Home › Test areas › Online Pre-Tests

Online Pre-Tests: format, schools and practice papers

A plain summary of how the Online Pre-Tests works and how to prepare for it. Each detail says whether it is published by the organisers, reported by other sources, or not published at all. We last checked these details in November 2026.

What the test involves

Subjects: maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.

Reported: The ISEB Common Pre-Test is taken online and is adaptive (questions get harder or easier depending on answers). It has four timed sections: English (reading comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar) 40 minutes, maths 40, non-verbal reasoning 30 and verbal reasoning 25.
Reported: It can be sat once per academic year; for 2026–27 the testing window runs from 1 September 2026 to late May 2027. Quest, CEM and GL’s CAT4 tests used by other schools cover similar ground, and online tests are multiple choice.
Reported: Of 100 large independent schools we looked at in November 2026, about half use an online first round of this kind, usually followed by their own papers or interviews.
Not published: Paper practice cannot copy an on-screen, adaptive test, so we practise the question types and steady working, with 25, 30, 25 and 20 questions per subject and five answer options. Many schools send families familiarisation material for the real test: use it as well.

Schools that use this test

Independent schools that use an online first-round test such as the ISEB Common Pre-Test: about half of the 100 large independent schools we researched in November 2026 do so. The Blue Coat School, Liverpool, a grammar school, also uses an online CEM test in two phases (Reported).

Always check dates, registration and the latest format with each school’s admissions page and any familiarisation material the school sends. Formats and providers change.

How to prepare

Practise filling in a separate answer sheet, so marking the right box becomes automatic and no time is lost on test day.
Learn the verbal reasoning question types one at a time, then mix them. Vocabulary grows fastest through wide reading.
For non-verbal reasoning, check one feature at a time (shape, number, shading, size, position, direction) and rule options out.
If the real test is on screen, practise reading carefully from a screen as well as on paper, and get used to working against a timer.
Sit full mock tests under timed conditions only every week or two, and spend the time in between on the question types that cost marks.

Practice papers for the Online Pre-Tests

Every question is original, written to the same types and level as the published format. Each option has a free sample, so you can check it suits your child first.

Set 1: four mock tests (Tests 1 to 4)
Paper practice for the online first-round tests many independent schools use: English, verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal booklets with answer sheets, explanations and a parent guide.

£14.99 · free sample

Set 2: four more mock tests (Tests 5 to 8)
Four more full mock tests in the same format as Set 1, with new questions throughout, answer sheets, answers and the parent guide.

£14.99 · free sample

Revision handbook: methods, worked examples and practice
A revision handbook for the Online Pre-Tests: 87 lessons teaching the methods for maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, with worked examples, practice questions, must-know lists and a 12-week plan.

£9.99 · free sample

Complete pack: both sets and the handbook
Everything for this test in one download: Set 1 and Set 2 (eight full mock tests) and the revision handbook. £39.97 if bought separately.

£29.99 · free sample

See the options in the shop

Questions parents ask

What does the Online Pre-Tests test?

It covers maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. The ISEB Common Pre-Test is taken online and is adaptive (questions get harder or easier depending on answers). It has four timed sections: English (reading comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar) 40 minutes, maths 40, non-verbal reasoning 30 and verbal reasoning 25.

Are these the real Online Pre-Tests papers?

No. Real past papers are not usually published. Our papers are original and set out like the published format, so children know what to expect.

Where do I check dates and registration?

Always check with each school’s admissions page and any familiarisation material the school sends. Dates and arrangements change from year to year.

Helpful guides

No practice material can promise a pass or a place. Places depend on scores, the school's rules and often distance.