ISEB Common Pre-Test Maths Practice

What is the ISEB Common Pre-Test?

The ISEB Common Pre-Tests are a set of four online tests in English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, used by many independent senior schools as one part of admissions. ISEB says they are multiple choice and adaptive, take 2 hours 15 minutes in total, and can be sat in one day or across several. A child sits them once in an academic year, usually at their own school, and the results are shared with every senior school the family gives the Applicant ID to. The maths test covers the national curriculum up to the end of Year 5: number, calculation, fractions, decimals and percentages, measurement, geometry and statistics. No calculator is allowed; pen and paper are. For the 2026-27 session ISEB opened registration on 9 June 2026 and live testing from 1 September 2026. Modern Age Coders teaches the maths and the one-way technique live online, with practice we write ourselves.

Where to begin

Three courses for Pre-Test maths

Choose by how quick and accurate the Year 5 arithmetic is. Each card opens a syllabus.

ICP / 01

11 plus maths preparation

Covers the Year 5 topics the ISEB framework lists, with multi-step problems that join two of them.

Open the syllabus →

ICP / 02

Mental maths, number sense first

With no going back, the checking has to be fast; secure number facts make it possible.

Open the syllabus →

Middle School Mathematics Mastery course thumbnail

ICP / 03

Lower secondary maths

For a strong Year 6 child who will meet the hardest adaptive questions and then Year 7 maths.

Open the syllabus →

The test

How do the ISEB Pre-Tests work?

Four short online tests, sat once, shared with many schools. ISEB describes them in its 2026-27 pages and its test framework.

The ISEB Common Pre-Tests, 2026-27 session, as ISEB publishes them
Feature	What ISEB says
Tests	English (reading comprehension and grammar), mathematics, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning
Format	Online, adaptive and multiple choice
Length	All four together "will take 2 hours 15 minutes to complete"
When in school life	Often Year 6 for Year 7 entry; some senior schools use them before Year 9 entry
Where	Usually the pupil's current school, or a senior school or approved centre, in the UK or overseas
Registration	By a parent or guardian through the Guardian Portal; ISEB says registration is free for families
Window	Registration opened Tuesday 9 June 2026; live testing from Tuesday 1 September 2026 to late May 2027
Sittings	"Pupils can only sit the ISEB Pre-Tests once in any academic year"
Results	A Standardised Age Score where "the average is 100", with stanine, percentile rank and group rank

Shared, so sat once

The "common" in the name means one sitting serves many schools. Parents create an Applicant Profile and an Applicant ID, then give that ID to each senior school applied to. ISEB says this means pupils do not miss lessons for several separate tests.

Fees, ISEB says, are paid by the senior school, per result accessed. Individual schools set their own deadlines inside the session, so the date that matters is the earliest one among the schools on your list.

Two windows in print

ISEB's web pages give the 2026-27 testing window as 1 September 2026 to late May 2027. Its 2026-27 framework PDF says tests "can be taken between the beginning of October and the end of June". We print both because both are ISEB's; ask your child's school and the senior schools which applies.

If a child were somehow tested twice in a year, the framework says "the first set of results will stand." There is no practice run that counts.

Sources: ISEB Common Pre-Tests, information for families, information for schools, and the ISEB Common Pre-Tests Framework 2026-27, read 31 October 2026. Modern Age Coders is not connected with ISEB or with any senior school.

Adaptive and one-way

What does "adaptive" mean for a child sitting the maths test?

Each answer helps choose the next question, the number of questions varies, and there is no going back. Those three facts change preparation more than any topic list.

ISEB explains it directly: "The test system will assess the pupil's ability after each response and select the next question to have the most appropriate level of difficulty." It adds that "pupils may be presented with differing numbers of questions, and the system does not allow them to go back and change previous answers". It also says "it is highly unlikely that two pupils will see the same series of questions." So two children leaving the same room may have answered different questions, a different number of them, at different levels, and both had a fair test.

