8+ London in January - how do they assess?

[HIJKLMNOP]

Can anyone with 8+ London experience tell me how much importance schools like Colet Court/Westminster Under/Sussex House/Kings/Wetherby place on 8+ exam results versus the interview and activity sessions? Are the schools ever forgiving of a boy having an ?off? or perhaps mediocre day for the exam if the boy does well with the other 'tests', and also has a good report reference from his present school? Or is it all about nailing the exam on the day and the other factors help them narrow down the candidates who had big success on the exam? It would be great to hear others? experiences, thanks !

As they have so many candidates - I think over 200 for the 21 places at WUS and only interview 40-45, I don't think there can be much practical accommodation of off days. I guess they do take into consideration the boys' interactions on the day - the exams are run very much as classroom activities so a fair amount of scope for soft assessment, but I think the results are king. Sussex if course interviews everyone but it is very short and I suspect gives less opportunity to shine than the general intersections at the WUS exam

Thank you, Michaelahpurple. It is rather depressing to know that there are so many able and deserving boys for such few places. I just am scared that my DS will blow it entirely on the exam days - he does not seem to feel the pressure that I and my husband do, actually none at all (ok, that's probably a good thing)! And seems very unfair that they do not meet all the candidates, but I guess there are too many for that (although I know some do). I wish there were many more 'best' schools in London for boys so that so many of them did not have to compete at such a young age, it is awful in so many ways!

HIJKetc --
First There are, indeed, many more "best" schools in London. My son attends one of the ones you mentioned. As he has friends at many different schools, we are able to compare what he is doing/learning with what his friends do at other schools. There are difference at the margin and some differences in activities, etc but by and large -- the curriculum is similar as all the prep schools aim to prepare boys for Common Entrance at 13.
Second -- Most of the "200" boys sit exams at multiple schools. Obviously, it's not 200 different boys at each school... The "odds" of getting an offer are much better than Michaela's statistics suggest! (as I know she would agree).

Third in direct response to your question: I think Kings do the opposite of most schools they "interview" boys first (or do group activities to get to know them) and then invite a "first cut" for formal exams.
Finally assuming your son is performing well at school now and generally is capable of doing the material covered on the exams, he is right to relax and you should not try to pressure him. The exams simply test the boys on what they will have learned so far up to Y3 and test whether they are capable of extending themselves a bit. The exams are no harder than what the boys have been doing in their usual school work (assuming a reasonably good school for Y1,2,3). Most boys I know have enjoyed the exams and, with one exception, everyone I know in the last 5 years of observing 8+ exams, has found a place at a school they like. (On the other hand, if your son is struggling at the moment which I assume is not the case -- there is no reason to put him through the exams now. Let him continue at his current school until it's time for 11+ or CE.)
Please try to relax! Your son is just 7 or 8. This is not the time in his life for him to be put under "pressure".
Good luck!

All excellent advice and comment from posadas. The 200 does over state of course , both because of duplication and because a significant portion of the boys are nowhere near the standard and so not really in the running (although when one is actually doing, this just makes one worry that one's son is one of them!)

I think the King's W system of pre-interview is very enlightened and perhaps necessary because if most of their intake coming in at 7+ which is even harder to assess sensibly than the year later boys.

If you were doing WUS I guess you had a busy day today - I hope all went well

FWIW, having been through the 13+ pre test for Kings, I would say the report from the school does count for a lot, in terms of letting the school know who is keen to learn and has a reasonably consistent academic level. That's what they are looking for. Ds1 sat the exam with a number of friends, including a couple who are practically human calculators, but only the two boys who I know would have had good reports on behaviour and attitudes to learning got interviews even though they were unlikely to have had the highest exam scores, certainly in maths. And do remember that just because a school is considered "best" does not mean it's the best for your child - don't get caught up in the madness. Ds1 didn't take up his place at Kings, even though it's a terrific place, as, long-term, he will be happier where he is now.

Just to clarify for anyone who reads this thread in the future, the interview for Kings at 7+ and 8+ is not a pre-interview per-se, but a part of the application. Everyone is interviewed prior to the activity morning and the exam; it is not a weeding out exercise.