How to prepare for the Tiffin School 11+

The exam at a glance

Tiffin School uses GL Assessment for 2028 entry. For families preparing now, that means building secure skills across Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with steady work on timing as well as accuracy.

The test is paper-based. In practice, children need to be comfortable reading instructions carefully, marking answers clearly and moving calmly between different question styles under timed conditions.

Tiffin School’s admissions information explains that boys who register are invited to sit a Stage One test, and that only those with the highest Stage One performance are then invited to Stage Two. Stage Two is therefore an important part of the process, not just an extra practice round.

For parents, the most useful way to picture the day is as a selective, fast-moving assessment rather than a Key Stage 2 paper. Your child will need to:

listen carefully to instructions at the start of each section;
switch confidently between subjects and question types;
work neatly and keep an eye on time;
recover quickly if one section feels harder than expected.

Because the format is broad, the best preparation is balanced practice. It is common for children to have a stronger and weaker area; for Tiffin, that usually means resisting the temptation to focus only on Maths and English and making sure reasoning practice is part of the weekly routine too.

Registration and key dates

Tiffin School says applications to sit the entrance tests are made through its online registration form on the school website. The school’s admissions pages also explain that parents must complete the relevant registration first and then, separately, submit the usual local authority secondary school application by the national deadline in October of Year 6 if they want to be considered for a place.

For the current admissions cycle visible on the school site, registration for the tests opened in June and closed in July, with Stage One taking place in September and Stage Two in October. Tiffin also publishes a separate admissions timetable page for each entry year. For 2028 entry, parents should not assume dates will be identical; instead, use the school timetable page as soon as it is released.

If you are reading this before the 2028 timetable is published, the safest summary is:

registration typically opens in late spring or early summer;
the first test is usually in early autumn of Year 6;
the second stage, for shortlisted candidates, usually follows later in the autumn;
parents still need to complete their local authority preference form by the national deadline.

Documents and details are set out on the school’s own form and guidance each year. Before starting the form, it is sensible to have your child’s personal details ready and to check whether the school asks for any supporting information for particular admissions categories.

Because dates can move from one cohort to the next, parents may want to keep both pages handy: The Tiffin School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates) and Free email alerts for this school's key dates.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

Tiffin School is a super-selective grammar school. It does not operate a strict catchment area in the way some grammar schools do. Instead, places are awarded primarily by performance in the entrance tests, with distance used as a tie-break within the school’s published admissions rules.

The school’s determined admissions arrangements set out the oversubscription criteria and make clear that the admissions process is selective. The grammar school is for boys, and entry to Year 7 is through the published testing and admissions route.

The school publishes a Year 7 admission number in its admissions arrangements. For the arrangements currently available for the relevant recent years, that number is 180 places.

For parents, the practical takeaway is this:

there is no guaranteed local-area priority zone to rely on;
strong test performance matters most;
if candidates are otherwise tied under the admissions rules, distance from home to school can matter;
you should read the school’s full admissions arrangements for the exact order of priority for your child’s entry year.

Tiffin School is heavily oversubscribed, but the school does not publish a simple annual pass mark that families can use as a target. It is better to prepare your child to perform strongly across all four subjects than to chase an unofficial score mentioned on forums or social media.

A month-by-month preparation plan

For a child aiming at the autumn of Year 6 test, the most effective preparation is usually steady and calm across Year 5 and the start of Year 6. This plan assumes a child of broadly suitable academic level and keeps weekly hours realistic.

Month	What to do
January to March of Year 5	Start gently with 2 to 3 hours a week. Focus on core arithmetic, vocabulary, comprehension habits and short reasoning exercises. At this stage, avoid too many full papers. Build method first.
April to May	Increase to 3 to 4 hours a week. Introduce regular work in all four subjects. Begin short timed sections rather than whole tests. Keep an error log so your child can revisit recurring mistakes.
June	Once school registration information is usually appearing, make preparation more structured. Use one longer session at the weekend and two shorter weekday sessions. Start practising answer-sheet discipline and careful checking.
July	Move to 4 hours a week if your child is coping well. Begin mixed practice so your child gets used to switching between Maths, English, VR and NVR. This is a good point to introduce the first full timed paper in each subject area, spaced out over several weeks.
August	This is usually the key consolidation month. Aim for 4 to 5 hours a week, but keep rest days. Use timed papers more regularly, then spend at least as long reviewing them as sitting them. Accuracy under pressure matters more than doing large numbers of papers badly.
September of Year 6	In the run-up to Stage One, keep work sharp and tidy rather than heavy. Do short refreshers, a small number of carefully chosen timed sections and plenty of review. In the final few days, prioritise sleep, routine and confidence.
If invited to Stage Two	Use the period between stages for targeted improvement. Look at where your child lost marks the first time: rushed arithmetic, missing evidence in comprehension, slow code questions, careless NVR rotations. Keep sessions focused and calm.

A simple weekly pattern works well for many families:

one Maths session;
one English session;
one mixed reasoning session covering both VR and NVR;
one short timed or review session at the weekend.

Start full timed papers only when your child already understands the underlying question types. Timed work too early can simply rehearse panic.

Subject by subject: what to practise

Maths

For GL-style selective tests, Maths practice should cover secure number skills first: the four operations, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio basics, averages, place value, measures and straightforward algebraic thinking. Children also need to read word problems carefully and decide what the question is really asking.

Practise short arithmetic bursts, then mixed problem-solving. Encourage your child to spot the efficient route, not just any route. When reviewing, separate method errors from careless slips, because they need different fixes.