Skipping is not a tactic

On a paper 11 plus, leaving a hard question and returning is good technique. Here there is nothing to return to. A child needs to decide, with a sensible estimate behind the choice, and move on.

Harder can be good news

In an adaptive test, a run of harder questions usually follows correct answers. Children who expect every question to feel easy can panic at exactly the moment they are doing well. We tell them so in advance.

Checking comes first

Because a click is final, the check must happen before it: does the answer fit the estimate, the units, the question actually asked? Practising that two-second habit is the core of our Pre-Test lessons.

Paper 11 plus habits against the ISEB Pre-Test, our comparison from ISEB's description
Habit from paper tests	Does it work in the Pre-Test?	What to do instead
Skip and come back later	No: earlier answers cannot be revisited	Estimate, eliminate, commit
Count questions left to pace yourself	Not reliably: question numbers vary by pupil	Pace by the visible timer, which can be hidden if it worries the child
Change an answer on a final check	No	Do the check before selecting
Work in the margin of the question	No margin on screen	Use the pen and paper provided; that working is not marked
Use the easy questions to build confidence	Difficulty adjusts to the pupil	Expect hard questions and treat them as a sign of progress

A simplified illustration of our own, not ISEB's algorithm: picture a ladder of question difficulty. A correct answer usually moves a child up a rung, a wrong one down, and the test stops when it is confident where the child stands. That is why ISEB can say the test "can be shorter while still giving an accurate score", and why a careless slip on an easy rung costs more time than it would on paper: the test has to climb back.

Source: ISEB Pre-Tests information for schools, How do the ISEB Pre-Tests work, and the 2026-27 framework. The ladder picture and the habits table are our own explanation.

The maths

What maths is on the ISEB Pre-Test?

The national curriculum for England up to the end of Year 5, in six strands. ISEB describes some questions as plain arithmetic and others as problems that join more than one topic.

ISEB's six maths strands, with Year 5 examples we use in teaching
Strand (ISEB framework)	Year 5 examples (ours, from the national curriculum)
Number and place value	Numbers to a million, negative numbers in context, Roman numerals to M, rounding
Calculations	Written addition and subtraction, short multiplication and division, multiples, factors and primes to 100
Fractions, decimals and percentages	Equivalent fractions, mixed numbers, thousandths, simple percentages of amounts
Measurement	Converting metric units, perimeter and area, estimating volume, time problems
Geometry	Angles in degrees, angles on a line and around a point, 3D shapes from 2D drawings, reflection and translation
Statistics	Line graphs and tables, including timetables

What ISEB tells families

ISEB's preparation leaflet says "The ISEB Maths test is based on the National Curriculum Programme of Study, up to the end of Year 5", and that children will be "allowed a pen and paper during the test to jot down any calculations or notes that they want to make. This working paper is not marked."

It names two common errors: pupils who "haven't read the question properly or have used the wrong operation". It recommends times tables as a route to confidence.

Attainment, not potential

ISEB separates the four tests into two kinds. English and mathematics measure attainment, "in line with topics and knowledge that pupils will be taught in class". Verbal and non-verbal reasoning are meant to show potential through unfamiliar question types.

That distinction is useful. Maths is the test where ordinary, steady teaching shows up most directly, because it measures what has been learned.

Worked examples, written by us

How should a child work a Pre-Test style maths question?

Three original questions in a one-at-a-time, choose-one style, at Year 5 level. None is an ISEB question; ISEB's own Test Walkthrough shows the real look of the platform.

1. Two prices, one total

An adult ticket costs three times a child ticket. Two adults and three children cost 27 tokens. What does an adult ticket cost? Draw a bar for one child ticket. An adult is three bars, so two adults are six bars, plus three child bars: nine bars make 27, so one bar is 3 and an adult ticket is 9. Check before choosing: 2 times 9 plus 3 times 3 is 27. No algebra, one picture.

