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If you have a child in Year 4 or Year 5, planning to sit the Kent Test, it is worth investing in some practice books. Even students with tutors will benefit from dipping into practice books between sessions. But it is, admittedly, a minefield when it comes to looking for the right books for your particular tests! There are so many available! Here are my recommendations.
One thing you may notice when you search for 11+ practice books is that some will say on the cover, “For GL Tests”, some will say, “For CEM tests” and some will say, “For GL and CEM tests”.
The Kent Test is written by GL, so as a tutor, I recommend books that are specifically for GL tests. The style of questions can be very different in CEM tests (CEM is the other main 11+ test provider). GL tests tend to follow a consistent format of separate tests for English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning. The questions in GL tests have consistently been multiple choice format, which often requires its own set of critical thinking skills. Other 11+ tests may require written answers, more like those found in normal school curriculum tests. While other practice books are still useful for developing understanding, they aren’t so good at mimicking the style of the Kent Test.
All book links on this page are affiliate (advertisement) links for the books that I recommend. Please note, if you buy via the links on this page, you pay the normal price on Amazon (which is often cheaper than buying direct from CGP), but I also receive a little bit back from Amazon, for sharing the link.
The books I recommend for home practice, are the CGP 11+ Practice Books with Assessment Tests – Ages 9-10. Below, I have explained why these are my preferred books.
There is a bundle of all 4 books here:
11+ GL Ages 9-10 Practice Book and Assessment Tests Bundle
If purchasing the books separately, the links are:
11+ GL English Practice Book with Assessment Tests – Ages 9-10
11+ GL Maths Practice Book with Assessment Tests – Ages 9-10
11+ GL Verbal Reasoning Practice Book with Assessment Tests – Ages 9-10
11+ GL Non-Verbal Reasoning Practice Book with Assessment Tests – Ages 9-10
Why do I recommend these particular books?
The first half of each book is filled with practice exercises that are grouped by topic (they call these “themed practice” pages). In English and Maths, this is ideal for learning and revising the content of the curriculum, which students need to have a really secure grasp of. For Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, it is perfect for learning the skills needed, which aren’t explicitly taught in school. The Non-Verbal Reasoning book also covers Spatial Reasoning.
If your child is working with a tutor, the tutor can guide you on which sections it would be wise to complete at different times, to complement or reinforce the content they’ve covered. If you are supporting your child without using a tutor, you can work together through the pages in the first half of the book, to make sure they understand it all. These themed practice pages are not GL-exam-style questions, but they are a very good way of making sure that your child has all the subject knowledge they need.
The second half of each book is filled with GL-exam-style practice tests, which are very useful for children who have completed all of the themed practice pages, to help them get used to the multiple choice style. They follow the format of previous Kent Tests quite closely, although they are longer (40 minutes) than those used in the Kent Test (25 minutes), but I have found that this seems to be true of most 11+ practice books. I am always searching for new books that have 25 minute tests!
The more recent editions also have downloadable student answer sheets, accessed with a QR code on each test. This is particularly useful for helping students get used to the format of the answer sheet and how to input their answers.
The other useful thing about these books is that they have explained answers in the back.
Later on…
If your child finishes these books, you could get the next level up. These are labelled Ages 10-11, and are harder. I would recommend aiming to moving onto the 10-11 books during the second half of Year 5, only if your child finishes the 9-10 books.
For the 10-11 books, there is a bundle of the 4 books here:
11+ GL Ages 10-11 Practice Book and Assessment Tests Bundle
If purchasing separately, the links for the 10-11 books are:
11+ GL English Practice Book with Assessment Tests – Ages 10-11
11+ GL Maths Practice Book with Assessment Tests – Ages 10-11
11+ GL Verbal Reasoning Practice Book with Assessment Tests – Ages 10-11
11+ GL Non-Verbal Reasoning Practice Book with Assessment Tests – Ages 10-11
Many people also find that towards the end of Year 5, it is helpful to use more timed practice tests. For this, I recommend the “10-Minute Tests” range, which can be ordered here:
11+ GL Ages 9-10: 10-Minute Tests Bundle for English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning
and the Spatial reasoning is in a separate book here:
11+ GL Ages 9-10: 10-Minute Tests Spatial Reasoning
If you are considering using a tutor to help your child prepare for the Kent Test, please see details of my Tutoring Service, and contact me to enquire about availability. You are also welcome to send me a message through my Facebook page.
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