Merchant Taylors’ School (MTS) 11 Plus (11+) Exam 2024, Year 7 Entry – Key Details
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Merchant Taylors’ School (MTS) is an independent school for boys in Northwood, in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire. Occupying a 285-acre campus, it was founded in 1561 and has educated an impressive number of notable alumni. Following the merger with Northwood Prep in 2015, MTS features a Prep Department, which makes it an all-through school from the ages 3–18. [1]
Proud of its rich and esteemed tradition lasting over 450 years, Taylors’ offers a broad curriculum that’s characterised by variety, targeting individual needs and promoting intellectual development in parallel with self-discipline and resourcefulness. Students are encouraged to challenge themselves in the process of surpassing their potential, gaining wide in-school recognition for their consistently strong achievements across a plethora of disciplines, including humanities, computing, science and languages.
To maximise their social conscience and awareness of their own abilities, MTS provides boys with a rich selection of extracurriculars, ranging from Afro Caribbean Society, choir and rowing to Astrophysics Club, chess and debating. Furthermore, being a strong supporter of outdoor education programmes, the school instils in boys a love of nature through fun and engaging opportunities which include kayaking, sailing and mountain biking. [2]
MTS publishes a number of publications throughout the year, including GeoMag, the school’s own geographical magazine, and Concordia, the magazine of the alumni. This exceptional school also provides a comprehensive PSHCE and well-being curriculum, aimed at improving children’s mental health, emotional agility and their overall welfare. [3]
Benefitting from strong staff backing and numerous resources in the form of apps, websites, articles and support organisations, pupils deal with problems with ease, knowing that the school, in collaboration with parents, safeguards them on their path to adulthood. Their progress is closely monitored and meticulously cared for, thus they develop at their own pace and gravitate towards maximising their unique strengths instead of conforming to established expectations.
Merchant Taylors’ School (MTS) 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information 2024
Address: Sandy Lodge, Northwood, HA6 2HT
County: Middlesex
Admissions info: admissions@mtsn.org.uk or 01923 845514
School type: Independent day school for boys
Open day: September, May
11+ Exam date: December 2024
11+ Exam type / Board: School’s own
Pass mark: Aim for 80%+ in our practice tests. See below for more details.
Open Events for Merchant Taylors’ School (MTS) 11 Plus (11+) Entry
Prospective parents are encouraged to visit the school with their son prior to registering for entry. Open mornings are held in September and May, typically consisting of guided tours of facilities and meetings with key members of staff. Places can be reserved via this online booking form. Personal tours can be arranged through the Admissions Department. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:
Merchant Taylors’ School (MTS) 11 Plus (11+) Admissions
In order to be considered for a place at Taylors’, your son should be registered with the school first. An online registration form is available on the school’s website and the deadline for registration is in late October of the year preceding entry. The online form should be submitted together with a digital copy of your son’s birth certificate and passport, as well as a payment of a £100 non-refundable registration fee.
11 plus entry at Merchant Taylors’ School is based upon a report from your child’s current school and his performance in entrance exams and individual interview, attended by applicants who meet the required standard in the exams. Held in late January / early February, the individual interview allows staff to find out more about your son’s interests, personal qualities and aptitudes.
Please note that, if a place is offered, you will be asked to secure it with a payment of a £1,050 deposit.
Merchant Taylors’ School (MTS) 11 Plus (11+) Scholarships and Bursaries
A limited number of means-tested bursaries are available and at least five significant Academic Scholarships and five minor Academic Exhibitions are awarded at 11+ based on performance throughout the assessment process. Scholarships are also awarded for Sports, Drama, DT, Art and Music, as well as all-round ability.
Academic Scholarships are worth a minimum of 10% of the school fees, while Academic Exhibitions are worth a maximum of the same amount. All-rounder Scholarships are valued similarly to Academic Scholarships.
Sports Scholarship applicants will be rewarded on the basis of practical assessment, including rugby, hockey and cricket, as well as appropriate fitness tests.
Music scholarships include free instrumental and/or singing tuition on two instruments or instrument and voice. The minimum standard is Grade 5 on the first instrument and the evaluation process includes an audition and interview.
Drama scholarships are awarded on the basis of a monologue and all applicants will be asked to discuss the reason why they chose the piece. Art scholars are evaluated on the basis of a portfolio and scholars will be expected to continue with the subject at least to GCSE level.
Design Technology scholarships are awarded to applicants with aptitude in design, technology or engineering. Candidates will be asked to bring images or practical work as evidence of their interest in the field.
Bursaries provide support in cases when boys pass entrance examinations and interview and are offered a place, but cannot afford to pay the school fees, in full or in part, due to financial circumstances. They are means tested and awarded after the College’s bursary committee takes into account your income and assets.