2. Fractions of one amount

What is five sixths of 48 minus three eighths of 48? One sixth of 48 is 8, so five sixths is 40. One eighth is 6, so three eighths is 18. The answer is 22. The trap is subtracting the fractions first without a common denominator; working each part on paper takes twenty seconds and cannot go wrong that way.

3. Angles on a line

Three angles sit on a straight line. One is 47 degrees and the other two are equal. What is each of the equal angles? Angles on a line make 180 degrees, so the two equal angles make 133, which is odd, so each is 66.5 degrees. An estimate catches errors: each should be a little under 70. If the options include 66.5, choose it; if a child got 133, they forgot the halving.

A practice set written by Modern Age Coders, one question at a time
Question (ours)	Answer	Check before you click
2,345 plus 1,878	4,223	Estimate 2,300 plus 1,900 is 4,200; the answer should be just above.
1.2 kg take away 450 g	750 g	Convert first: 1,200 g minus 450 g. Answers in kilograms and grams mixed are the usual slip.
Write 1994 in Roman numerals	MCMXCIV	M for 1000, CM for 900, XC for 90, IV for 4. Read it back as a check.
Which of 21, 23, 25 and 27 is prime?	23	21 is 3 times 7, 25 is 5 times 5, 27 is 3 times 9.
What is 15 per cent of 60?	9	Ten per cent is 6 and five per cent is 3. Add, then confirm it is less than a fifth of 60.
A film starts at 18:40 and lasts 1 hour 55 minutes. When does it end?	20:35	Add 2 hours to get 20:40, then take off 5 minutes.

Every row has a check that takes a few seconds and happens before the answer is chosen. That is the whole Pre-Test technique in miniature: on paper, a child can tidy up at the end; here, the end is each click.

Preparing well

How much preparation does the ISEB Pre-Test need?

Less than many families fear, by ISEB's own account. A sensible plan secures Year 5 maths, practises the one-way format briefly, and protects the child's calm.

Read ISEB's families page and framework, and note each senior school's own deadline within the session.
Check the Year 5 strands one at a time: place value, the four operations, fractions, decimals and percentages, measures, geometry and data.
Fix gaps with short daily practice, times tables first, as ISEB's own leaflet suggests.
Practise one-way answering: one question on screen, an estimate on paper, a check, then a choice that cannot be undone.
Use ISEB's free Test Walkthrough to try the platform, the coloured overlays and the font size controls, so nothing on the day is new.
Stop timed practice a week or so before the sitting, and keep the last days light.

What ISEB says about practice

From ISEB's preparation leaflet: "Additional test practice is not a requirement of the ISEB Pre-Tests; however, some parents, guardians and families may benefit from preparation work to reduce test anxiety."

ISEB endorses one commercial practice platform and warns that it "cannot guarantee the accuracy of third-party Common Pre-Tests practice resources that are not endorsed by ISEB". Our questions are third-party too, which is why we label them as ours and teach maths rather than imitate the test.

Access arrangements

Where a senior school agrees, ISEB says applicants with special educational needs can have extra time of 25 per cent on each test, requested by the parent at registration with evidence such as an educational psychologist's report.

The visible timer can be hidden if a countdown makes a child anxious. There is no extra time for English as an additional language, though a bilingual paper dictionary may be allowed.

Families aiming at 13 plus entry may meet Common Entrance after the Pre-Test; our Common Entrance maths page covers that stage. For grammar school tests, which work quite differently, see GL Assessment 11 plus maths and the national 11 plus maths page.

Timeline

From Year 5 to the sitting

Registration for 2026-27 opened in June 2026 and sittings run through the school year, so many children sit in the autumn or spring of Year 6.

Four stages before an ISEB Pre-Test
When	Stage	Secure when
Early Year 5	1. Number facts	Tables, place value and fraction equivalents recalled, not worked out
Through Year 5	2. The six strands	Each of ISEB's strands answered correctly at Year 5 level, with mixed-topic problems
Summer before Year 6	3. One-way habit	Estimate, check, commit, on screen, without wanting to go back
Weeks before the sitting	4. Calm rehearsal	The Walkthrough tried, a timed mixed set done, and nothing new attempted

A late start

If the sitting is weeks away, we work on the commonest slips and the one-way habit, not on new topics.

