Exam format not yet verified. We have not confirmed this school's exam board or paper format from an official source. Where this guide describes the test, treat it as a working assumption and check the school's admissions page before relying on it.
The exam at a glance
For 2028 entry, St John’s Preparatory and Senior School uses its own entrance assessment process. the information in our directory (not yet verified with the school) says families should prepare for a GL Assessment-style paper covering Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with standard timed sections and balanced practice across all four areas.
The school’s admissions page sets out a four-stage admissions process: registration, a visit, entrance assessment and offer. For Senior School entry, the school says that all applicants sit the entrance test in October. Pupils who meet the required academic standard are then invited to an interview with the Headmaster and a guided tour.
The school also says it offers individual tours of the senior school throughout the academic year during the school day by appointment. That is useful because independent-school admissions are often about fit as well as score: parents can see the school in action, and children can get a feel for the setting before assessment day.
The school does not appear to publish, on the pages reviewed, a detailed breakdown of the paper length, the number of sections, whether the test is completed on paper or computer, or the exact timings for each subject. Because of that, the safest preparation is broad and even: build secure arithmetic and problem solving, strengthen reading and written English, and practise the main GL-style verbal and non-verbal reasoning question types under gentle timed conditions.
- Board / style: school’s own assessment process, using a GL-style paper across four subjects
- Subjects: Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning
- When: October for Senior School applicants
- Next stage: interview with the Headmaster and a guided tour for children meeting the required academic standard
- Delivery: not confirmed on the school pages reviewed
Registration and key dates
St John’s says admissions follow four stages: registration, a visit, entrance assessment and offer. On the admissions page reviewed, the school asks families to complete a registration form and says this secures a child’s place in the admissions process. The same page states that, once this form has been submitted, families are contacted by the admissions team to arrange the next steps.
For Senior School entry, the school confirms one key timing point clearly: all applicants sit the entrance test in October. It does not, on the page reviewed, publish a specific opening date for registration, a closing date for applications, a named assessment day for a particular year, or a stated results date. Because those details matter and can change, parents should check the school’s admissions page directly and, if needed, contact the admissions team early in Year 5 or at the start of Year 6.
What families can say with confidence from the published information is that the process usually includes:
- Registration: complete the school’s registration form.
- Visit: book an individual senior school tour if helpful; the school says tours run throughout the academic year by appointment.
- Assessment: sit the Senior School entrance test in October.
- Interview: if the required academic standard is met, attend an interview with the Headmaster and a guided tour.
- Offer and acceptance: successful candidates secure the place by paying the published fee and deposit.
If you are planning for September 2028 entry, your child will typically sit the test in October 2027, because the school says Senior School applicants test in October in the year before entry. As exact 2027 dates were not published on the pages reviewed, treat that as the reliable broad timing rather than a booked diary date.
Useful next steps for parents:
- Read the school’s admissions page carefully and complete the registration form as soon as the school opens the cycle.
- Book a tour in good time so your child feels familiar with the school.
- Keep a note of when you submitted the form and chase politely if you have not heard back.
- Use ElevenReady’s Free email alerts for this school's key dates and the The St John's Preparatory and Senior School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates) page to track updates.
Who can apply: catchment and admissions
St John’s Preparatory and Senior School is an independent coeducational school, so the process is different from a state grammar-school application. Families apply directly to the school rather than through a local-authority 11+ registration system, and the admissions page describes a school-run process of registration, visit, assessment and offer.
On the sources reviewed, the school does not publish a catchment area for Senior School admission, nor does it set out state-style priority rules such as distance bands, inner areas or feeder-school quotas. That normally means families should assume the school considers applicants more individually, through its own admissions and assessment process, rather than by fixed catchment ranking. Even so, if you are moving house or applying from overseas, it is still sensible to ask the school directly whether there are any practical residency expectations or deadlines for joining.
The school page reviewed also does not publish the number of Year 7 places available, historic application numbers, or any pass mark or standardised-score threshold. Parents should be cautious about any unofficial figures discussed on forums or social media. If the school does not publish a cut-off, the honest position is simply that it is not publicly stated.
One admissions detail the school does publish clearly is the final stage for successful applicants: to secure a place, Senior School candidates are asked to pay a non-refundable registration fee of £180 and a non-refundable acceptance deposit of £600, both stated as inclusive of VAT at the current rate.
In practice, that means parents should think about admissions in two parts:
- Academic readiness: your child needs to perform strongly across Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning in October.
- School fit: because the process includes a visit and, for those meeting the standard, an interview with the Headmaster, schools are also looking at whether a child seems ready to thrive there.
If you need certainty on places, oversubscription or whether any informal priority is used, check directly with the school’s admissions team. On the official pages reviewed, those points were not published.
A month-by-month preparation plan
For September 2028 entry, most children will sit the exam in October 2027. A calm plan works better than an intense one. For most Year 5 children, 2 to 3 hours a week split across short sessions is plenty at the start; by the summer before the test, many families move to 3 to 4 hours a week, with one timed task most weeks. The aim is steady familiarity, not cramming.
