Help!! Moving to UK: good website for school entrance exams?

[NewUKmum]

Hi, we are (hopefully!!) moving to the UK permanently later this summer. I want to start preparing my children for school entrance exams. (son 11, daughter 10 and son 8) and, as an educator, have found real exams the best way to prepare. Also, I can't buy any of the "bond books" as it's ruinously expensive to send here. I don't know which schools my kids will apply so I want to look at different schools' past papers. Are there any websites anyone recommends to see these? Thanks from Trenton, NJ!!

Well done!

One small point. If you will then need to move them in a couple of years time, senior schools are perhaps more like US colleges. They will look for a certain level of academic achievement, but are more interested in potential and what a pupil can contribute to the school community.

But their schools will guide you.

Well, all I can tell you after 2 weeks of schooling here is: the metric system? Really?

Americans don't do that.

This has been a big issue on the table after dinner.

Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think most people here can work in both to a degree.

School maths will all be metric but if you ask someone their height they'll answer in feet and inches, and distances are in miles not km.

You put gallons of petrol in a car, drink beer in pints - but coke is in 2 litres bottles.

I forget when we moved from lbs and oz to kilos... I still think in both. But either is better than 'cups'... American recipes are a mystery on that front!

Good luck!

I'm not sure why the metric system is such a surprise. Most of the world uses it! It's a lot easier than Imperial once you get the basics down.

My husband says there are 2 types of countries in the world: Those that use the "metric system" and those that put a man on the moon.

I told him he will not be popular here!!!

Let him know that NASA uses the metric system....

So the moms in Year 6 are freaking out! I guess this is exam season. Any suggestions as to what to do now so that I'm not pulling my hair out in Dec 2021?!

Thank you so much

Our school is giving the "CAT" tests. Could someone please give any suggestions on how to prepare? Many thanks!

CATS are reasoning tests, you can't prepare as such but working to time, multiple choice style questions, might help familiarise.

I'm sorry but you can prepare for any test.

But not in the same way as learning maths or english essay writing. Bonds do samples of VR, NVR etc

@NewUKmum

I'm sorry but you can prepare for any test.

And LIZS has listed the ways to prepare for VR and NVR tests, where familiarity with the way questions are posed, techniques for recognising appropriate strategies to apply, and time management are ways to prepare.

Reading rest of thread back, it sounds like this is an internal test anyway, not for entrance assessment as you already have school places.

You can't really revise for a CATs test. It's a test of problem solving and reasoning. You can download papers from the internet

@NewUKmum

I'm sorry but you can prepare for any test.

Not really, and that's the whole point behind CATs! Yes, the children can familiarise themselves with the format, but they can't be coached on how to pass them.

Have a look at this for some more info: www.theschoolrun.com/year-7-cats-what-every-parent-needs-know