“My friend says that the ISEB Pretest pass mark is … ” and other myths!

 

If your child has just taken the ISEB Pre-test as part of their Eton, Winchester, Tonbridge, Charterhouse, Wellington, Cranleigh, St Paul’s (continue ad infinitum, see the list here!) then you may well be surrounded by a fog of panic and misinformation. So here we go, the top myths…

 

1: There is a pass mark of X…

No… there really isn’t. Schools use the Pre-Test as part of their application process in conjunction with school reports, references and additional information. Most schools will apply a range to the results they receive from their cohort which may be broader or narrower depending on their intake.

As a rule of thumb: a school with fast-paced teaching and highly academic focus (such as St Paul’s), will take the top end of their cohort. A school with excellent support and a broader intake (e.g. Stowe), will use a wider measure.

 

2: So and so scored 100%…

The scores of the test are not released by schools…

 

3: So and so took the test twice…

Not in one academic year they didn’t unless serious trickery was going on! The test may be taken once per candidate in an academic year and all schools who use the Pretest can access your child’s results.

Each school sets their own deadlines but once you have taken the test for your earliest deadline, that is it.

 

Some schools have late Y7 applications (e.g. Charterhouse) so it is possible that your child might take the ISEB Pretest again in Y7 but it will be a different set of questions.

 

Now that the Winchester interview invitations have been issued, we’ve noted brilliant results from the students who used PreQuest this year.   If you cover all the material in Pretest level, you will be in good shape for the assessments. If you are wondering what is on the ISEB Pretest, have a look at some of our videos…