How to prepare for The Queen's School 11+ exam

The exam at a glance

The Queen’s School is an independent girls’ school in Chester. For Year 7 entry in September 2028, the school says candidates sit an entrance assessment and that the process also includes recent school reports and a reference from the child’s current school.

For 2028 entry, ElevenReady’s verified information is that the assessment is the school’s own paper, using a computer-based format across Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The practical implication for preparation is simple: children need balanced practice across all four areas, and they should get used to answering accurately and working at pace on screen.

The school’s admissions page says Year 7 candidates take a senior school entrance assessment in January, and also highlights opportunities such as open events and a personalised taster day after October half term. That is helpful because the admissions process is not just about one test day: families can usually get a feel for the school well before the assessment.

What the day looks like, in broad terms, is likely to be:

arrival and registration at school;
a computer-based assessment covering the tested areas;
the school gathering supporting information such as reports and a reference;
follow-up communication from admissions about outcomes and next steps.

The school page we found does not publish a detailed minute-by-minute breakdown of the assessment day or individual section timings. In practice, it is best to prepare your child for short, timed tasks completed on a computer, with quick transitions between question types.

Registration and key dates

The Queen’s School runs its own admissions process. The school’s entrance assessments page says that Year 7 candidates can register at any stage before the assessment day in January, rather than by a much earlier autumn deadline as at many grammar schools.

For the current published cycle on the school website, the senior school entrance assessment date is Monday 11 January 2027. Because your child is aiming for September 2028 entry, families should treat that as a guide to the school’s usual pattern rather than a confirmed 2028 date. At the time of writing, we did not find a separately published 2028 entrance-assessment date on the school site, so the safest wording is that the assessment is typically in January.

The same school page also says the school requests:

school reports; and
a reference from your daughter’s current school.

That means it is sensible to do two things early: first, make direct contact with admissions; second, give your child’s current school plenty of notice that a reference may be requested.

The school also advertises open events around the admissions process, including an October Open Morning, a Saturday Series Transition Programme, an Activities Day, and, after October half term, a personalised taster day for Year 6 girls. These are useful chances to see whether the school feels like the right fit, and they can help a child feel much more comfortable before assessment day.

Because the school appears to manage registration directly, the most sensible approach is:

check the admissions page regularly;
contact the admissions team to ask when registration for your daughter’s year opens, if that is not yet shown;
book an open event if possible;
submit any registration form or enquiry the school requests;
prepare school reports and be ready for the school-reference request.

If you want to track updates, you can also use Free email alerts for this school's key dates: /school-alerts?school=the-queens-school.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

The Queen’s School is an independent school and ElevenReady’s verified information for this guide is that there is no catchment area. In other words, families are not applying under a state-school distance or postcode priority system.

Instead, admission is based on the school’s own process. The official admissions information we found says Year 7 entry involves:

the entrance assessment;
school reports; and
a reference from the applicant’s current school.

For parents, that usually means two things matter most. First, your child needs to be ready for the test format. Second, the school will be looking at the wider picture of how she is doing at her current school.

We did not find an official published figure on the page reviewed for the number of Year 7 places, nor a published pass mark, score threshold or oversubscription cut-off. Independent schools often do not publish these in the way local authorities and grammar schools do. If the school later adds this information for 2028 entry, rely on the admissions page rather than forum discussion or hearsay.

Competition can vary from year to year, so the practical takeaway is not to chase an unofficial target score. A better plan is to aim for secure all-round performance across Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, while also making sure your daughter’s current school reports reflect steady effort and good habits.

A month-by-month preparation plan

For a child sitting in January of Year 6, the most sensible preparation window is usually from the spring or summer term of Year 5. That is long enough to build familiarity without turning the whole year into test prep.

Here is a calm, realistic plan working backwards from a typical January assessment.

September to December of Year 5

Keep it light. Around 1 to 1.5 hours a week is enough at this stage, split over two or three short sessions.

Read widely and discuss vocabulary.
Keep maths fluency strong: times tables, mental arithmetic, fractions, percentages and problem solving.
Introduce Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning gently so the question styles do not feel strange later.
Add a little screen-based work, since the assessment is computer-based.

January to March of Year 5

Increase to about 1.5 to 2 hours a week.

Identify early strengths and weaker areas.
Build a steady routine: one maths session, one English session, one reasoning session each week.
Focus on method and confidence, not speed yet.
Practise careful reading of instructions, especially where one small detail changes the answer.

April to June of Year 5

Aim for around 2 to 3 hours a week.