January to March of Year 5
Keep it light and diagnostic. Spend time finding strengths and weaker areas across all four subjects. In Maths, focus on number fluency, fractions, decimals, percentages and multi-step word problems. In English, build reading stamina and secure grammar, punctuation and spelling. In reasoning, introduce the main question types slowly and untimed.
- Suggested time: 2 hours a week
- Main goal: identify gaps without pressure
- Best approach: short tasks, lots of explanation, no heavy timing yet
April to June of Year 5
Start building technique. Your child should now meet every subject each week, even if only briefly. This is a good time to create a rotation: one Maths session, one English session, one reasoning session alternating verbal and non-verbal, plus reading at home.
- Suggested time: 2 to 2.5 hours a week
- Main goal: learn the common formats and reduce avoidable mistakes
- Best approach: untimed practice first, then short timed bursts of 5 to 10 minutes
July to August before Year 6
Summer is helpful, but it does not need to feel like school. Keep sessions regular and manageable. Introduce the first mixed papers or mini-mocks so your child gets used to switching between subjects. Review every paper carefully: the learning is in the correction.
- Suggested time: 3 hours a week
- Main goal: stamina and familiarity
- Best approach: one longer paper each week, then two lighter follow-up sessions
September of Year 6
This is the key month. By now your child should be doing timed work most weeks. Keep practice balanced across all four subjects, because the information we hold (not yet verified with the school) expects strength across the whole paper rather than over-specialising in one area. If your child has a clear weaker subject, give it a little extra attention, but do not neglect the others.
- Suggested time: 3 to 4 hours a week
- Main goal: accuracy under time pressure
- Best approach: one full timed paper or realistic mixed test each week, plus targeted corrections
October of Year 6
In the final run-up, reduce volume slightly and protect confidence. Your child should not be sitting endless papers. Focus on sleep, routine, and a handful of well-chosen tasks that remind them what they can do.
- Suggested time: 2 to 3 hours a week until the exam
- Main goal: stay calm, sharp and positive
- Best approach: short review sessions, no late-night practice, no last-minute overload
A simple weekly pattern works well for many families:
| Day | Task |
| Session 1 | Maths skills and word problems |
| Session 2 | English comprehension and SPaG |
| Session 3 | Verbal or non-verbal reasoning practice |
| Weekend | Short timed task or mixed mini-paper, then corrections |
Subject by subject: what to practise
Maths
For a GL-style independent-school paper, practise the core Key Stage 2 content that often appears under time pressure: arithmetic accuracy, place value, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio basics, measures, perimeter, area, data handling and word problems. The biggest issue for many children is not hard content but speed with accuracy.
- Make sure number facts are quick and reliable.
- Practise multi-step problems where children must decide which operation to use.
- Train neat working, because that reduces careless errors.
- Use short timed sections to build pace gradually.
English
English preparation should cover both comprehension and technical accuracy. Many schools using GL-style formats test close reading, vocabulary in context, inference, grammar, punctuation and spelling. Some also expect children to write clearly and accurately, although the exact St John’s paper structure is not published on the pages reviewed.
- Read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction.
- Practise retrieval, inference, author-choice and vocabulary questions.
- Revise grammar terms your child should know securely at upper KS2 level.
- Work on precise sentence control, punctuation and careful proofreading.
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal reasoning rewards familiarity. Children do better when they have seen the main question families often enough that the method feels routine. Typical GL-style practice includes codes, letter sequences, related words, vocabulary-based items, hidden words and logical word relationships.
- Build vocabulary steadily; it matters more than many parents expect.
- Teach one question type at a time before mixing them.
- Encourage children to mark and move on if stuck, then return if time allows.
- Use timed sets only after the method is secure.
Non-Verbal Reasoning
Non-verbal reasoning usually improves with pattern familiarity. Children need to spot rotations, reflections, symmetry, shape sequences, codes, nets and visual odd-one-out patterns quickly and systematically.
- Teach children to compare one feature at a time: shape, size, shading, position.
- Use the language of transformation clearly: rotate, reflect, invert, combine.
- Practise with clean, well-laid-out questions first before harder mixed sets.
- Build confidence by showing that there is usually a limited set of pattern rules.
Across all four subjects, the best habit is this: review mistakes properly. Ask not just “What was the answer?” but “Why did I miss it?” Was it a knowledge gap, a timing issue, misreading, or rushing? That is how scores rise steadily over time.
Practice papers and mock exams
Practice papers are most useful when they are used sparingly and reviewed carefully. A child who sits ten papers and barely corrects them often learns less than a child who sits four good papers and goes through every mistake.
Start with untimed or lightly timed practice to learn the question types. Once your child is comfortable, move to timed sections and then mixed papers. In the final six to eight weeks before the exam, use a paper more like a dress rehearsal: quiet room, set start time, no interruptions, and a short break afterwards before marking together.