The value of bursary awards is reviewed each year. They typically range from 10–100% of fees, with the majority of awards being between 75–100%. Means-tested support may be available for trips and other enrichment activities, as well. More details are available here.
Merchant Taylors’ School (MTS) 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format
The entrance assessment for candidates applying to join Year 7 (11+) at MTS consists of :
- English paper (1 hour)
- Mathematics paper (1 hour)
- MTS General paper (1 Hour)
The English paper examines both comprehension and writing skills, including inference, spelling, vocabulary and punctuation. Marks will be awarded for good use of imagination, creativity, form, purpose, organisation, cohesion and sentence structure.
The maths exam assesses your child’s problem-solving abilities and arithmetic skills. The paper will include questions on number, measurement, geometry, algebra and statistics.
The General paper is designed to test Language, Logic and Ethics.
Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for the Merchant Taylors’ School (MTS) 11+ entrance examinations.
How to Prepare for the Merchant Taylors’ School 11 Plus Exam
One of the best ways of preparing for competitive entrance exams is to use practice papers. These help students to familiarise themselves with the format and question types they will encounter in the actual test in an efficient and effective manner. They also provide an excellent opportunity for students to practise working under time pressure.
Our practice papers, which are available for immediate download, print and use after purchase, offer excellent practice and preparation for the Merchant Taylors’ School entrance exam. They cover all the key skills and can be used to identify any weaker areas that require additional work ahead of the exam and to help build confidence.
Our 11+ practice papers are thoroughly researched and up to date. Every year, they are used successfully by tens of thousands of students targeting schools with a competitive entrance exam. They are designed to be age appropriate but challenging, to reflect the demands of such an exam.
Merchant Taylors’ School (MTS) 11 Plus (11+) Exam Pass Marks and Target Scores
Pupils who are able to score 80%+ consistently in our 11+ practice tests should be on track to pass the Merchant Taylors’ School 11+ test.
Whilst there are no guarantees, this has historically been a fairly strong indicator that your child should do well in the MTS 11+ exam.
Don’t worry if your child is not scoring well in our practice papers from the outset. With targeted practice and focus, it’s possible to make big improvements in a short amount of time!
Merchant Taylors’ School (MTS) 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Papers
NOTE: The following English and Mathematics practice tests are in standard format, which means that students need to write in their own answers rather than choose from a list of multiple-choice options. This matches the 11+ Exam format used by the school.
English
We highly recommend the following packs to prepare successfully for the Merchant Taylors’ 11+ English paper. They will help improve your child’s comprehension skills, such as inference, and writing skills, including spelling, vocabulary and punctuation:
Comprehension
11+ Complete Comprehension Guide
Writing
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended resources for the English section of the Merchant Taylors’ School 11+ Exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ MTS English Bundle - Save 30%
If you’d like to have your child’s writing assessed and marked, you may be interested in our Writing Marking Service. Please click here to learn more.
Mathematics
We highly recommend the use of the following packs to help develop your child’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills within the examination context of the Merchant Taylors’ 11+ maths test:
Full Practice Tests
Skill Specific Practice
11+ Fractions, Decimals & Percentages
11+ Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended resources for the Mathematics section of the Merchant Taylors’ School 11+ Exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ MTS Maths Bundle - Save 30%
General Paper
The Merchant Taylors’ General Paper covers Language, Logic and Ethics. We’ve created specific practice tests with detailed mark schemes to help your child prepare for this unique exam format:
11+ MTS General Paper: Practice Test 1
11+ MTS General Paper: Practice Test 2
11+ MTS General Paper: Practice Test 3
The following Critical Thinking packs will also prove useful when preparing for this test:
11+ Critical Thinking & Analysis Pack 1
11+ Critical Thinking & Analysis Pack 2
11+ Critical Thinking & Analysis Pack 3
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended resources for the Merchant Taylors’ School 11+ General Paper at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ MTS General Paper Bundle - Save 15%
Don’t forget to use the code eppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £70 and 20% off orders over £250 if you don’t buy a bundle.
Interviews
This interview guide covers all the key concepts your child needs to be aware of for the 11+ Interview:
11+ Interviews – The Complete Guide
Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in Merchant Taylors’ School 11+ past papers. The information provided about Merchant Taylors’ School was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the post.
Other entry points for Merchant Taylors’ School:
Click here to learn about Year 3 entry via the 7 Plus (7+) Exam
Click here to learn about Year 4 entry via the 8 Plus (8+) Exam
Click here to learn about Year 9 entry via the 13 Plus (13+) Exam
Bookmark this page? Pop your email into the box below to receive a link to this article so you can easily refer back to it later.