The exam at a glance
For boys hoping to join Eton in Year 9 in September 2028, the first academic stage is the ISEB Common Pre-Test. Eton’s Year 9 admissions page explains that all boys in Stage 1 sit this test in the autumn term of Year 6, and the school uses it alongside wider evidence when considering who should move forward in the admissions process.
The Common Pre-Test is an online, computer-based assessment. For Eton, the tested subjects are Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Because the test is adaptive, the level of challenge changes in response to a child’s answers. In practice, that means preparation should focus on secure core skills, careful reading and working confidently at pace on screen.
ISEB familiarisation materials describe the Pre-Test as a set of short, timed sections completed on a computer. The timings and question pathways are controlled by the platform, so children cannot linger over one area for too long. A calm approach to instructions, stamina for tightly timed tasks and confidence with mixed question styles all matter.
At Eton, the Pre-Test is only Stage 1. Boys who are shortlisted after this stage move on to later assessments, which may include interviews, school reports and other tasks depending on the route and timing set out by the school.
- Board: ISEB Common Pre-Test
- Delivery: computer-based
- Subjects: Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning
- Style: adaptive and tightly timed
- When it happens: Stage 1 takes place in the autumn term of Year 6, with boys sitting the Pre-Tests during October or November for 2028 entry
What does the day look like? Eton’s page confirms the broad timing window rather than publishing a detailed minute-by-minute test-day schedule. In most schools using the ISEB Pre-Test, children complete the assessment in supervised conditions on a computer, usually with a short introduction beforehand and brief pauses as the system moves between sections. Parents should expect Eton or their son’s current school to provide practical instructions nearer the time.
Registration and key dates
For 2028 entry, Eton says a boy must be registered by 31 August 2025. Registration is handled by the school, not by a local authority, because Eton is an independent school with its own admissions process.
Eton’s admissions page also states that there is a non-refundable registration fee of £480 including VAT, while noting that fees are subject to change. Parents should always use the school’s current registration information before submitting anything.
For the next academic stage, Eton explains that Stage 1 takes place in the autumn term of Year 6, with all boys sitting the ISEB Common Pre-Tests in October or November. Stage 1 outcomes are communicated in December. The school then schedules Stage 2 assessments by age group, with boys seeking significant financial aid assessed in mid-January, eldest boys in late January or early February, boys with birthdays typically from December to March or April in late February or early March, and the youngest boys later in the cycle.
Eton does not, on the page reviewed, publish a simple public checklist of documents on the same page in the way some schools do. In practice, parents should expect to complete the school’s registration form and provide the details requested by admissions. Check the current Eton registration materials directly before applying.
If you want a simple place to track updates, see The Eton College 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates) and Free email alerts for this school's key dates.
Who can apply: catchment and admissions
Eton is a boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18. There is no catchment area. Admission is not based on living near the school, and families apply directly to Eton.
The school explains that its Year 9 admissions process looks at a boy’s current and potential academic ability and also whether he is likely to be happy in a boarding environment. That is worth keeping in mind when preparing: strong scores matter, but Eton is not presenting the process as a single-score test.
Because Eton is an independent school, there is no local-authority co-ordinated grammar-school style allocation system at the application stage. Instead, families register with the school, sit the school’s admissions stages and then receive decisions directly from Eton.
Eton’s public page reviewed for this guide does not publish a simple figure for number of Year 9 places, nor a published score threshold for the Pre-Test. It is best to assume that competition is strong, but parents should not rely on rumours about pass marks or cut-offs. If you want the latest official position, use the school’s admissions page and contact admissions directly.
- School type: independent boarding school
- Age of entry discussed here: Year 9, age 13+
- Catchment: none
- Main admissions themes stated by the school: academic potential and suitability for boarding
A month-by-month preparation plan
Because the Pre-Test is taken in October or November of Year 6, the most sensible plan is to build steadily through Year 5 and the start of Year 6. The aim is not endless drilling. It is to make core skills automatic, build confidence on screen and introduce timing gradually.
January to March in Year 5
- Keep preparation light: around 1 to 1.5 hours a week split over short sessions.
