How to prepare for St. Andrew's College Cambridge 11+

The exam at a glance

For 2028 entry, St. Andrew's College Cambridge uses its own assessment, not a shared 11+ consortium test. The school assesses Maths and English only. Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning are not part of the test, so preparation can stay focused on those two core subjects.

The assessment is taken on a computer and is timed. That matters in two ways: children need secure Maths and English skills, and they also need practice reading, thinking and answering efficiently on screen. If your child has only ever worked from printed papers, it is worth adding some screen-based practice well before the assessment.

The school describes its admissions process as including an online application, an online assessment in Maths and English, and an interview. The process is designed to work flexibly, including for families applying from different time zones.

In practical terms, families should expect three parts:

Application submitted to the school
Computer-based assessment in Maths and English
Interview as part of admissions decision-making

Because this is an independent school with a flexible admissions timetable rather than a single county-wide grammar school test day, the experience is usually more personalised than a standardised 11+ sitting. That said, the same preparation principles help: clear reading habits, accurate written English, confident arithmetic and problem-solving, and enough timed work for your child to stay calm under pressure.

For a fuller overview of the format, dates and any updates, parents can also keep an eye on The St. Andrew's College Cambridge 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates).

Registration and key dates

St. Andrew's College Cambridge runs its own admissions process. Families apply directly to the school, rather than through a local authority 11+ portal or a grammar school consortium.

The school's admissions page says the process begins with an online application form. After that, applicants may be invited to the school's online Maths and English assessment and then to interview. The school also states that the admissions process typically takes four to eight weeks.

For Year 7-style preparation, the key point is that the school does not appear to publish a single fixed 11+ registration window in the way many grammar schools do. Instead, admissions are handled more flexibly. The school says that most students start in September, and that September is the largest intake, with January and April intakes also available for selected courses.

Because the school operates a flexible process, families considering September 2028 entry should not wait for a single national-style exam date to appear. A sensible approach is:

Check the school's admissions page early in Year 5 and again in Year 6
Ask the admissions team when they would like an application for September 2028 entry
Confirm when the online assessment and interview are likely to take place for your child's year group
Allow enough time for the stated four-to-eight-week admissions process

The school also notes that scholarship funds are typically allocated on a rolling basis through the autumn and early spring before the September intake. If scholarship support is relevant to your family, it is wise to contact the school early rather than assume there is one fixed closing date late in the year.

What documents are needed? The admissions page confirms the online application and the later assessment/interview stages, but the exact supporting documents required for a Year 7 applicant were not clearly published on the pages reviewed. In practice, independent schools commonly ask for school reports and identification documents, but you should check directly with the school before relying on that.

If you want reminders as soon as dates or process details are updated, you can sign up for Free email alerts for this school's key dates.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

St. Andrew's College Cambridge is an independent coeducational school, so it does not use the same catchment-based admissions model that many state grammar schools do.

From the school's published admissions information reviewed for this guide, no catchment area or distance priority was stated. If catchment, boarding priority, international applicant rules or year-group-specific entry criteria apply, parents should ask the school directly before making plans.

The school describes itself as offering boarding education in Cambridge and says its admissions process includes an online application, an online assessment in Maths and English, and an interview. It also notes that its assessment scheduling is flexible across time zones, which suggests the process is designed to accommodate both UK-based and international families.

Specific number of Year 7 places, oversubscription figures and historic competition data were not published in the sources reviewed. The school also did not publish a qualifying score, pass mark or cut-off score for the Maths and English assessment. If you need that level of detail, the safest route is to contact admissions directly and ask how selective the relevant year-group entry point is in practice.

One useful point for families budgeting for an application is that the school publishes a registration fee of £420 and a course deposit of £2,500. It also publishes tuition and residential accommodation fees for 2026–2027. Those figures are not 11+ exam fees as such, but they are relevant to the wider admissions decision.

