Overview
The Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB) sets and runs the ISEB Common Pre-Tests, a computer-based admissions assessment used by a large number of independent senior schools across the UK. Most pupils sit it in Year 6, around age 10-11, as part of the application to an independent senior school, either for entry at age 11 (Year 7) or for a place confirmed earlier but taken up later at age 13 (deferred Year 9 entry). The Pre-Tests cover four areas: English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.
Who can apply
The Pre-Tests are for pupils applying to an independent senior school that uses the ISEB Common Pre-Tests as part of its admissions process, almost always while the pupil is in Year 6. A pupil can sit the Pre-Tests only once in a given academic year. The test itself is not registered for by the child: a parent or guardian sets it up through ISEB's online Guardian Portal, naming the senior school or schools that should receive the results and the centre where the child will sit the tests.
Exam pattern
The Pre-Tests are taken entirely online and are adaptive: as the pupil answers each question, the system judges their ability so far and selects the next question at a matching level of difficulty, so two pupils rarely see an identical set of questions. There are four separately timed, multiple-choice sections:
English
Mathematics
Verbal reasoning
Non-verbal reasoning
Because the question set is chosen question-by-question for each pupil, ISEB does not publish a single fixed paper length; schools and families are directed to ISEB's own test-framework page for the current timings of each section.
Marking and results
Each section produces an age-standardised score, so a pupil's result reflects their ability relative to other pupils of the same age rather than simply how old they were on the day of the test, and results from different test dates can be compared on the same scale. Results go directly to the senior schools the parent or guardian has named in the Guardian Portal. Pre-Test scores are only one part of a school's admissions decision; schools weigh them alongside other evidence such as the pupil's school reports, references and, where a school uses one, an interview or further assessment.
Important dates
For the 2026-27 admissions cycle, ISEB opened its Guardian Portal for registration on Tuesday 9 June 2026, with registration for the cycle open into early May 2027. Live testing for the cycle began on Tuesday 1 September 2026 and runs into late May 2027, giving families a window across the autumn and spring of Year 6 to sit the tests. Each senior school sets its own internal deadline for when it needs to have received a pupil's results, so families should check the specific deadline given by each school they are applying to, rather than relying on the overall ISEB window alone.
Fees
ISEB does not charge parents or guardians a fee to register a child on the Guardian Portal. The centre where the child actually sits the four tests — often the child's own prep school, or another approved invigilation centre — sets and charges its own fee, in GBP, for invigilating a sitting; this fee is paid by the family and varies from centre to centre rather than being fixed by ISEB. Separately, the senior schools that receive a pupil's results pay ISEB a fee each time they access a result; this cost falls on the school, not the family.
How to apply
A parent or guardian registers the child through ISEB's Guardian Portal, specifying the senior school or schools that should receive the Pre-Test results and the centre where the child will sit the tests. Many children sit the tests at their own prep school, which acts as the invigilation centre; families without a prep school, including those applying from overseas, can register with another approved invigilation centre instead. Once registered, the child sits the four sections online at the chosen centre within the test window set for that admissions cycle.
Preparation tips
Since the Pre-Tests are adaptive and the exact questions a child sees depend on their own answers, familiarisation with the on-screen format and question types matters more than memorising a fixed paper. ISEB's own families hub sets out what each of the four sections involves, and working through all four areas — English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning — gives a more realistic picture of readiness than concentrating on just one or two.
What does the ISEB Pre-Test cover?
Four sections: English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, all taken online in an adaptive, multiple-choice format.
Who registers a child for the ISEB Pre-Test?
A parent or guardian, not the child or the school, registers through ISEB's Guardian Portal and names the senior school(s) that should receive the results.
Do Pre-Test results decide admission on their own?
No. Results are one factor senior schools weigh alongside school reports, references and, where used, interviews or further assessment.
Is there a fee for the ISEB Pre-Test?
ISEB charges parents nothing to register on the Guardian Portal. The invigilation centre where the child sits the tests sets its own GBP fee for the sitting, and senior schools separately pay ISEB to access each result.