Move from untimed practice into short timed sets.
Start mixing subjects within one sitting so your child learns to switch gears.
Review mistakes properly: was it knowledge, vocabulary, rushing or misunderstanding the question?
Continue reading for comprehension and vocabulary growth.

July to August before Year 6

Keep momentum, but do not overdo it. Around 2 hours a week is often enough, with a lighter holiday week if needed.

Use short mixed exercises rather than long, tiring sessions.
Practise on screen when possible.
Introduce a first full mixed paper only if your child is ready; many are not, and that is fine.
Keep confidence high by balancing challenge with work she can complete successfully.

September of Year 6

This is the point to become more structured. Around 3 to 4 hours a week is realistic for most families.

Start regular timed practice papers.
Work on pacing: when to move on, when to guess sensibly, and how to stay calm after a difficult question.
Pinpoint recurring gaps in arithmetic, grammar, vocabulary or reasoning patterns.
If you are visiting open events or arranging a taster day, use them to build familiarity and reduce nerves.

October of Year 6

Continue at about 3 to 4 hours a week.

Complete one mixed timed paper or equivalent timed sections each week.
Review every error carefully.
Practise logging in, using a mouse or trackpad confidently, and concentrating on screen for the length of a test session.
Do not let preparation crowd out schoolwork, clubs and sleep.

November of Year 6

Hold steady at 3 to 4 hours a week.

Focus on consistency rather than cramming new content.
Use short top-up drills for weaker areas.
Practise recovering composure after mistakes.
Keep one session each week deliberately easier to maintain confidence.

December of Year 6

Reduce volume slightly if your child is tiring. Around 2 to 3 hours a week is often enough.

Do a final few timed practices, but avoid daily testing.
Prioritise sleep, routine and confidence.
Prepare practicalities for the day so the holiday period stays calm.

Early January of Year 6

In the final days, less is more.

Use short refreshers only.
Avoid last-minute overload.
Keep routines steady and reassure your child that one paper does not define her.

Subject by subject: what to practise

Because this assessment is computer-based and covers four areas, preparation should be broad and steady rather than heavily weighted towards one favourite subject.

Maths

Focus on secure Key Stage 2 skills and applying them quickly. Useful areas to revisit include number fluency, place value, the four operations, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio basics, measure, shape, data handling and multi-step word problems.

How to practise well:

mix straightforward arithmetic with reasoning questions;
train careful reading so your child notices units, wording and hidden steps;
use short timed sets to build pace gradually;
review method errors as carefully as wrong answers.

English

For English, build both technical accuracy and thoughtful reading. Children may need to handle vocabulary, comprehension, spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence meaning quickly and accurately on screen.

How to practise well:

read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction;
discuss word meanings and tone;
practise short comprehension tasks with evidence-based answers;
revise core grammar such as word classes, punctuation, verb forms and sentence structure;
keep a vocabulary notebook of unfamiliar words met in reading.

Verbal Reasoning

Verbal Reasoning usually rewards familiarity with common question patterns and strong vocabulary. The exact question mix can vary, so children benefit from practising a broad spread of types rather than memorising one narrow set.

How to practise well:

build vocabulary steadily over time;
practise spotting patterns in words, letter sequences and relationships;
work on speed only after accuracy is reliable;
teach your child to leave a sticky question and return if time allows.

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Non-Verbal Reasoning is often the least familiar area at first, but it becomes much easier once a child has seen enough patterns. Typical practice focuses on shape sequences, rotations, reflections, symmetry, codes and visual comparisons.

How to practise well:

teach one pattern type at a time before mixing them;
encourage your child to describe aloud what is changing from one shape to the next;
use short, regular sessions to build visual speed;
include screen-based practice so the child gets used to scanning diagrams on a monitor.

Across all four subjects, the key habit is this: do not just mark answers right or wrong. Ask why a mistake happened. That is where real progress comes from.

Practice papers and mock exams

Practice papers are most useful when they are part of a sensible routine rather than a constant test. For most children, one timed paper or a set of timed sections each week in the autumn term of Year 6 is enough, provided you review it properly afterwards.

A good routine looks like this:

complete the paper in realistic conditions, preferably on screen where possible;
mark it promptly;
sort mistakes into knowledge gaps, question-type gaps and rushing errors;
revisit those weak spots during the week;
repeat with a fresh paper later, rather than redoing the same one immediately.

Try to avoid over-testing. If a child sits paper after paper without review, scores often plateau and confidence drops. Fewer papers, used carefully, are usually better than many rushed ones.