A month-by-month preparation plan

Because this assessment is school-set, computer-based and focused only on Maths and English, preparation does not need to sprawl across every 11+ subject. A calm, steady plan usually works best.

Below is a realistic timetable working back from an autumn assessment in Year 6 for September 2028 entry.

When	What to do
January to March in Year 5	Keep it light: around 1 to 2 hours a week in total. Build reading stamina, accurate spelling and punctuation, and secure number skills. In Maths, focus on arithmetic fluency, fractions, decimals, percentages and multi-step word problems. In English, prioritise comprehension, vocabulary and short written responses.
April to May in Year 5	Increase to 2 to 3 hours a week. Start short, timed tasks on screen. Do not rush into full papers yet. Instead, use 10- to 20-minute sections so your child gets used to reading from a screen and answering neatly under time pressure.
June to July in Year 5	Stay at about 2 to 3 hours a week. Begin mixing skills: one Maths task, one comprehension task, one writing or grammar task each week. If your child is comfortable, introduce the first short timed mini-mocks on a laptop or desktop rather than on paper.
Summer holidays before Year 6	Aim for 2 hours a week on average, with plenty of breaks. This is a good time for consistent reading and vocabulary building. For Maths, revise the topics your child finds least secure. One short computer-based practice each week is enough; avoid turning the holiday into a constant test cycle.
September in Year 6	Move to 3 to 4 hours a week. Start timed papers in a more formal way, but keep review time longer than test time. Go through errors carefully: was the problem knowledge, reading accuracy, or pace?
October in Year 6	This is the point to do the most exam-specific work. Sit one or two realistic timed practices each week, always on screen where possible. Keep sessions focused and stop before your child becomes stale. The goal is confidence and familiarity, not exhaustion.
Final 1 to 2 weeks	Reduce volume slightly. Do brief refreshers, not heavy new learning. Sleep, routine and confidence matter more than squeezing in extra papers at the last minute.

If your child is currently below the expected level in either Maths or English, start earlier and keep the work very steady. If they are already strong, resist over-preparing; for many children, consistency beats intensity.

Subject by subject: what to practise

Maths

For this school, Maths preparation should centre on secure Key Stage 2 skills used fluently under time pressure. Because the assessment is computer-based, children need to read questions carefully on screen and avoid careless slips.

Useful areas to practise include:

Number facts and written arithmetic
Fractions, decimals and percentages
Ratio and proportion at an accessible level
Measures, time and money
Perimeter, area and basic geometry
Multi-step word problems
Interpreting data from tables or charts

How to practise well:

Use short timed sets first, then longer mixed sections
Teach your child to identify the operation needed before calculating
Review mistakes by type: method, reading, speed or checking
Include mental maths as well as written working
Practise on screen so scrolling, clicking and typing do not feel unfamiliar

English

English preparation should cover both reading and written English. The school states that English is part of the online assessment, but it does not publish a detailed public specification for question types. That means the safest preparation is broad, strong English rather than narrow question spotting.

Focus on:

Comprehension from fiction and non-fiction passages
Vocabulary in context
Inference and evidence-based answers
Grammar, punctuation and sentence control
Accurate spelling of common and ambitious words
Organising short written responses clearly

How to practise well:

Ask your child to explain how they know an answer from the text
Build a vocabulary notebook from daily reading
Practise concise written answers as well as longer ones
Encourage complete sentences unless a task clearly asks otherwise
Type some responses, not just handwritten ones, to reflect the online format

Because Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning are not tested, families can use preparation time more efficiently by strengthening reading, writing and Maths fundamentals instead.

Practice papers and mock exams

The best practice for this school is targeted and reflective. Since the assessment is school-set rather than a standardised national paper, use practice materials to build skills and confidence rather than to chase an exact paper style that may not be publicly available.

