Eton College 13 Plus (13+) Entrance Exam Information – Key Details
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Eton College is an independent boarding school for boys in the parish of Eton, near Windsor in Berkshire. Founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as The King’s College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor, Eton College is the 18th-oldest Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference school.
Considered one of the most prestigious schools in the world, Eton has educated prime ministers, world leaders, Nobel laureates and members of the aristocracy. It is referred to as “the chief nurse of England’s statesmen”.
Boys study a wide variety of subjects, including English, mathematics, Latin, science, two modern languages, divinity, geography, history, music, art, drama, PE, ICT and design.
Within the co-curricular programme, boys partake in about fifty societies and clubs on offer which cover a range of interests and are largely run by boys. Some of them have been in existence for many years such as the African society, Alexander Cozens (Art), Amnesty, the Archeological Club, Astronomy, Banks, the Caledonian Club, the Comedy Club, the Debating Club, Design, Entrepreneurship, Henry Fielding, the Law club, Sports, the Tech Club, Theatre, and many others.
Eton College is academically selective, demanding a high level of ability from candidates. However, each boy’s character and attitude are also taken into consideration, as is his capacity to contribute to life on campus and to the warmth of the community as a whole.
Eton College 13 Plus (13+) Exam Information
Address: Windsor SL4 6DW
County: Berkshire
Admissions info: admissions@etoncollege.org.uk or 01753 370 611
School type: Independent boarding school for boys
Number of students: 1310 (approx.)
13+ Open day: Seasonal
13+ Exam date (Stage 1): October/November of Year 6
Pass mark (Stage 1): Aim for 80%+ in our practice tests. See below for more details.
Open Events for Eton College 13 Plus (13+) Entry
The school’s seasonal programme of guided tours focuses on the historic heart of Eton College. They take place from April to August on Friday afternoons and last 90 minutes.
The fee is £10 per person (plus booking fee). The tours are not suitable for children under 7 years old. If you have a RBWM yellow advantage card, you can pay half price.
Individuals and small groups of up to six people are welcome. Note that the school is unable to accommodate larger groups.
Security searches will take place before tours begin. Visitors with large bags won’t be admitted.
Eton College 13 Plus (13+) Admissions
The school is highly selective and operates under strict deadlines. The admissions process starts with registration, which should be completed any time up to June in Year 5.
As part of the registration, your son’s unabridged birth certificate will be requested. The process also requires a payment of a non-refundable registration fee (currently £400 but subject to change).
Note that the school will not process incomplete applications.
In Stage 1, in the Autumn term of Year 6, your son will sit the ISEB Common Pre-Tests (October or November). A current-school report from the Head Teacher will also be requested.
The test is standardised and age-appropriate, measuring your son’t ability and attainment. It lasts two and a half hours. Following the Pre-Tests and the report, boys who perform well will go forward to Stage 2.
Stage 2 takes place in the Spring and Summer terms of Year 6. As part of Stage 2, there will be an interview, an online test (similar to CEM Select) and a writing task. Upon arrival, your child will be photographed, in case he is admitted.
He will then be asked to complete a questionnaire, which will be used by the schoolmaster during the interview. It typically contains generic questions such as:
-What is your favourite sport?
-Which sports teams do you represent?
-At what level is your current musical ability?
During the formal interview, the schoolmaster asks questions based on the questionnaire, such as:
-Why do you prefer a boarding school?
-Why do you wish to be admitted to Eton?
-Is the school your choice or your family’s?
-What are your hobbies?
-Which are your favourite subjects and why?
-Which book are you currently reading?
-What is your favourite book?
-Who is your favourite author and why?
-Are you introverted or extroverted? Why do you think so?
-Did you perform in a play at school or outside?
Boys who are successful at Stage 2 will be offered a Conditional Place, confirmed by passing the King’s Scholarship, Common Entrance or Eton Entrance examinations at the age of 12/13 in Year 8.
Parents and boys with a Conditional Place will be invited for a visit in order to find a suitable boarding house during the first and second terms of Year 7.
The acceptance of a Conditional Place will require payment of the Acceptance Fee. If you are in need of financial assistance, you should apply for a bursary upon receipt of a Conditional Place offer.
Eton College 13 Plus (13+) Scholarships and Bursaries
Eton College has a large budget available for scholarships and bursaries. Scholarships are merit awards and usually secure a fee reduction of 10%, regardless of the boy’s financial background.
Means-tested bursaries are awarded to pupils once it is determined that parents/guardians aren’t able to pay the full fees. An independent company assesses finances during a home visit and makes a recommendation to the school.
In a typical year, around 250 pupils receive a means-tested bursary with reduction in fees of 67% (avg) and around 90 students pay no fees at all.
For more information about scholarships and bursaries, please visit the school’s website.
Eton College 13 Plus (13+) Exam Format
13+ entry requires that your son sits exams in two stages of the examination process:
- Stage 1: ISEB Pretest
- Stage 2: online predictive test of academic ability and potential + a writing task and interview
The Stage 1 entry exam (ISEB Pretest) examines your son’s ability in skills such as numeracy, problem solving and vocabulary, with emphasis on how they think and how they will respond to the curriculum. The test consists of modules testing Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
The Stage 2 examination, sometimes referred to as the Eton List Test, is computer-based, covering 3 broad areas:
-Mathematics, including time zone challenges etc.
-English, including an essay full of errors on each line, with the text moving up at a rapid pace. The errors need to be corrected before the lines disappear.
-Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning
Eton provide the following information about this test:
“This test was developed by cognitive testing experts at Cambridge University, and is unique to Eton. Specimens are not available for practice. It measures each individual boy’s innate reasoning ability and it is predictive (i.e. not based on current knowledge).
The test takes about 60 minutes. Up to 16 boys may take it at a time. Each boy uses an individual workstation, and should not be distracted by anything appearing on adjacent screens.
Boys use a mouse to respond to questions and puzzles appearing on the screen and will be asked to type a few lines of text. Boys are guided sympathetically into the test, and before the start they are given instructions on screen and an opportunity to practise with the mouse, simulating the responses they will be asked to make in the Test.
The test contains a very large bank of questions, and no boy has yet answered them all. Timed sections do close down, and boys have a constant indication of how much time remains in the current section. The aim is to get as many questions as possible correct. They are told not to fret over any single question, and that it is better to move on. A boy who realises that he has registered a wrong answer may change it while that question is still on screen. His answer is not recorded until he moves on to the next question or the time for that question runs out.”
As well as the online test, there will also be a writing task. Your son will be expected to write an essay covering a specific topic, i.e. “Is the world a better place without rules?” The time limit for this writing task is relatively short.
Please see below our recommended packs to help prepare your child for the Eton College 13+ entrance exam.
How to Prepare for the Eton College 13 Plus (13+) Exam
One of the best ways to prepare your child for a highly competitive 13+ entrance exam is to familiarise them with the types of questions and the format of the actual exam. You can achieve this with the use of our practice tests.
Consisting of thoroughly researched and up to date questions, our practice tests will help you identify the strong and weak areas in your child’s knowledge base, and thus remove unnecessary stress from the exam preparation process.
By getting used to answering questions quickly and under time pressure, your child will gain a significant advantage over other candidates who prefer a less structured approach towards preparation for a competitive Year 9 entrance exam.
Eton College 13 Plus (13+) Exam Pass Marks and Target Scores
Pupils who are able to score 80%+ consistently in our ISEB Pretest practice tests should be on track to make it through to Stage 2.
Whilst there are no guarantees, this has historically been a fairly strong indicator that your child should do well in the Eton College Stage 1 exam.
Don’t worry if your child is not scoring well in our practice tests from the outset. With targeted practice and focus, it’s possible to make big improvements in a short amount of time!
Eton College 13 Plus (13+) Exam Practice Tests
Recommendations for each part of the Eton College 13+ exam can be found below:
Stage 1 exam
ISEB Pretest
Eton College use the online ISEB Pretest for their Stage 1 13+ assessment. We recommend the following online practice tests, which are specifically designed to help students familiarise themselves with the online test format in all four key subjects:
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 1
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 2
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 3
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 4
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 5
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 6
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 7
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 8
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 9
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 10
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 11
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 12
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 13
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 14
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 15
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended full practice resources for the Eton College ISEB Pretest at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 1-15 Bundle - Save 35%
Alternatively, you can choose a bundle of five of our recommended full practice tests for the Eton College ISEB Pretest and still save 25%. Select the relevant bundle below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 1-5 Bundle - Save 25%
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 6-10 Bundle - Save 25%
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 11-15 Bundle - Save 25%
The following video courses cover everything your child needs to know to do well in the ISEB Pretest:
ISEB Pretest Non-Verbal Reasoning Course
ISEB Pretest Verbal Reasoning Course
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended video courses for the Eton College ISEB Pretest at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Video Courses Bundle - Save 25%
Our Skill Practice products consist of focused tests that allow your child to improve targeted skills ahead of the ISEB Pretest:
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Reading Comprehension
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Cloze Sentences
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Shuffled Sentences
NEW ISEB Pretest English – SPAG
NEW ISEB Pretest 2D Non-Verbal Reasoning
NEW ISEB Pretest Spatial Reasoning
NEW ISEB Pretest Verbal Reasoning
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended skill practice resources for the Eton College ISEB Pretest at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Skill Practice Bundle - Save 30%
Stage 2 exam
Computer-based test
Those who have taken the Eton Computer Test in the past have found our CEM Select full practice and skill practice tests very useful. These online tests will help your son familiarise themselves with the time-pressured nature of the short sections in the Eton List Test. Our specific recommendations can be found below:
Full Practice
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended full practice resources for the Eton College computer-based exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
CEM Select Practice Tests 1-10 Bundle - Save 30%
Alternatively, you can choose a bundle of five of our recommended full practice tests for the Eton College computer-based exam and still save 25%. Select the relevant bundle below to learn more:
CEM Select Practice Tests 1-5 Bundle - Save 25%
CEM Select Practice Tests 6-10 Bundle - Save 25%
The following resources consist of focused tests that allow students to target specific question formats that may appear in the computer-based exam:
Skill Practice: Verbal Ability
CEM Select – Comprehension Pack 1
CEM Select – Comprehension Pack 2
CEM Select – Missing Words Pack 1
CEM Select – Missing Words Pack 2
CEM Select – Shuffled Sentences
CEM Select – Letter Connections
CEM Select – Multiple Meanings
Skill Practice: Non-Verbal Ability
Skill Practice: Numerical Ability
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended skill practice resources for the Eton College computer-based exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
CEM Select Skill Practice Bundle - Save 30%
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.
Writing task
Our recommendations to help your child prepare for the Eton College writing task can be found below:
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended resources for the English section of the Eton College entrance exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
Eton College English Bundle - Save 15%
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.
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.
Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in Eton College 13+ exam past papers. The information provided about Eton College 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.
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