St Joseph’s College, Reading, 11 Plus Entrance Exam Information 2026

Introduction

 

St Joseph’s College is a co-ed, independent day school in Reading, Berkshire. It was established in 1894 by the Sisters of St Marie Madeleine Postel with the aim of providing local girls with quality education in a warm atmosphere. The school became co-educational in 2010.

 

Pupils study English, mathematics, RS, science, drama, computer science, MFL, humanities, food preparation & nutrition, ICT, PE, Latin and music.

 

A wide range of different clubs is on offer at St Joseph’s, allowing pupils to get involved in new activities and develop further interests and hobbies outside of the classroom. Adding a new dimension to academic education, the school organises exciting trips to destinations such as Uganda, Italy, Iceland and the States (New York).

 

St Joseph’s strongly encourages initiative and perseverance, instilling a life-long love of learning in pupils who then proceed to access adulthood with a passion for discovering new possibilities. Grounded in intellectual curiosity and creativity, they leave school with the academic qualifications, eloquence and skills necessary for active participation in social life.

 

St Joseph’s College, Reading, 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information 2026

 

Address: Upper Redlands Road, Reading, RG1 5JT

County: Berkshire

Admissions info: admissions@sjcr.org.uk or 0118 966 1000

School type: Independent, co-ed day school 

Number of students: 570 (approx.) 

Open days: September, October, November

Exam date: January of Year 6

Exam type / Board: School’s own & InCAS (CEM)

 

Open Events for St Joseph’s College, Reading, 11 Plus (11+) Entry

 

The school hosts Open Mornings throughout the year, consisting of meetings with key members of staff and a tour of the spacious facilities, as well as an introductory speech from the Head. Click here to book your spot. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:

 

 

St Joseph’s College, Reading, 11 Plus (11+) Admissions

  

The admissions process at 11+ formally begins with registration. Available on the school’s website, the registration form should be submitted along with a non-refundable £100 fee by the deadline in October. Your child will then be invited to visit St Joseph’s for a taster session in order to get a taste of life at the school.

 

Entry is based upon successful performance in entrance examinations, taking place in January, and satisfactory current-school reports and references. There will also be an interview with a senior staff member. To accept an offer of a place, you will be asked to pay a £500 deposit, retained until your child leaves the school.

 

St Joseph’s College, Reading, 11 Plus (11+) Scholarships and Bursaries

 

Scholarships are awarded in the areas of Academic ability, Art, Drama, Music and Sports. Academic Scholarships are valued at £100 towards the cost of attending museums, exhibitions, events and lectures. All academic scholars are members of the Scholars’ Society.

 

Art, Drama, Music and Sports Scholarships are also available to 11+ applicants. These carry a £100 award each towards the cost of materials, equipment and events tickets related to their subject. 

 

Bursaries are available to families in financial need. The Bursary Application Form, which can be accessed through the website, should be completed and returned to the school by the deadline in early December preceding the September entry. Please note that bursaries are reviewed annually and may vary in value, depending on your financial circumstances.

 

St Joseph’s College, Reading, 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format

 

The St Joseph’s College 11+ exam consists of the following tests:

 

• English writing task (45 minutes)
• Mathematics (45 minutes)
• InCAS (100 minutes)

 

The English paper examines writing skills, including spelling 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 may include questions on number, measurement, geometry, algebra and statistics.

 

InCAS examines skills in Verbal, Non-Verbal and Numerical Reasoning. Just like Cambridge Select Insight, it was produced by the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM).

 

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

 

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

 

One of the best ways to prepare your child for the St Joseph’s College 11+ entrance exam is to make use of our up to date practice tests. By becoming familiar with the exam format and doing the tests under timed conditions, your child will significantly improve their skills ahead of the actual exam. 

 

With the help of our practice tests, you will be able to calm any potential nerves and stress from the preparation process through a carefully thought-out revision plan that focuses on studying ‘little and often’, and thus transform the entire preparation process into a more pleasant experience.

 

Such a methodical and structured approach towards preparation includes making a habit of responding to questions quickly and effectively, under time pressure.

 

Successfully used by hundreds of thousands of students every year, our practice tests are available for immediate use after purchase. Our recommendations to help your child prepare for the St Joseph’s College 11 plus entrance examination can be found below.

 

St Joseph’s College, Reading, 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Tests

 

Writing Task

 

We highly recommend the following packs to prepare successfully for the St Joseph’s College, Reading, 11+ English paper. They will help improve your child’s writing skills, including spelling, vocabulary and punctuation:

 

11+ Complete Writing Guide

11+ Writing Prompts

11+ Rewrite & Improve

11+ Spelling Pack 1

11+ Spelling Pack 2

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended resources for the St Joseph’s College, Reading, 11+ English writing exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:

 

11+ English Bundle

 

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 St Joseph’s College, Reading, 11+ maths test:

 

Full Practice Tests

11+ Mathematics Pack 1

11+ Mathematics Pack 2

11+ Mathematics Pack 3

11+ Mathematics Pack 4

 

Skill Specific Practice

11+ Problem Solving Pack 1

11+ Problem Solving Pack 2

11+ Mental Arithmetic 

11+ Algebra

11+ Angles & Degrees

11+ BODMAS

11+ Estimation & Place Value

11+ Factors & Multiples

11+ Fractions, Decimals & Percentages

11+ Measurements

11+ Money

11+ Operations

11+ Perimeter, Area & Volume

11+ Position & Direction

11+ Probability

11+ Properties of Shapes

11+ Ratio & Proportion

11+ Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry

11+ Sequences

11+ Special Numbers

11+ Speed, Distance & Time

11+ Statistics

 

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11+ Mathematics Bundle

 

 

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CEM InCAS

 

The following full practice online tests are specifically designed to help your child become familiar with the demands of the St Joseph’s College 11+ InCAS assessment, which to a great extent resembles Cambridge Select Insight:

 

Full Practice

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Practice Test 1

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Practice Test 2

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Practice Test 3

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Practice Test 4

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Practice Test 5

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Practice Test 6

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Practice Test 7

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Practice Test 8

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Practice Test 9

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Practice Test 10

 

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Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Practice Tests Bundle

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The following resources consist of focused tests that allow students to target specific question formats that appear in online Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) exams:

 

Skill Practice: Verbal Ability

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Comprehension Pack 1

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Comprehension Pack 2

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Missing Words Pack 1

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Missing Words Pack 2

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Related Words

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Anagrams

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Shuffled Sentences

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Letter Connections

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Multiple Meanings

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Selected Letters

 

Skill Practice: Non-Verbal Ability

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Pictures

 

 

Skill Practice: Numerical Ability

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Arithmetic

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Data Problems

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended skill practice resources for the St Joseph’s College, Reading, online Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:

 

Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) Skill Practice Bundle

 

 

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Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions have been included in St Joseph’s College, Reading 11+ past papers. The information provided about St Joseph’s College, Reading is 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 article.

 

Please note that Exam Papers Plus is an independent publisher of practice tests and resources, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by St Joseph’s College, Reading.