- Focus on reading quality fiction and non-fiction, secure arithmetic, times tables and mental maths.
- Begin gentle reasoning practice: spotting patterns, vocabulary building, synonyms, odd-one-out tasks and shape recognition.
- If your child is unfamiliar with computer-based tests, start using short online tasks so the format does not feel new later on.
April to June in Year 5
- Increase to around 1.5 to 2 hours a week.
- Cover all four subjects each fortnight rather than trying to do everything every week.
- Start small timed bursts, such as five or ten minutes, to build pace without stress.
- Use mistakes diagnostically. If your child keeps dropping marks on one skill, reteach that area before moving on.
July to August before Year 6
- Aim for 2 to 3 hours a week, but keep it sustainable around holidays.
- This is a good time to consolidate maths methods, reading comprehension and reasoning familiarity.
- Introduce mixed practice because the real test covers several domains and children need to switch between them calmly.
- Towards the end of the summer, begin fuller timed sections on screen.
September in Year 6
- Increase to around 3 to 4 hours a week if your child is coping well.
- Now is the time for regular timed practice, especially short adaptive-style online work where possible.
- Review technique: reading instructions carefully, guessing sensibly when needed, moving on quickly and staying composed after a difficult question.
- If your child has another school workload, protect downtime. Tired children make avoidable mistakes.
October to exam date
- Keep work sharp rather than heavy: 3 hours a week is often enough.
- Use one or two final practice papers or section drills each week, then spend more time reviewing than testing.
- Stop cramming in the final few days. Prioritise sleep, normal routines and calm confidence.
When should timed papers start? For most children, light timing in late Year 5 and regular timed work from the summer before Year 6 is a sensible pattern. The ISEB Pre-Test is tightly timed, so speed does matter, but it should be built on understanding rather than rushed from the start.
Subject by subject: what to practise
Maths
For the ISEB Common Pre-Test, maths preparation should centre on secure Key Stage 2 number skills and quick method choice. Children need to handle arithmetic, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio ideas, basic algebraic thinking, measures, shape and data with confidence. Because the test is adaptive and timed, fluent recall matters: times tables, number bonds and common written and mental methods should feel automatic.
Practise with short mixed sets rather than long blocks of one topic. Encourage your child to decide quickly which method is most efficient. Screen-based work is especially useful, because children need to read carefully and answer accurately without writing out everything in full.
English
English in the Pre-Test typically draws on comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and language awareness rather than extended creative writing. Children should be comfortable reading a passage quickly, inferring meaning, identifying tone, understanding word choice and applying core punctuation and grammar rules.
Strong reading habits are the best foundation. Alongside that, practise short comprehension tasks, vocabulary building, cloze exercises and grammar refreshers. Encourage careful reading: many children lose marks not through weak English, but by answering a different question from the one on the screen.
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning tests how well a child can work with language patterns, codes, sequences and word relationships. Depending on the platform, tasks may involve synonyms, antonyms, letter patterns, word analogies, categories or code-style questions.
The best preparation is regular exposure to varied question types. Build vocabulary steadily, but also teach method. Children should learn to identify what kind of puzzle they are facing, apply a routine and move on briskly if one item feels awkward.
Non-Verbal Reasoning
Non-Verbal Reasoning focuses on visual patterns and relationships rather than vocabulary. Children may meet sequences, rotations, reflections, symmetries, similarities and differences, codes based on shapes or matrices.
Practise by teaching children to scan systematically: look for movement, number, shading, orientation and shape change. At first, work slowly and explain patterns aloud. Later, switch to timed sets so that recognition becomes faster. Because this is computer-based, make sure your child is used to selecting answers accurately on screen.
Practice papers and mock exams
Practice papers are most useful when they are used to improve habits, not simply to generate scores. For an adaptive online test, it is especially important to combine subject knowledge with timing, screen confidence and resilience when questions become harder.
- Start untimed when a topic is new.
- Move to short timed sets once your child understands the method.
- Review every mistake: was it knowledge, vocabulary, speed, misreading or nerves?