A good routine looks like this:

Start untimed so your child learns the method
Move to short timed sections on screen
Build up to fuller mixed papers in Maths and English
Review every mistake and keep an error log
Repeat weak topics a week later to check that learning has stuck

Mock exams are helpful only if they are used sensibly. One or two realistic mocks can be useful for stamina and nerves, but weekly full mocks are often counterproductive. For most children, the real gains come from carefully reviewing what went wrong and fixing it.

You can use these free ElevenReady resources as part of that process:

When using papers, try this simple rule: spend at least as long reviewing as your child spent completing the test. That is where confidence and accuracy are built.

On the day

Because the assessment is online, practical preparation matters. Make sure your child is comfortable using a keyboard, mouse or trackpad, scrolling through questions, and typing short answers neatly if required.

A calm checklist for the day:

Have a normal breakfast and avoid rushing
Arrive, or log in, with time to spare
Bring or prepare anything the school has requested
Remind your child that the test covers only Maths and English
Encourage them to keep moving if one question feels difficult
Use any remaining time to check answers carefully

If the assessment is being taken remotely, do a simple technology check in advance: internet connection, device charging, browser access and a quiet room. If it is in person, make the journey once beforehand if possible so the day feels familiar.

The most helpful message for children is usually this: you do not need every answer to feel hard; you just need to stay steady and show what you know.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

At St. Andrew's College Cambridge, the process continues after the assessment because admissions also include an interview. Unlike local-authority grammar school admissions, there is no published coordinated 11+ score release and national allocation sequence specific to this test in the sources reviewed.

The school says the admissions process typically takes four to eight weeks. For families, that is the most useful published guide to timing: after application and assessment, allow several weeks for the process to run its course.

Because this is an independent school, offers are generally handled directly by the school rather than through local-authority secondary allocation on 1 March. Exact timelines for decisions, acceptance deadlines, waiting lists or internal review were not published clearly in the sources reviewed for this guide.

Likewise, no public information was found on a formal 11+ style appeals process. If your child is unsuccessful and you want feedback or to know whether there is any review route, you would need to ask the admissions team directly. Independent schools do not usually operate the same statutory appeals framework as state schools.

If you are also applying to state schools, keep those deadlines separate in your diary. An independent school assessment process can run alongside local-authority applications, but the systems are different.

What has changed recently

No clearly announced change to the admissions test format, catchment, places or published dates for this school was found in the official sources reviewed beyond the school's current description of an online application, online Maths and English assessment, and interview. Parents should check the school's admissions page regularly for updates for the 2028 entry cycle.

Frequently asked questions

Does St. Andrew's College Cambridge test Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning?

No. For 2028 entry, the assessment is in Maths and English only.

Is the St. Andrew's College Cambridge test on paper or on a computer?

It is computer-based. Children should practise working accurately and calmly on screen, not only on printed papers.

Who runs the application process?

The school runs its own admissions process directly. Families apply through the school's online application route rather than a grammar school consortium portal.

When is the exam for September 2028 entry?

A single fixed test date was not published in the sources reviewed. The school describes a flexible admissions process, so parents should contact admissions directly about timing for September 2028 entry.

Is there a catchment area?

No catchment area or distance rule was published in the admissions information reviewed. As an independent school, it does not appear to use the same catchment model as many state grammar schools.

How long does the admissions process take?

The school says the admissions process typically takes four to eight weeks. That includes the stages after the online application.

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Sources

St. Andrew's College Cambridge - Admissions process: School runs its own admissions process; admissions process includes an online application, online assessment in Maths and English, and interview; most students start in September; January and April intakes for selected courses; September intake is the largest; admissions process typically takes four
St. Andrew's College Cambridge - Fees: Registration fee £420; course deposit £2,500; tuition fees per term 2026-2027 for One Year GCSE, Pre A-Level, Pre-IB and University Foundation Courses £11,500; A-Levels £13,860; residential accommodation per term ranges from £7,830 to £9,780.
St. Andrew's College Cambridge - Home: School is an independent boarding school in Cambridge.

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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.