How to prepare for The Mount School (York) 11+

The exam at a glance

The Mount School York is an independent school with a usual entry point at 11+ for Year 7. For 2028 entry, ElevenReady’s verified information is that the school uses its own entrance assessment.

At the time of writing, the school’s public admissions information confirms that Senior School applicants attend an entrance assessment, are interviewed, and that the school will also request a reference from the child’s current school. The school’s admissions page also says that external entrance examinations and scholarship assessments for the Senior School take place in January ahead of September entry.

The school does not clearly publish, on the admissions page checked for this guide, a subject-by-subject breakdown, paper length, exact timing, whether the assessment is computer-based or paper-based, or what the assessment day looks like in detail. Because of that, it is best to treat this as a school-set assessment process rather than assume it follows any national 11+ format.

In practical terms, parents should expect the process to include:

registration with the school;
a Year 7 taster day in the Autumn Term before entry;
an entrance assessment in January before entry;
an interview for Senior School applicants;
a reference request to the child’s current school.

For families applying for September 2028 entry, that means the entrance assessment is expected in January 2028, unless the school publishes a different date nearer the time.

Because the school does not publicly set out the tested subjects on the page reviewed, the safest preparation is broad and balanced: secure Year 5 and early Year 6 English and maths, keep reading and writing regularly, and contact the admissions team early to ask what the current assessment involves.

Registration and key dates

The admissions process is run by the school, not by a local authority 11+ consortium. The Mount School’s admissions procedure says families should complete a registration form and pay a registration fee. For Senior School entry, the process then includes a taster day, entrance assessment, interview and school reference.

The school’s admissions page says the registration form can be completed online, and that a child is considered registered only once the form and fee have been received.

For verified timing, the school publishes the following broad sequence for Senior School entry:

Autumn Term before entry: Year 7 taster day.
January before entry: external entrance examinations and scholarship assessments.
June before entry: joining information sent out.

For September 2028 starters, that points to a likely timetable of:

taster day in Autumn 2027;
entrance assessment in January 2028;
joining information in June 2028.

The school page reviewed does not publish a specific registration opening date, registration deadline or results date for Year 7 entry. If those dates have not yet been posted for your daughter’s cohort, check the admissions page regularly and consider asking to join the school’s mailing list.

Parents should also note that the school’s fee list shows a separate registration fee and states that there is a deposit to accept a place. Those are admissions-administration points rather than exam dates, but they are useful to know early.

When you register, it is sensible to have ready:

basic pupil details;
parent or carer contact details;
current school details;
any information the school asks for about educational needs or access arrangements;
payment details for the registration fee.

If your daughter may need access arrangements, contact the school well in advance. Independent schools often want supporting evidence and enough time to decide what is reasonable for their own assessment process.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

The Mount School York is an independent day and boarding school for girls, with Senior School entry at 11+. Unlike a state grammar school, it does not operate through local-authority catchment rules in the same way.

From the admissions information reviewed, the school does not publish a Year 7 catchment area, a distance rule, or a ranked oversubscription scheme in the style used by state schools. Instead, admission appears to be based on the school’s own process of registration, assessment, interview and reference.

The school also states that it offers means-tested bursaries and scholarships, with scholarship assessments taking place alongside the January entrance examinations for Senior School applicants. If cost will be an important factor, it is worth asking the admissions team early about bursary timelines and evidence requirements, because financial-assistance processes often run to their own timetable.

The fee information published by the school is relevant for families planning ahead. The page checked for this guide lists a registration fee of £100 and says that a deposit of £500 is payable on acceptance of a place, with the deposit refunded after the final term when the required notice has been given.

The school page reviewed does not state a fixed number of Year 7 places, nor does it publish application numbers or success rates. If you want a clearer sense of likely competition in a particular year, the best next step is to ask admissions directly how many external Year 7 places are usually available and whether demand has recently changed.

A month-by-month preparation plan

Because The Mount School sets its own assessment and does not publicly describe the paper in detail on the admissions page reviewed, the most sensible approach is to prepare for a well-rounded independent-school entrance assessment rather than narrow practice in one question style.

For September 2028 entry, the assessment is expected in January 2028. Working backwards, here is a calm plan for a Year 5 child.

February to April of Year 5

Keep preparation light. Aim for 1 to 2 hours a week in short sessions. The focus should be habits, not pressure.