For this school, these ElevenReady resources are a good place to start:

Free The Queen's School practice papers (one per tested subject, with answers): /schools/the-queens-school-mock-tests
The The Queen's School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates): /schools/the-queens-school
Free email alerts for this school's key dates: /school-alerts?school=the-queens-school

If you use mock exams, choose them for familiarity and stamina rather than drama. A mock is helpful if it lets your child practise timing, concentration and bouncing back from one difficult section. It is not helpful if it leaves her frightened of the real thing.

Nearer the exam, lean a little more towards mixed papers under timed conditions. Earlier on, use topic-based practice to teach methods and build confidence.

On the day

The best exam-day plan is calm and boring. That is a good thing.

Make sure your child gets a normal night’s sleep rather than a late revision session.
Have a steady breakfast she knows suits her.
Leave in plenty of time so the journey does not become the hardest part of the day.
Bring any information or items the school has asked for.
Remind your child that some questions will feel easy and some will not; that is normal.
Encourage her to listen carefully to instructions, especially because the test is computer-based.

What to say to your child matters. Aim for brief reassurance: read carefully, keep moving, and do your best on the question in front of you. Avoid post-paper analysis in the car home if she is tired. Most children do better when they feel the day is manageable, not momentous.

Because the assessment is on screen, it is worth making sure beforehand that your daughter is comfortable reading from a monitor, selecting answers accurately and staying focused without writing everything out on paper.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

As an independent school, The Queen’s School does not follow the state secondary allocation timetable used by local authorities on 1 March. Instead, offers and next steps are handled directly by the school.

The official admissions information we reviewed confirms the assessment and supporting school information, but it does not publish a detailed public timetable for when Year 7 results are issued after the January assessment. For that reason, parents should expect direct communication from the school and should check with admissions for the exact timeline for their daughter’s cohort.

In general, the process after the exam is likely to include:

the school reviews assessment performance;
the school considers reports and the school reference;
families are contacted directly about the outcome;
if offered a place, parents complete the school’s acceptance steps by the deadline given.

If your daughter is unsuccessful, the right next step is to ask the school, politely and promptly, whether any feedback is available and whether there is a waiting list or any later assessment opportunity. Independent schools vary in how they handle this, and we did not find a published formal appeals framework on the admissions page reviewed. That is another reason to rely on direct communication with admissions rather than assumptions based on state-school processes.

What has changed recently

From the official material reviewed for this guide, we found the school publishing its current senior school entrance assessment arrangements and 2027 assessment date, along with associated open events and taster opportunities. We did not find a separately announced recent change to exam board, catchment, places or admissions policy for 2028 entry on the pages reviewed.

For 2028 entry, ElevenReady’s verified information is that the assessment is the school’s own paper in a computer-based format covering Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. If the school publishes updated arrangements for your daughter’s year, use the school’s admissions page as the first source to check.

Frequently asked questions

When is The Queen’s School Year 7 entrance exam?

The school page we reviewed gives Monday 11 January 2027 for the current published cycle. For 2028 entry, the safest assumption is that the assessment is typically in January unless the school publishes a new date.

Is there a catchment area for The Queen’s School?

No. This is an independent school, and ElevenReady’s verified information for this guide is that there is no catchment area.

What subjects are tested for The Queen’s School 11+?

For 2028 entry, ElevenReady’s verified format is Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning in a computer-based assessment.

Does The Queen’s School use GL Assessment?

For 2028 entry, ElevenReady’s verified information is that the school uses its own paper in a format covering Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, delivered on computer. If the school publishes a further breakdown for your child’s year, check the admissions page.

Can you register late for The Queen’s School entrance assessment?

The school says Year 7 candidates can register at any stage before the assessment day in January. It is still wise to contact admissions early so there is time for reports and a school reference.

Do school reports matter for The Queen’s School admissions?

Yes. The school says it requests school reports and a reference from your daughter’s current school alongside the entrance assessment.

📄 Free The Queen's School practice papers Start free and track readiness for The Queen's School 🔔 Email me this school's key dates

Sources

The Queen's School - Entrance Assessments & Examinations: The school runs its own admissions process; Year 7 candidates can register at any stage before the assessment day in January; the published senior school entrance assessment date is Monday 11 January 2027; the school requests school reports and a reference from the current school; the page lists an
The Queen's School - Admissions: The school is an independent girls’ school and admissions are handled directly by the school.
The Queen's School - Home page: The school is in Chester and is a girls’ independent school for ages 3 to 18.

Preparing for other schools in Cheshire West and Chester

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.