Mumsnet Talk

All, our son is sitting for the eton 11+ entrance exams in few weeks time and according to the college website, the computer based assessment cannot be prepared for. Can anyone whose son has sat for this exam kindly advise here on how they went about preparing for this exam especially the computer based assessment part of it ?.

You can't, and we didn't, but he got in all the same.

Tell your DS to be himself and enjoy the experience. I shall keep my fingers crossed for you and especially for him.

As Indrid said.

DS did the usual NVR -VR papers just to keep his brain sharp . Although DS said the test was completely different from anything he had sat before . He reckoned that he couldnt answer a high percentage . One thing I had been told was to tell your DS not to get phased if questions are difficult - just carry on . That worked ! He had a great day all in all and bounded out of the interview with a big smile on his face .

The Eton staff on the day will tell you that your DS will come out saying "it was quite hard, it was quite fun and I can't really remember examples of what it involved". That's almost exactly what our DS said.

grovel That is exactly what our DS said!

We were itching to know how he had got on and all he could remember was a question about a factory that he couldn't do (sigh).

someone from admissions spoke at our school and stated that it is an iq test designed by durham university that is supposed to be tutor-proof.
its on a pc with a mouse that works with either the left or right hand.
ds1 took it in october and said it was fun, said he was the first one to finish.
however, i've heard from staff at his current school and also other parents that it is never ending, you're meant to keep going until the time is up. i know this isn't very informative but just thought i'd share my experience! good luck!

Thank you all

Good luck to your DS !

I have just posted about the same thing! My DS is taking this test next month, and we were wondering what to expect. I shall be watching this thread with interest.

Good luck to your DS, RenewedKing. Maybe we will meet you there!!

Priscilla as mentioned above there is nothing that you can do to prepare for the test. It is really down to the DSs to go it alone - which is actually very good preparation for being an Etonian! Just try and make sure your boy enjoys the day and makes the most of the experience.

These posts are reminding me of how nerve wracking it all was, but I don't think it was anything like as bad for DS, it's just us parents who suffer. Fingers crossed for you and your DS, I hope it goes well .

In a way, it is good to know that there is no way to prepare for it. Plus it isn't crucial at this stage for him to get a place (given that he can only go if he gets a scholarship, and we won't know about that until Year 8). We will just play it by ear and hope that DS has a good day.

Have you checked how much a scholarship is actually worth in terms of reduction of fees? Most scholarships these days have little financial value so if you are looking for reduced fees you should be contacting the bursar to see whether you would be eligible for a bursary.

Good point, bisjo. It would have to have a massive bursary attached! We have already looked into this...