Build strong reading stamina through daily reading.
Keep maths fluent: number facts, times tables, written methods and mental arithmetic.
Encourage clear written answers in full sentences.
Start noting any gaps your child’s school reports mention.

May to July of Year 5

Increase gently to around 2 to 3 hours a week.

Add short comprehension tasks based on fiction and non-fiction.
Practise spelling, punctuation and grammar through normal schoolwork and short revision bursts.
Use maths questions that require method as well as the final answer.
Begin short interview-style conversations at home: hobbies, books, interests, school subjects.

Summer holiday before Year 6

Keep momentum without turning the holiday into a term. Around 2 hours a week is usually enough.

Read widely and discuss what has been read.
Write a little each week: descriptions, summaries, opinions, letters or short stories.
Keep maths fresh with mixed questions and mental practice.
If you plan to apply, use the summer to contact the school, attend events if available, and understand the registration process.

September of Year 6

This is a good point to move to 3 hours a week, still split across short sessions.

Make work a little more structured.
Alternate English and maths.
Practise following instructions carefully and checking work.
If the school offers a taster day in the Autumn Term, use it as a confidence-building step rather than a test of performance.

October of Year 6

Stay at roughly 3 to 4 hours a week.

Introduce occasional timed tasks, but keep them short.
Practise neat presentation and sensible pace.
Review weaker topics instead of endlessly repeating strengths.
Keep interview preparation conversational and low-key.

November of Year 6

This is the point to begin more regular timed work if your child is coping well. Around 4 hours a week is usually realistic.

Use mixed practice so your child learns to switch between topics.
Do one longer timed task each week, then review errors carefully.
Talk through how to stay calm when stuck on a question.

December of Year 6

Keep things steady at 3 to 4 hours a week. Avoid cramming.

Do a few realistic timed pieces, but not every day.
Focus on accuracy, method and reading the question properly.
Protect sleep, exercise and festive downtime.

January of Year 6

In the final run-up, less is often more.

Use short refreshers, not heavy new content.
Go over core maths methods and reading skills.
Prepare for the interview with friendly discussion rather than scripts.
Make sure your child knows the practical plan for the day.

If your daughter is also applying elsewhere, try to keep one shared weekly routine rather than giving each school a completely separate programme. Broad, secure literacy and numeracy usually travel well across independent-school assessments.

Subject by subject: what to practise

The Mount School’s admissions page reviewed for this guide confirms an entrance assessment, but it does not publicly list the tested subjects. For that reason, parents should not assume a fixed paper structure. Instead, prepare the areas most commonly expected for independent Senior School entry and check directly with the school for the current format.

English

Even where a school does not publish a detailed breakdown, English preparation is usually worthwhile. Focus on:

reading comprehension across fiction and non-fiction;
answering in clear, relevant sentences;
vocabulary built through regular reading;
spelling, punctuation and grammar at Key Stage 2 level;
short pieces of descriptive, narrative or discursive writing.

Good practice includes reading a passage and discussing it aloud first, then writing concise answers with evidence from the text. For writing, encourage planning, paragraphing and checking punctuation rather than writing at great length.

Mathematics

Maths is another sensible area to keep secure even though the school does not publicly specify the paper content on the page reviewed. Prioritise:

number fluency and place value;
the four operations with confidence and accuracy;
fractions, decimals and percentages;
ratio and proportion at an age-appropriate level;
measurement, shape and basic data handling;
word problems that require choosing a method.

Practise showing clear working, estimating sensibly and checking whether an answer is reasonable. Short mixed sets are often better than long repetitive worksheets.

Interview readiness

The school states that Senior School applicants are interviewed, so this deserves some preparation in its own right.

Help your daughter talk naturally about her interests, reading and school life.
Discuss why she would like to join the school.
Practise listening carefully to a question before answering.
Build confidence in speaking to an unfamiliar adult politely and clearly.

The aim is not to script perfect answers. It is to help your child feel comfortable, thoughtful and ready to have a conversation.

General academic habits

Because the exact assessment content is not published on the page checked, the strongest preparation may be the least flashy:

careful reading of instructions;
steady concentration for short timed periods;
tidy presentation;
checking work without panic;
willingness to attempt unfamiliar questions calmly.

If the school later publishes a fuller outline for your daughter’s cohort, adjust your practice to match that official information.

Practice papers and mock exams

When a school uses its own assessment, practice papers are most useful as a way to build core skills, timing confidence and exam-day stamina, not as a prediction of the exact paper.

