As most people living in the area will know, The Perse is a highly academic, independent school in Cambridge with entry assessments for Y7 at or above the level required to pass 11+ exams (obviously higher still for Y9 entry). However, The Perse set their own tests; their English paper is particularly unusual and unlike anything most children will have seen before, as is the Humanities paper for Y9 entry. Does anyone know if there are any centres around Cambridge offering a mock test day before the real thing in January, please?
To be transparent, I am a tutor specialising in preparing pupils for The Perse entry assessments for Y7 and Y9 entry. I’m fully booked so not touting for business! However, a parent has asked if I know of anywhere offering a ‘Mock Perse Day’ to mimic the way pupils attending the real thing have to sit all the tests, one after the other, under exam conditions with a group task thrown in too. I always provide my pupils with individual mock papers for English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Humanities as part of their preparation. However, this mum feels her DC would really benefit from experiencing the whole thing in one go, in an unfamiliar location etc. I think she has a good point and it may well be extremely beneficial, not least because it might reduce any anxiety the child feels that is caused by fear of the unknown. However, we can’t find anywhere that is offering this as a day package.
I’d also be interested to hear from anyone whose child attended this sort of mock day (for any school, not just the Perse). I’d love to know how helpful their child found it and whether you felt your child’s chances of success were improved by doing this.
If we can’t find anywhere doing this in the local area, I would consider setting something up myself but it will undoubtedly be a great deal of work, with additional costs for hiring a venue etc so I’m not sure how viable it would be.