We will say honestly what that time can and cannot change.

After the Pre-Test

ISEB describes the Pre-Tests as one part of a school's admissions process; each senior school sets the rest.

Children who enjoy the problem solving often move on to competition maths.

All related courses

Maths courses around independent school entry

By stage, from Year 5 arithmetic to the maths that follows entry.

I

For the Pre-Test

Years 5 and 6

UK / ICP / 01

11 plus maths preparation

Year 5 strands taught for problems that mix topics.

Open the syllabus

UK / ICP / 02

Mental maths for kids

Fast recall so checks fit inside the time.

Open the syllabus

UK / ICP / 03

Primary maths, Years 1 to 5

For gaps that sit underneath Year 5 work.

Open the syllabus

II

Beyond the test

Year 6 to Year 8

UK / ICP / 04

Lower secondary maths

Pre-algebra and geometry for the first senior years.

Open the syllabus

UK / ICP / 05

Competition maths

Harder, slower problems for keen mathematicians.

Open the syllabus

UK / ICP / 06

Statistics and probability

Data reading and chance, taken further.

Open the syllabus

III

Maths and code

For curious children

UK / ICP / 07

Maths through coding

Patterns and number explored in Python.

Open the syllabus

UK / ICP / 08

Vedic maths

Calculation methods for number lovers.

Open the syllabus

How lessons run

Live, on screen, one question at a time

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays. Teachers are based in India; India time is four and a half hours ahead of UK time in summer and five and a half in winter, and we fix every lesson in UK time.

After school

The usual slot for Years 5 and 6.

Weekend morning

Room for a longer mixed set.

Holidays

Short, frequent lessons before a sitting.

One-way practice

Questions shown singly, answers locked, as in the real test.

Estimate on paper

Rough working on paper beside the screen, as ISEB allows.

Six strands tracked

Progress noted strand by strand from ISEB's framework.

Our own questions

Written by us at Year 5 level, never presented as ISEB items.

Group or 1-on-1

A batch of 15 to 20 at one level, or a teacher for one child.

Calm by design

Hard questions framed as progress, so they do not frighten.

Student work

Built by our students

Projects students made in our classes in the years after entrance tests. More on student labs.

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Fees

Fees for Pre-Test maths lessons

A monthly fee in the currency we use for UK families, the same for every month you choose to continue. The first lesson is free.

Free first class

USD 0

no card required

A full lesson on Year 5 maths
A frank view of strengths and gaps
No card needed to book

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Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

15 to 20 children at one level
The same teacher each week
One-way practice built in
Progress by ISEB strand

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One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

One child, one teacher
Planned around the sitting date
Helpful for a single stubborn gap

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What families say

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ISEB Pre-Test questions

What parents ask about the ISEB Pre-Tests

What is on the ISEB Pre-Test maths test?

Mathematics from the national curriculum for England up to the end of Year 5. ISEB's framework lists number and place value, calculations, fractions, decimals and percentages, measurement, geometry and statistics, with some arithmetic questions and some problems that mix topics.

How long is the ISEB Pre-Test?

ISEB says the four tests together take 2 hours 15 minutes. They can be sat on one day or split across several days, as the invigilation centre arranges.

Can my child go back and change an answer?

No. ISEB says the adaptive system does not allow pupils to go back and change previous answers. That is why we teach children to estimate and check before they choose.

Can a calculator be used?

No. ISEB says calculators must not be accessible. Pupils do have pen and paper for rough work, and ISEB says that working paper is not marked.

Why did my child get different questions from a friend?

Because the test is adaptive. ISEB says each answer helps choose the next question and that it is highly unlikely two pupils will see the same series of questions, or even the same number.