- Keep a short error log so patterns become visible.
- Use full practice sessions sparingly. They are for stamina and routine, not everyday homework.
For free school-specific practice, use Free Eton College practice papers (one per tested subject, with answers). For a quick overview of the format and admissions details, see The Eton College 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates). If you would like reminders when key information changes, sign up for Free email alerts for this school's key dates.
Mock exams can help if your child needs practice working under pressure or using a computer-based format. Choose them carefully. One or two well-timed mocks are usually more helpful than a long series. The goal is to make the real assessment feel familiar, not exhausting.
On the day
Keep the day practical and calm. A tightly timed online test rewards a clear head more than last-minute revision.
- Make sure your child knows the basic plan for the day well in advance.
- Aim for a normal breakfast and plenty of time, without rushing.
- Remind him that some questions will feel difficult. That is normal in an adaptive test.
- Encourage him to listen closely to instructions at the start of each section.
- If he gets stuck, the key is not to panic. Make the best choice he can and move on.
- After the test, avoid a detailed post-mortem straight away. Most children benefit from a sense that the work is done.
Parents can help most by keeping their own tone steady. Children often take their cue from the adults around them. Confidence comes from routine, not speeches.
After the exam: results, allocation and appeals
For 2028 entry, Eton states that Stage 1 outcomes are communicated in December. Boys who are successful at this point move on to Stage 2 assessments, which the school schedules by age group from mid-January onwards.
Because Eton is an independent school, the process is different from state grammar-school allocation. There is no local-authority National Offer Day for this stage. Instead, decisions are made through the school’s own admissions process.
Eton’s page reviewed for this guide does not publish a public Pre-Test pass mark or a standardised score needed to move forward. If you are looking for an official threshold, check directly with the school rather than using forum estimates.
Appeals in independent-school admissions do not follow the same formal statutory route used for state-school admissions. If a family needs clarification after an admissions decision, the sensible first step is to contact Eton admissions and ask about the school’s procedure and any options available.
What has changed recently
In the sources reviewed for this guide, Eton’s current Year 9 admissions information confirms the use of the ISEB Common Pre-Tests in Stage 1 and sets out the staged timetable for 2028 entry. We did not find a separate official announcement on the school site describing a recent change of exam board, catchment policy or published place numbers within the last two years.
If Eton publishes a new admissions notice or updated registration information, parents should always treat the school’s own Year 9 admissions page as the main reference point.
Frequently asked questions
When does Eton’s 11+ style test happen for 2028 entry?
Eton says Stage 1 takes place in the autumn term of Year 6, with boys sitting the ISEB Common Pre-Tests during October or November.
What is the registration deadline for Eton 2028 entry?
Eton’s admissions page says boys must be registered by 31 August 2025 for 2028 entry.
Does Eton have a catchment area?
No. Eton is an independent boarding school and does not use a catchment area for Year 9 admissions.
What subjects are in the Eton pre-test?
For 2028 entry, the tested subjects are Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Is the Eton pre-test on paper or computer?
It is computer-based. The ISEB Common Pre-Test is taken online and is adaptive.
Does Eton publish a pass mark for the Pre-Test?
Not on the source page reviewed for this guide. Parents should check directly with Eton admissions rather than relying on unofficial score claims.
Sources
- Eton College Year 9 (13+) admissions: Registration deadline of 31 August 2025 for 2028 entry; non-refundable registration fee of £480 including VAT subject to change; Stage 1 in the autumn term of Year 6; all boys sit the ISEB Common Pre-Tests during October or November; Stage 1 outcomes communicated in December; Stage 2 assessment timi
- ISEB Common Pre-Tests: The Common Pre-Test is an online assessment used for entry to senior independent schools; it is computer-based and adaptive.
- ISEB Common Pre-Tests familiarisation: The Pre-Test uses short timed sections on screen and familiarisation materials are provided to help pupils understand the format.
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Written by ElevenReady from the school's published information and reviewed by a person before publishing. Last reviewed 4 October 2026. Exam arrangements change. Check the school's admissions page for the current year.