St Olave’s 11 Plus Exam Admissions Process: 2024 Entry

If you plan on sending your child after St Olave’s 11 plus exam in 2023 for September 2024 entry then it is important to take note of these key dates* below. You can also find their official Admissions Policy here. 

* The dates above are from official St. Olave’s webpage.

Preparing for St Olave’s 11 Plus Exam

St Olave’s 11 Plus Exam entrance exam is relatively unusual in that there are two rounds of testing, rather than one. In Stage 1, boys sit one hour-long, multiple-choice test made up of four sections: A (English), B (Maths), C (Verbal Reasoning) and D (Non-Verbal Reasoning). You can find a detailed guide to the Stage 1 tests with lots of example questions here.

Boys who pass the Stage 1 test are then invited back to sit the Stage 2 test, which consists of an English paper and a Maths paper. The English paper has a comprehension section and then a creative writing task. The Maths test is standard format, and like the English paper, is made up of multiple-choice and open-answer questions. You can find a guide to both papers and example questions here.

As the school sets its own exam, the questions are likely to be a mixture of CEM and GL-style questions. The GL website is very helpful, and gives example papers and answers for all four sections. You can also purchase practice packs through the GL website or through CGP Books – the ‘10 minute tests’ collection is particularly useful for helping students to practice skills in short, manageable chunks without burning out. 

As the test is so competitive, with on average only one place for every ten pupils, it’s good to start preparing early. However, if your child is already in Year 5, don’t panic – this guide can also help your child to become 11 Plus exam ready in just under six months, and there are also intensive revision courses on offer for those who need a last-minute boost.

Top 3 advice for parents to prepare St Olave’s 11 Plus Exam

1. The stage 1 of SET, both English and maths, candidates will get a multiple-choice of paper, then record their answers on a separate answer sheet by filling for answer A, B, C, D or E. If candidates change their mind about the answer, they need to rub out the wrong answer as fully as possible and replace it with the new answer. So it’s better to familiarise your child with such exam style in advance. From time to time, you can let your child practice filling the answers in a separate answer sheet when they do their homework. Here are some sample papers and separate answering sheets for your child to practice.

2. The questions set in both parts of the SET and the Second Stage broadly match what is commonly covered at Key Stage 2 at Primary School. Candidates will need to adapt their learning to tackle some of the questions but should NOT be confronted with material which is totally new to them. So instead of spending time learning Year 7 concepts as part of the 11+ preparation, your child should really focus on revising all the KS2 concepts. However, for reading, you child is advised to have an above-age ability or prompt reading and responding.

3. Candidates often come to the Second Stage test with an English composition that they have learned by heart. However, they must write about the subject as shown on the question paper. If they write about irrelevant topics that they have prepared in advance, they will be given a much lower mark. Therefore, it’s important to train your child in reading, comprehension, reasoning and writing during the day-to-day life.12