ISEB FAQs

The ISEB Common Pre-Test is an adaptive digital exam taken by students in Year 6 in the autumn term. This test is age-standardised, meaning that results are compared to those of other children of the same age, allowing for a fair comparison of abilities.

The adaptive nature of the test means that as students answer questions, the difficulty adjusts in real-time based on their performance – harder questions appear after correct answers, and easier ones follow incorrect answers. This ensures that the test can more accurately assess a student’s ability by responding to their performance, helping to provide a balanced and tailored evaluation for each student.

The test covers four key areas:

Mathematics: Assessing numerical understanding and problem-solving skills.

English: Evaluating comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation.

Verbal Reasoning: Testing the ability to understand and reason using words.

Non Verbal Reasoning: Assessing the ability to understand and analyse visual information, identifying patterns and relationships.

If occasional place vacancies are available, entry will be based on assessments in English, Mathematics, and Science, as well as an interview with our Head.

Registration for the ISEB Common Pre-Test will open later in the year. In the meantime, we recommend signing up to the official ISEB mailing list to receive updates on preparation resources, support and parent webinars. We will also be in touch directly once the portal opens, provided you have started an application through the SCHS admissions portal 

No, there is no fee for families and registration is free.

The ISEB registration window typically opens in early to mid-June. Families who have already registered with us will be notified as soon as it opens. If you apply to SCHS after the window has opened, you will need to provide your daughter’s ISEB registration code at the point of application. 

The easiest way to provide your daughter’s ISEB code to us is to log into your SCHS Admissions Portal using the link below.

If you registered with us before the ISEB window opened, we will be in touch to request your daughter’s code in the summer term of Year 5.

If you apply after the ISEB registration window has opened, you will need to submit your daughter’s ISEB code at the point of applying to SCHS.  

The Common Pre-Test is taken online, either at your daughter’s own school or at a prospective future school, under exam conditions. It’s designed to be convenient for schools and families, as it can be taken at any point during the assessment period set by the ISEB, usually between October and early January of Year 6.  

When registering for an ISEB account, you will need to choose where your daughter will take the test.

If your daughter can take the ISEB at her current school, she should do so there. However, if she is fully registered for Streatham & Clapham High School and her current school does not offer the ISEB, she may sit the test at our Senior School by selecting us as the invigilation centre. There is no need to contact us before choosing this option.

Alternatively, your daughter can take the ISEB at another school where she is also registered, provided they use the test as part of their admissions process.

The ISEB assessment takes place during the autumn term of Year 6, and all applicants to SCHS must have sat the test by Monday 7 December 2026. If your daughter is sitting the ISEB at her current school or another invigilation centre, please confirm the test date with them directly. 

SCHS will host an on-site assessment on Saturday 5 December 2026 – this is the only date we will administer the test. If you are applying to multiple schools that offer the ISEB, we recommend booking the earliest available date. Due to limited capacity, we will prioritise pupils for whom SCHS is their only ISEB-administering school and who are unable to sit the test elsewhere. 

Please click the link below to visit the Parents’ section of the ISEB website for more details.

Please click the link below to access a practice assessment.

All offers, including academic scholarships, will be based on a holistic admissions review. This review will take into account ISEB results, data from the group observation activity, the creative writing task, and other available information about candidates, such as school reports and references. Every candidate is automatically considered for an academic scholarship, with no need for a separate application.

Applicants with SEND may be eligible for additional time on each test. Guardians should request this through the ISEB Guardian Portal during registration. Before doing so, you must confirm the required documentation – typically an Educational Psychologist’s report – with the senior schools you are applying to. Since SEND policies vary, it is recommended to consult with the SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) at each prospective school. This documentation must be uploaded when submitting the extra time request on the ISEB portal. Senior schools will review the evidence, and if it does not meet their criteria, they may challenge the request as outlined in the ISEB Common Pre-Tests SEND Guidance.

We are unable to provide specific ISEB scores, as there is no set grade or pass mark for the test. However, we can offer verbal feedback on your daughter’s overall performance in our admissions assessments, but only after the acceptance deadline has passed.