English

English preparation should include reading comprehension, vocabulary growth and spelling and grammar awareness. In a selective test, children often lose marks not because the passage is impossible but because they skim too quickly, miss a key word in the question or choose an answer that is plausible rather than precise.

Practise close reading, inference, finding evidence and interpreting tone. Build vocabulary steadily from reading, not just word lists. A child who reads widely and can explain why an answer is correct is usually in a strong position.

Verbal Reasoning

GL verbal reasoning commonly rewards familiarity with recurring question families. These can include codes, letter sequences, number-letter relationships, word links, hidden words, opposites, analogies and vocabulary-based logic. The challenge is usually speed plus accuracy.

Practise one question type at a time until the method feels automatic, then mix them together. Keep a notebook of rules and patterns. Vocabulary matters here too, so regular reading and word work support VR as well as English.

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Non-verbal reasoning tests pattern recognition and visual logic. Children may meet shape sequences, rotations, reflections, similarities and differences, codes based on shape changes, nets and spatial relationships. The key is learning to scan systematically for what changes each time.

Teach your child to check shape, size, position, shading, rotation and number of elements in a fixed order. That reduces random guessing and helps them stay calm if a question looks unfamiliar at first glance.

Across all four subjects, the aim is not to become brilliant at one area and leave the others behind. Tiffin’s published format means balanced practice is the sensible approach.

Practice papers and mock exams

Practice papers are most useful when they are used as a diagnostic tool, not a score-chasing exercise. A good routine is:

do one paper or timed section in proper conditions;
mark it carefully;
sort mistakes into knowledge gaps, question-type confusion, timing issues and careless errors;
redo the missed questions a day or two later.

For Tiffin School families, start with balanced familiarisation across all four subjects and avoid overloading your child with too many full papers too soon.

You can use these ElevenReady resources as part of that plan:

If you choose a mock exam, use it for stamina, routine and feedback rather than as a verdict on your child’s chances. One well-timed mock, followed by thoughtful review, is usually more useful than several taken in quick succession.

On the day

Keep the morning simple. Lay out everything the night before, leave plenty of travel time and avoid last-minute teaching. Most children benefit from a calm breakfast, a normal tone of voice and one or two reassuring reminders rather than a big motivational speech.

Useful reminders for your child:

listen to the invigilator before touching the paper;
read the instructions at the start of each section;
if one question feels difficult, move on and come back if allowed;
mark answers clearly and check you are on the right line;
treat each section as a fresh start.

After the test, try not to conduct a detailed post-mortem in the car or on the train home. Most children remember the questions they found hard and forget the many they answered well. A calm, matter-of-fact finish to the day is usually best.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

Tiffin School’s admissions process has two stages, so the first result parents usually receive is whether their child has done well enough in Stage One to be invited to Stage Two. After Stage Two, the school ranks eligible applicants in line with its published admission arrangements.

Families must still complete their home local authority’s secondary application form by the national deadline in October of Year 6, listing Tiffin School as a preference if they want to be considered. Offers of places are then made through the normal coordinated admissions process on National Offer Day in March.

If a child is not offered a place, parents usually have two possible next steps:

remaining on, or asking about, the waiting list process under the published admissions arrangements;
appealing through the school’s or authority’s formal admissions appeals route.

The school publishes appeals information and deadlines each year. Appeals are not a rerun of the exam; they focus on whether the admission decision should be overturned under the admissions and appeals rules. If you ever need that route, use the school’s own guidance and deadlines rather than forum advice.

What has changed recently

From the official sources reviewed, Tiffin School continues to publish a two-stage selective admissions process for Year 7, with registration through the school and testing in the autumn. We did not find an officially announced change in the last two years to the broad admissions model that would alter the preparation advice above for 2028 entry.

Parents should still check the school’s admissions timetable and determined admissions arrangements for the exact 2028 entry details as soon as they are published, because annual dates and administrative wording can change even when the overall process stays the same.

Frequently asked questions

What exam board does Tiffin School use for 2028 entry?

ElevenReady’s verified information for 2028 entry is GL Assessment, with Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

Is Tiffin School catchment-based?

No. Tiffin is a super-selective grammar school rather than a strict catchment school, with places awarded mainly on test performance and distance used as a tie-break under the admissions rules.

Does Tiffin School have two rounds of testing?

Yes. The school’s admissions information explains that candidates sit Stage One and that only the highest-performing boys are invited to Stage Two.

When do I register for the Tiffin School 11+?

The school’s recent timetable shows registration opening in June and closing in July, but parents applying for 2028 entry should wait for the school’s own timetable page to confirm the exact dates.

How many places are available in Year 7?

The school’s published admissions arrangements for recent entry years state a Year 7 admission number of 180.

Does Tiffin School publish a pass mark?

Not as a simple public pass mark that parents can rely on. Use the school’s admissions arrangements and timetable pages for official information, and be cautious about unofficial score claims online.

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Sources

Tiffin School – Year 7 Admissions: Tiffin School has a Stage One test and only the highest-performing candidates are invited to Stage Two; registration to sit the tests is made through the school’s online registration form; parents must also apply through their local authority if seeking a place.
Tiffin School – Admissions Policies: The school publishes determined admissions arrangements and appeals information on its policies page; this supports the advice to check the published arrangements, waiting list and appeals process for the relevant year.
GOV.UK – Apply for a secondary school place: Secondary school applications are submitted through the home local authority by the national October deadline and offers are made on National Offer Day in March.

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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.