St. Columba’s College, St Albans 11 Plus (11+) Entrance Exam Information 2026

Introduction

 

St. Columba’s College is an independent, Roman Catholic day school in St. Albans, Hertfordshire. Founded in 1939 by Phillip O’Neil, the college is built around two historic houses, Watling House and Iona House, overlooking the St. Albans Cathedral across the River Ver.

 

The Senior School curriculum focuses on the core subjects of mathematics, English, religious education and science along with two humanities, history and geography, a core language (French or Spanish) and Latin, and lessons in computer science, design technology, music, art, physical education and games. 

 

Co-curricular activities range from rugby, athletics, swimming, football and tennis to Drama, Choir, Combined Cadet Force (CCF) and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme

 

The school enables every child to maximise their own potential through the provision of high quality teaching, superb pastoral care and committed staff that work in partnership with parents and the wider community. At St. Columba’s, each individual is valued, nurtured and encouraged to become a self-motivated, resilient and well-rounded adult.

 

St. Columba’s College 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information 2026

 

Address: King Harry Lane, St. Albans AL3 4AW

County: Hertfordshire

Admissions info: admissions@stcolumbascollege.org or 01727 892040

School type: Independent co-ed day school

Number of students: 830 (approx.)

Open day: October and June

11+ Exam date: November of Year 6

11+ Exam type / Board: Quest Assessment

 

Open Events for St. Columba’s College 11 Plus (11+) Entry

 

The school holds an Open Morning in October and an Open School Working Day in June. During these events, you and your child will have the opportunity to tour the school, meet the Head and members of the Senior Leadership Team, along with other members of staff and students. If you are unable to attend the Open Events, you can arrange a private visit to the school with the Registrar. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:

 

 

St. Columba’s College 11 Plus (11+) Admissions

 

The admissions process for Year 7 entry starts with registration, made via an online form available on the school’s website. St. Columba’s recommends early registration, which is confirmed by paying a non-transferable registration fee of £100. 

 

The 11+ entrance exam is set in November of the year preceding entry and the interview is held the following January. As part of the admissions process, a current-school reference and reports will be obtained.

 

St. Columba’s College 11 Plus (11+) Scholarships and Bursaries

 

If your child performs well in the examination, they will automatically be considered for an Academic Scholarship, covering 10%-15% of the fees. Current-school academic references are also taken into account. These awards don’t require separate application forms. 

 

Music Scholarships are also offered to 11+ applicants. They are dependent on your child’s audition and performance in the entrance examination. All scholarships are reviewed annually.

 

The school offers two separate categories of means-tested bursaries to provide financial support in case you would not otherwise be able to afford to send your child to St Columba’s College. They are available for the duration of their time at the College, but only if they continue to meet specific educational and behavioural criteria. If your financial circumstances change, the bursary award will be adjusted accordingly.

 

1821 Bursaries are means-tested bursaries available to children who apply for entry to Senior school and are awarded an academic scholarship. They cover up to 100% of the fees and may include “extras” required for the delivery of the standard education programme.

 

Coindre Bursaries are also means-tested and are offered to practising Roman Catholic students who pass the entrance tests and who show exceptional academic potential. They provide financial support valued at up to 95% of the school fees and may also include “extras” required for the delivery of the standard education programme. For more information, please visit the school’s website.

 

St. Columba’s College 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format

 

The St Columba’s College 11+ online Quest assessment comprises four modules (maths, English, non-verbal reasoning and verbal reasoning) and lasts approximately 70 minutes.

 

Three of the modules are adaptive (maths, non-verbal reasoning and verbal reasoning). If your child answers questions correctly in these modules, they will be given more challenging questions. If they answer incorrectly, they will be given easier questions. This means the modules find the right level for your child.

 

The English module is not adaptive, meaning all candidates will answer the same questions.

 

The maths module will cover topics your child has been taught at school without going beyond the Year 5 maths curriculum. Topics include number and place value, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, fractions, measurement, properties of shapes, and position and direction. Your child will need to apply their mathematical knowledge and use their reasoning skills. Some questions will involve more than one step.

 

The English module will include a passage (fiction or non-fiction). Your child must read it and then answer questions to assess their understanding. They may need to extract information, use their inference skills and deduce word meanings from their context.  Additional questions will evaluate the standard of your child’s spelling, punctuation and grammar.

 

The non-verbal reasoning module will use visual information, such as images and shapes, to assess your child’s problem-solving skills, e.g. your child may have to identify which image does not belong in a given group of images.

 

The verbal reasoning module will assess your child’s ability to answer language-based questions, such as identifying the word that does not belong in a set of words. A broad vocabulary is hugely beneficial for this module.

 

Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for the St Columba’s College 11+ entrance examination.

 

How to Prepare for the St. Columba’s College 11 Plus (11+) Exam

 

At Exam Papers Plus, we recommend that students follow a structured approach towards preparation for the 11+ entrance exam. Such an approach includes practice tests, which consist of thoroughly researched and up to date questions that reflect a competitive 11+ examination format.

 

By covering all the key skills and the range of question types your child will encounter in the actual test, our practice tests will help them get used to answering questions quickly and effectively. More importantly, they will help identify any weaker areas that require additional work and attention. In this way, our practice tests will assist in boosting your child’s confidence. 

 

Practice tests ensure that candidates find the preparation process easily manageable and less demanding, and help parents come up with a carefully thought-out revision plan that focuses on studying ‘little and often’. Our recommendations to help your child prepare for the St. Columba’s College 11 plus entrance examination can be found below.

 

St. Columba’s College 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Tests

 

St Columba’s College 11+ Online Practice Test

 

Our St Columba’s College 11+ Online Entrance Assessment Practice Tests provide realistic and highly accurate preparation for the actual exam. Each full mock test replicates the modules, timings and question types used in the real assessment, ensuring your child becomes familiar with the format and expectations. Covering Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, these tests are all pitched at the same difficulty level, allowing you to benchmark your child’s progress, track improvement and identify key areas for further practice.

 

St Columba’s College 11+ Practice Test 1

St Columba’s College 11+ Practice Test 2

St Columba’s College 11+ Practice Test 3

St Columba’s College 11+ Practice Test 4

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended full practice resources for the St Columba’s College 11+  exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:

 

11+ St Columba’s College Practice Tests Bundle

 

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Our Skill Practice exercises are designed to focus on one specific question type that will come up in the St Columba’s College 11+ exam. They are ideal for targeted practice and an efficient way to quickly improve your child’s scores in the relevant topic.

 

St Columba’s College 11+ Mathematics

 

 

Don’t forget to use the code ppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £80 and 20% off orders over £200 if you don’t buy a bundle.

 

 

The information provided about St. Columba’s College, St Albans was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of possible future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the post.

 

Please note that Pretest Plus is an independent publisher of practice tests and resources, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publishers of the Quest Assessment or any other test publisher and St. Columba’s College, St Albans.

 

Other entry points for St. Columba’s College:

 

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