How to Pull Off a Last-Minute 11 Plus Revision Process

If you have a few weeks or months before the 11 plus exam, then it might be worth following these tips to help you get ready:

Work on the skills that are most crucial for your 11 plus exam

If you are aiming to do well in your 11 plus exam, We advise against cramming at the last minute is not a good 11 plus revision preparation tactic. This might come as a surprise but it’s been proven time and time again that working on core skills will get you much better results than practice papers.We suggest that children should read every day. We at Pass 11 Plus Grammar recommend having your child read classic books to help them develop their vocabulary. They should also do mental maths to improve accuracy in literacy and numeracy tests. However, this does not apply to every child, and some really need 11 plus revision preparation.Practice tests are important, but they shouldn’t be prioritized over basic skills development work that teaches children how to think critically. Kids who neglect this kind of activity will find it harder to stay ahead in their classes.

Identify problem areas

From experience, we have found that one of the best ways for students to improve is by learning about exam technique. Students should identify topics they know well and answer them without worrying about time.Once they have mastered these, we suggest going back and try others with the help of 11 plus revision techniques, starting with those they think they can do well on.We strongly recommend kids follow this process because we want them to answer questions, they know how to answer but may have hesitated to answer the next question on the test, which was about something they weren’t confident about.For many students, an 11 plus exam can be challenging- but tackling these exams in a smart way can produce success, even if certain knowledge is missing or had little time for 11 plus exam revision preparation.We at Pass 11 Grammar believe that the best thing to do is to spend time going over any questions or problems which were skipped/missed or wrong by your child. Doing this should allow you to identify their skills and gaps in knowledge, so that you can focus on developing those skills.

Work on both verbal and non-verbal reasoning

If your child is taking a Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal reasoning paper, then make sure to buy and read a book on how to answer these questions and do plenty of 11 plus revision preparation.Children who are Non-Verbal can make good progress in other subjects early on and they will get better at Verbal Reasoning too, but a lack of vocabulary will make it more difficult.Finding balance is especially important, which is why you don’t need to do everything in one day. Instead, focus on doing enough each day so you can still get through your 11 plus revision process.Don’t rely on working hard to solve your problems because it’s not enough; it won’t. We know of families who put their children through six or eight-hour workdays during the summer holidays and it really isn’t worth the stress.This kind of 11 plus revision is likely to cause stress and undue pressure, which will result in a decreased performance on exam day.

Other than the points above, here’s some other things to keep in mind

Your child may not get great marks in Math, but usually it’s due to getting a few mistakes rather than fundamental gaps in their knowledge. Try to test their ability by doing a math assessment and checking for times tables and basic operations skills.If your child’s score on the test is less than 48%, it may be worth reviewing again in a month or so. We can help with accuracy.

Other things you can do to prepare your child

Many clever kids, including those with high IQs, don’t have to study hard or undertake extensive 11 plus revision, and will still score impressive grades.Make sure that children are targeting their subjects and learning the structure of a good essay. Fill knowledge gaps so they can write better essays. This will help raise their scores.

Do not pressure or stress your child

We have discovered that some kids feel too much pressure when they do lots of preparation because it seems like the more you prepare, the worse you perform.Children who are just in the right amount of study not overworking themselves at 11-plus revision prep have a higher chance of success than those who’ve been hard at work.Adequately prepare your child for their 11 plus exam by teaching what they need to learn and making sure they know what to do. Make sure they feel confident and ready before entering the testing center.Many students will enter the exam room confident in their ability to answer questions, but it’s unlikely that they’ll be as relaxed as they would be if they were not feeling nervous.