"Verbal and non-verbal reasoning" in a private school's entrance test?

[gail734]

I've posted before about the fact that I'm helping my niece to prepare for an entrance test. Among the good advice that I received was the idea that I could just phone the school and ask about the format of the test. Pretty obvious with hindsight! So I did that and was really surprised by what I was told. Apparently there are two papers, 40 mins each, one verbal reasoning and one non-verbal reasoning. Both are multiple choice! The example the admissions lady gave me on the phone is that she would be looking for patterns etc. No reading or writing! She said it wasn't really the sort of thing that you could prepare for, but I really think/hope this isn't true. If I'd prepared my niece to expect close reading and composition writing, then she'd turned over her paper to find a multiple choice reasoning exercise, she would be baffled! I just want her to go in feeling confident. Any advice?

Personally I think the admission lady's reasoning is a teeny bit flawed. I suppose she's right in saying that you can't prepare for this exact test but you can certainly practice multiple choice verbal and non verbal reasoning tests. Why would you not? I've got to dash. But have you tried googling tests of those sorts?

They do it to stop children being coached for the test, to give all the children an equal shot, and to allow those children whose relatives aren't as able to have a chance that is equal to their ability, not to the ability of their relatives to prepare them.

If your niece hasn't seen a non verbal reasoning test before, show her some. That's all you can do.

Get some Bonds papers and ask her to do them as if they were puzzles. It is about building up speed of response as much as accuracy. Most schools do those in addition to some literacy and maths but you may find within the verbal paper is a form of reading/comprehension and logic problems and in non verbal some embedded mental maths calculations.

DS will be sitting a similar exam in Feb. The HT of the private school recommended Bond books for verbal/non-verbal reasooning but he did say that once the child had done a few to understand the technique no more would be gained from ploughing through loads. He suggested one book of each would be plenty. We were very reassured and are not bringing them up with DS until after Xmas.

Ask who sets the test.If It's GL Assessment, they do their own practice papers.

The Bond books, as mentioned above, are the usual starting point. You can buy them at WH Smith and, I think, they are aimed at particular age groups.

Thanks, everyone.