A sensible approach is:

start untimed, so your child learns method and accuracy first;
move to short timed sections once the basics are secure;
review mistakes properly, rather than just marking right and wrong;
keep a note of recurring weak spots to revisit the following week;
mix easier and harder work so confidence stays intact.

For this school, use ElevenReady’s resources as a practical starting point:

If you use mock exams, choose them for confidence-building and routine rather than intensity. One or two well-timed mocks are usually enough for a school-set assessment. After any mock, spend more time reviewing than sitting the paper itself: Which questions were rushed? Which topics were uncertain? Did nerves affect performance?

It is also worth balancing formal practice with ordinary learning. Regular reading, mental maths, short writing tasks and calm conversation practice for interview all matter here.

On the day

For a school-set assessment and interview, calm organisation makes a real difference.

Check the timing, location and arrival instructions the day before.
Prepare clothes, stationery if needed, and any requested documents in advance.
Aim for a normal breakfast and plenty of time to travel.
Avoid last-minute drilling on the morning itself.

Help your daughter remember a few simple rules:

read each question carefully;
start steadily rather than rushing;
show working in maths;
if stuck, move on and return later if possible;
check answers if there is time.

For the interview, remind her that she does not need polished speeches. It is fine to pause, think, and answer honestly. Interviewers are usually trying to get to know the child in front of them, not catch them out.

Parents can help most by being matter-of-fact. Treat the day as an opportunity to show what your daughter can already do, not as a judgement on her future.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

At an independent school, the process after assessment is different from state-school national offer day.

For The Mount School, the public information reviewed confirms that offers follow the school’s own admissions process rather than local-authority allocation. The school also publishes that joining information is sent in June prior to entry.

The admissions page checked does not publish a specific results date or offer date for Year 7 entry. In practice, families should expect communication directly from the school after the assessment and interview process, and should ask admissions when decisions are usually released for the relevant cohort.

If your daughter is offered a place, read the acceptance paperwork carefully. The school’s fee page says a £500 deposit is payable on acceptance of a place.

If your daughter is not offered a place, independent schools do not run the same statutory appeal system as state schools. Instead, you can usually:

ask politely for feedback if the school is willing to give it;
ask whether a waiting list operates;
check whether a later entry point might be possible;
continue with other school applications in parallel.

If bursary or scholarship decisions matter to your planning, ask whether those are released at the same time as the place decision or separately.

What has changed recently

From the official pages reviewed for this guide, I did not find a clearly published recent announcement changing the Year 7 entrance assessment board, subject mix, catchment rules or number of places. The key points currently visible are that Senior School external entrance examinations and scholarship assessments take place in January, and that the school’s admissions process includes a taster day, interview and school reference.

Because independent-school admissions pages can be updated without much fanfare, it is worth checking the school’s admissions procedure page again at the start of Year 6 and before registering.

Frequently asked questions

When is The Mount School (York) 11+ exam for 2028 entry?

The school’s admissions information says Senior School external entrance examinations take place in January ahead of September entry. For Year 7 entry in September 2028, that suggests January 2028 unless the school publishes a different date.

Does The Mount School (York) use GL or CEM?

No official page reviewed for this guide states GL or CEM. ElevenReady’s verified information is that the school uses its own assessment, and the exact format is not publicly confirmed.

What subjects are in The Mount School (York) entrance assessment?

The school’s admissions page reviewed does not publicly list the tested subjects. It is best to ask the admissions team directly and prepare broadly in English, maths and interview confidence unless the school publishes more detail.

Is there an interview for Year 7 entry?

Yes. The school’s admissions procedure says Senior School applicants are interviewed and that a reference is requested from their current school.

Is there a catchment area for The Mount School (York)?

As an independent school, it does not publish state-style catchment rules on the admissions page reviewed. Admission is through the school’s own registration and assessment process.

How much is the registration fee?

The school’s published fees page lists a £100 registration fee. It also says a £500 deposit is payable when accepting a place.

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Sources

The Mount School York Admissions Procedure: usual ages of entry include 11+; Senior School applicants complete registration, attend a taster day, sit an entrance assessment, are interviewed, and a reference is requested from their current school; Year 7 and Sixth Form taster day takes place in the Autumn Term prior to September entry; externa
The Mount School York website: school is an independent day and boarding school for girls

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Written by ElevenReady from the school's published information and reviewed by a person before publishing. Last reviewed 20 October 2026. Exam arrangements change. Check the school's admissions page for the current year.