Timing significance of interview (11+)

[Hellotrees]

New to the process and am wondering if there is a correlation between timing of interview and likelihood of an offer. Are those children who score best generally the first to be interviewed? And those with lower scores among the last in Jan?

Not referring to schools who interview everyone (like Emanuel) or schools that invite a very limited number along to interview (like City of London boys).

I mean those schools who invite over a period of say a month.

Thanks so much!

At my daughters school they are done alphabetically so no indication of “ranking” by when you are called.

Thanks, I was wondering... although our surname begins with a B.

No interviews for weeks. Is this a sign?

Do they possibly start with scholarships and siblings?

Or some schools give you a number during exams (possibly in order of when you registered?) , and they just go down the list of who passed.

There are a number of possibilities...I guess it's possible that higher scores might interview first. Equally possible that timing of interview means absolutely nothing. Tbh, I think it's more likely that schools will organise their interviews either alphabetically by applicant surname, or perhaps in order of applicant registration date. And you've have no way of knowing which candidates registered when!

I would try not to overthink it, though I know that's hard.

This is an interesting area on many levels, an aquaintance of ours, who claims to be inthe know said some schools interview earlier those boarder line, so they can add others if need be; others interviewing others more definite of a place later in the process; alphabetical (A-Z, Z-A) order of scholarships...so confusing and sole destroying, which ever way the announcements come as we have no regular cues this year as no onsite visits, scholarship visits.. etc. The process is a a maelstrom of emotions and harder this year than most. Ready for the process to be over.

Thanks for your replies. Interesting (& understandable) that there are many different ways of doing things.

Anyone “in the know” about process for Hampton or Whitgift? I’m gearing self up for the various schools and trying to second guess things!

Really difficult this year I agree.

Not in the know at all, but DS's Hampton interview was meant to be last week and has now been postponed for two weeks while they rearrange them. And both the original and rearranged interviews were/are at exactly the same time as another boy from his school - but another friend, who is alphabetically closer to us, was intended to be 4 days later (no idea when the rearranged version is). So alphabetical seems unlikely.

I'm trying not to read anything into it - we've got an interview, that'll do for now!

My DS is a Hampton. At the time all boys at our then prep school invited back for interview were interviewed on the same day and at the same time. All parents and kids rocking up at the same time and each child individually going off with a different teacher for 20 mins or so. Not sure what you can derive from this for this unusual year, but a further variant to the above list.

Re Hampton - in the past they interview by geographical area, ie Twickenham, or prep school etc so the ds are grouped with their schoolmates, friends etc and can't talk about it afterwards and give hints as they are all there on the same day.
Kew College Prep school had 8 offers from Hampton last year according to their website so it makes sense to interview them at a similar time.

That's the same as this year then (based on an unscientific survey of two!) so I'll go back to my happy place of thinking it's just random timings.

Ok that’s interesting - especially the fact that @BookShark has been rearranged with another child. Sounds like that school is probably not based on pass marks then! Anyone got an idea of ratio of children being interviewed to places available? Many schools gave a clear idea of this (eg City said only 200 or so) and I much prefer this sort of clarity. It’s the not knowing that is hard! Just give us their scores and likelihood of getting a place haha.

Previous post refers to Hampton re ratio.

I haven’t a clue about interview vs actual offer numbers but similarly to the other post, around 6 boys from our school got offers (all those boys who were interviewed on that day.)

@HappyNY soooo were these 6 successful boys all interviewed at the start of the process?

So, and again a long time ago, the exam was 4 Jan and interview 21 Jan (DS’s birthday).

@HappyNY soo sort of mid way in the process? (Not sure when they began interviews in your year.) Am I obsessed? Clearly.

Think Hampton began interviewing this Saturday? But maybe it was even earlier last week. Anyone know?

And anyone know when Whitgift started interviewing? Not the specialist scholarship applications, but everyone else!

From memory, H first start looking at the scholarships and working through those, and then the rest. So mine (not a scholar) was not being interviewed in the early stages of the interview phase.

Thanks @HappyNY that’s useful. By scholarships you mean sport etc? Out of interest do the academic scholarship people have a second, longer interview?

All I know is there are more being interviews this year than ever before due to the ISEB.

Regardless, each boy must have a chance of winning a place as they wouldn’t waste their time otherwise!

@NoToMisogyny good point. I probably need to stop this over obsessing. Must take up another hobby. Mainlining heroin maybe?

I was referring to the academic scholarship which is not something you apply for so all the effort probably takes places after the initial exam. I am not exactly sure what the academic scholarship assessment entails but imagine it involves interview and assessment etc.

But before I do! Anyone still waiting to hear from Hampton or Whitgift? And/or anyone already had a rejection?

Ah ok thanks @HappyNY. Posted before seeing your message.

And thinking of what @HappyNY said (academic scholarship people potentially first), what date did Hampton start interviewing? Was it yesterday, i.e. Saturday? Or did they start even earlier? Anyone know?

@Hellotrees

Thanks for your replies. Interesting (& understandable) that there are many different ways of doing things.

Anyone “in the know” about process for Hampton or Whitgift? I’m gearing self up for the various schools and trying to second guess things!

Really difficult this year I agree.

Whitgift are interviewing boys between 6 -27 January