Useful ElevenReady resources for this school:
- Free St John's Preparatory and Senior School practice papers (one per tested subject, with answers)
- The St John's Preparatory and Senior School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates)
- Free email alerts for this school's key dates
If you use mock exams, treat them as a confidence-building information tool, not a verdict. They can help with timing, stamina and exam-room familiarity, but they should not dominate Year 5. One or two well-timed mocks in the later stages of preparation is usually enough for most children.
A good paper-review routine looks like this:
- Mark the paper calmly.
- Sort mistakes into types: knowledge, method, vocabulary, timing, careless error.
- Redo a small number of missed questions without pressure.
- Write down two or three lessons for next time.
- Revisit those same skills later in the week.
On the day
The aim on the day is simple: help your child feel settled, on time and clear-headed. Because the school does not publish a detailed test-day schedule on the pages reviewed, expect the usual independent-school pattern of arrival, registration, assessment and, for some families, a short period of waiting afterwards.
- Get everything ready the night before: route, travel time, clothes, stationery if requested by the school.
- Aim to arrive early rather than exactly on time.
- Choose a normal breakfast your child knows suits them.
- Keep conversation light; avoid last-minute quizzing in the car.
- Remind your child that some questions will feel easy and some will not, and that this is normal.
Useful reminders for children:
- Read the instructions carefully at the start of each section.
- If one question feels hard, do not panic; move on and come back if there is time.
- Watch out for careless slips in Maths and misreading in English and reasoning.
- Stay steady. A calm paper is often a better paper.
If your child is invited to interview after meeting the academic standard, preparation should be light and natural. The school’s own process suggests the interview is part of getting to know the child rather than a separate academic exam. It is usually enough to help your child practise polite conversation, listening carefully and answering in full sentences.
After the exam: results, allocation and appeals
For St John’s, the admissions process published on the school website is: registration, visit, entrance assessment and offer. For Senior School, children who meet the required academic standard are then invited to an interview with the Headmaster and a guided tour. The school pages reviewed do not publish a specific results date or a detailed post-exam timeline, so families should expect to hear directly from the school about next steps.
If an offer is made and you choose to accept it, the school states that successful Senior School candidates secure their place by paying a non-refundable registration fee of £180 and a non-refundable acceptance deposit of £600, inclusive of VAT at the current rate stated on the page.
Unlike state-school admissions, independent-school allocation is not part of National Offer Day in the same way. Schools make their own offers and ask families to respond by their own deadlines. That means it is especially important to read every email carefully and keep track of reply dates.
The school pages reviewed do not set out a published appeals process for Senior School entrance decisions. If your child is unsuccessful and you want feedback or would like to ask whether a waiting list is held, the sensible step is to contact the admissions team directly and politely. Independent schools vary in how much feedback they can provide.
What has changed recently
From the official pages reviewed, we did not find a separately announced recent change to the Senior School entrance exam board, paper structure, catchment rules or published dates. The current admissions page continues to describe a four-stage process and says that all Senior School applicants sit the entrance test in October.
One point parents should note is the school’s published fee information for securing a place: successful candidates are asked to pay a £180 non-refundable registration fee and a £600 non-refundable acceptance deposit, both stated as inclusive of VAT at the current rate. If fees or deposits matter to your planning, check the live admissions page in case the school updates them for your child’s year.
Frequently asked questions
When is the St John’s Senior School entrance test?
The school says all Senior School applicants sit the entrance test in October. For 2028 entry, that usually means October 2027, but check the school’s admissions page for the exact date once published.
What subjects should my child prepare for?
For 2028 entry, our directory, not yet verified with the school, records to prepare for Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning in a GL-style format.
Does St John’s publish a pass mark or cut-off score?
Not on the official pages reviewed. If the school has not published one, it is best to ignore unofficial figures and ask admissions directly if you need clarification.
Is there a catchment area for St John’s Prep and Senior School?
No catchment area was published on the school pages reviewed. As an independent school, it appears to run its own admissions process rather than a state-style catchment system.
How do we apply?
The school’s admissions page says families complete a registration form, after which the admissions team contacts them about the next steps. The process then includes a visit, entrance assessment and offer.
What happens after the test?
The school says children who meet the required academic standard are invited to an interview with the Headmaster and a guided tour. Offers are then made by the school directly.
Sources
- St John’s Preparatory and Senior School – Admissions Process: School-run four-stage admissions process of registration, visit, entrance assessment and offer; Senior School applicants sit the entrance test in October; those meeting the required academic standard are invited to an interview with the Headmaster and a guided tour; individual tours of the senior sc
- St John’s Preparatory and Senior School – Home page: School identity and official website for St John’s Preparatory and Senior School.
Preparing for other schools in Enfield
- Alternative Centre of Education · practice papers
- Focus 1st Academy · practice papers
- Freshsteps Independent school · practice papers
- Palmers Green High School · practice papers
- How to prepare for the The Latymer School 11+ · practice papers
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.