How many times can a child sit the Pre-Tests?

Once in an academic year. ISEB's framework adds that if a child were tested more than once in the same year, the first set of results would stand.

When can the 2026-27 Pre-Tests be taken?

ISEB's web pages give live testing from 1 September 2026 to late May 2027, after registration opened on 9 June 2026. Its framework PDF gives a window from the beginning of October to the end of June, so confirm the date with your child's school and each senior school.

How are ISEB Pre-Test results reported?

As a Standardised Age Score, adjusted for age and compared with a sample of pupils applying to independent schools, where the average is 100. Schools also see stanine and percentile rank.

Does my child need tutoring for the Pre-Tests?

ISEB says additional practice is not a requirement, though some families find preparation reduces anxiety. We teach Year 5 maths and the one-way habit; we do not claim to know the live questions.

When are your lessons?

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays. Every lesson is set in UK time.

Related pages

More for families applying to senior schools

Other entrance tests, and what comes after.

Common Entrance maths

The written exams some schools set at 11 and 13.

GL Assessment 11 plus maths

Grammar school tests written to each area's order.

11 plus maths tuition

The subject itself, without a test provider in mind.

KS2 SATs maths papers

The national tests at the end of Year 6.

Maths olympiad training

For children who want harder problems.

Coding classes in the UK

Our hub for every UK page.

Related pages in this guide

Part of the guide: UK selective school maths tests: 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+

Tests by provider and entry point

11+ by area

Northern Ireland transfer test

More guides: UK maths exam boards and specification codes · UK maths year by year, Reception to Year 11 · UK university admissions: maths tests and computing applications · UK maths enrichment, competitions and able pupils

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Book a free maths lesson

Tell us your child's year and roughly when they will sit. We teach a real lesson, one question at a time, and then tell you what we saw.

Want to read first? The course page lists every topic, and how we teach explains our approach.

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Three courses for Pre-Test maths

11 plus maths preparation

Mental maths, number sense first

Lower secondary maths

How do the ISEB Pre-Tests work?

Shared, so sat once

Two windows in print

What does "adaptive" mean for a child sitting the maths test?

Skipping is not a tactic

Harder can be good news

Checking comes first

What maths is on the ISEB Pre-Test?

What ISEB tells families

Attainment, not potential

How should a child work a Pre-Test style maths question?

1. Two prices, one total

2. Fractions of one amount

3. Angles on a line

How much preparation does the ISEB Pre-Test need?

What ISEB says about practice

Access arrangements

From Year 5 to the sitting

A late start

After the Pre-Test

Maths courses around independent school entry

For the Pre-Test

11 plus maths preparation

Mental maths for kids

Primary maths, Years 1 to 5

Beyond the test

Lower secondary maths

Competition maths

Statistics and probability

Maths and code

Maths through coding

Vedic maths

Live, on screen, one question at a time

One-way practice

Estimate on paper

Six strands tracked

Our own questions

Group or 1-on-1

Calm by design

Built by our students

NutriLife

Misti

GuardianX

SkyCast

Fees for Pre-Test maths lessons

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews

What parents ask about the ISEB Pre-Tests

What is on the ISEB Pre-Test maths test?

How long is the ISEB Pre-Test?

Can my child go back and change an answer?

Can a calculator be used?

Why did my child get different questions from a friend?

How many times can a child sit the Pre-Tests?

When can the 2026-27 Pre-Tests be taken?

How are ISEB Pre-Test results reported?

Does my child need tutoring for the Pre-Tests?

When are your lessons?

More for families applying to senior schools

Common Entrance maths

GL Assessment 11 plus maths

11 plus maths tuition

KS2 SATs maths papers

Maths olympiad training

Coding classes in the UK

Related pages in this guide

Tests by provider and entry point

11+ by area

Northern Ireland transfer test

Book a free maths lesson

Want a class sooner? Book a priority demo

Keep exploring Modern Age Coders

More maths tuition

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