board at all. Newstead Wood School in Bromley is a good example, using its own selection test in verbal and non-verbal reasoning, marked and administered directly by the school itself.

CEM sat somewhere between these two worlds. It was created and administered by an external, nationally recognised body, like GL Assessment, but its unpredictable, blended format felt closer in spirit to the less standardised approach of a bespoke, school-set test. This made CEM genuinely distinctive among the main national providers.

What replaced CEM in former CEM areas?

Since CEM's withdrawal from paper based grammar school testing, former CEM regions have generally moved in one of two directions.

1. A switch to GL Assessment

Many former CEM areas, including Birmingham, have adopted GL Assessment as their new shared entrance test, valuing its consistency and well established format.

2. A move to bespoke consortium tests

Some school groups have instead developed their own shared assessment, such as FSCE, now used by several grammar schools in the North of England, including some that previously used other formats.

Because arrangements can and do change from year to year, the single most reliable way to know which test your target school currently uses is to check that school's own admissions page directly, rather than relying on general guides, including this one, for the final word.

Why these differences still matter for preparation

Even though a pure CEM test is no longer sat by children today, understanding how it differed from other formats still helps families in a couple of genuine ways.

• Many families researching 11 plus preparation online will still come across CEM-style material and older guides, so understanding the historical context avoids confusion

• Some of the underlying skills CEM prioritised, a strong vocabulary, comfort with unfamiliar question styles, and working accurately under time pressure, remain genuinely useful across every current entrance exam format

• Families should always confirm the current, actual test format for their target school directly, rather than assuming based on what a school used several years ago

How to prepare for whatever test your school uses

Whether your target school uses GL Assessment, a bespoke consortium test, or another format entirely, broad, steady preparation across core skills gives your child the strongest possible foundation.

1. Confirm the current test format directly with the school

Never assume based on what an older sibling or a general guide describes, since formats genuinely do change.

2. Build strong, broad fundamentals

A wide vocabulary, confident maths and steady reasoning skills genuinely transfer well across every major test format.

3. Practise under timed conditions

Regardless of exact format, every 11 plus style test rewards children who can work accurately at pace.

Our free 11+ practice papers and 11+ past papers give children genuine, structured exposure to the reasoning, English and maths skills that matter across every current major entrance exam format.

How Pass 11 Plus Grammar helps students with different test formats

With test formats changing across the country in recent years, many families feel more confident with experienced, up to date guidance alongside them.

1. Build a proper, structured plan

Our 11 plus tuition programmes cover the core skills that matter across every major current entrance exam format, not just one specific test type.

2. Get experienced, up to date guidance

Our 11 plus tutors in Birmingham understand exactly how the region's entrance exam has changed in recent years, and prepare children for the test as it stands today.

3. Build up to realistic exam conditions

Our 11 plus mocks recreate genuine timing and pressure, whatever format your target school currently uses.

Our 11 plus intensive summer course offers focused, structured practice during the school holidays.

Final thoughts

Understanding how CEM tests differ from other entrance exams is genuinely useful, but the most important thing to take from this guide is that CEM, in its original paper based form, is now part of grammar school history rather than something children currently sit. Its unpredictable, blended, vocabulary heavy approach set it apart from GL Assessment's clearer, more consistent structure, the ISEB Common Pre-Test's adaptive computer format, and the individually written tests some schools set themselves.

What matters most now is confirming exactly which test your target school actually uses this year, since formats genuinely have shifted across the country, and building the kind of steady, broad preparation that serves a child well whichever format they end up facing.