If your child is heading towards an independent senior school via the prep school route, the Common Entrance exam — usually taken at 13+ — is likely to feature in your plans. It has a long history and a slightly confusing reputation, partly because the way schools use it has shifted considerably in recent years.
This guide explains what Common Entrance actually is, when and how it's sat, which schools still rely on it, how the landscape is changing, and how to support your child without piling on pressure.
What Common Entrance is
Common Entrance is a set of examinations used by many independent senior schools as part of their admissions process. It exists in two main forms: 11+ Common Entrance, sat in Year 6 for entry at 11, and the better-known 13+ Common Entrance, sat in Year 8 for entry at 13.
The key thing to understand is that Common Entrance is a shared exam framework — a common set of papers that pupils at different prep schools sit, allowing senior schools to assess applicants against a consistent standard. It is administered through an established examinations board for independent schools, and the papers are marked by the senior school the child is applying to, against that school's own pass standard.
In practice, this means two children sitting the same papers might be judged against different thresholds depending on which senior schools they're aiming for.
When it happens
The 13+ exams are typically sat in the summer term of Year 8, with results feeding into a place that has, in many cases, already been provisionally offered earlier. The 11+ version is sat in Year 6.
The timeline often looks like this:
- Years 5–6: Many senior schools now register and pre-assess children well before Common Entrance, often through a pre-test (more on this below).
- Provisional offer: A senior school may make a conditional offer subject to a satisfactory Common Entrance performance.
- Year 8 summer term: The child sits the 13+ papers at their prep school.
- Confirmation: The senior school confirms the place, usually provided the child meets the agreed standard.
This sequencing matters: by the time many children sit Common Entrance, the high-stakes selection has often already happened at pre-test.
What's on the papers
The 13+ assessment covers a broad academic range. The core subjects are English, mathematics and science, with most candidates also examined in a modern foreign language (commonly French), and many sitting humanities papers such as history, geography and religious studies. Latin and other classical or additional languages are options at some schools.
Maths and some subjects are often offered at more than one level or tier, so a child is entered at the level that suits their ability.
Broadly, the papers test:
- Core literacy and numeracy to a good standard for the age.
- Subject knowledge built up across the prep school curriculum.
- Written communication — the ability to structure an answer, not just recall facts.
- Application — using knowledge to solve problems rather than reciting it.
Prep schools that prepare children for Common Entrance generally shape their Year 7 and 8 curriculum around it, so a well-prepared prep pupil should find the content familiar.
The big shift: pre-tests and school-set exams
The most important thing for parents to grasp is that Common Entrance is no longer the universal gateway it once was. The admissions landscape has changed in two significant ways.
Pre-testing at 10 or 11
Many of the most sought-after senior schools now use pre-tests taken in Year 6 or Year 7 — often computer-based, covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning, English and maths. These pre-tests are increasingly where the real selection happens, with Common Entrance later serving more as a confirmation that a child has kept up the required standard.
For competitive schools, this means the decisive assessment can come two or three years before Common Entrance itself.
Schools moving away from Common Entrance
A number of senior schools — including some prominent ones — have stepped back from 13+ Common Entrance altogether, replacing it with their own bespoke assessments, interviews and reports from the current school. Their reasons vary, but a common theme is wanting an admissions process less geared towards intensive exam preparation and more towards a child's genuine potential.
The practical implication: you must check the specific entry requirements of each senior school you're targeting. Two schools your child might apply to could have entirely different routes — one via pre-test and Common Entrance, another via its own exam and interview with no Common Entrance at all.
Which schools still use it
Common Entrance remains widely used, particularly by traditional boarding and day schools that draw heavily from the prep school sector. Many well-established independent senior schools continue to rely on it, especially for 13+ entry, and it remains central to how a large number of prep schools structure their final years.
The safest assumption is that some of your shortlist will use it and some won't. When you research schools, treat the admissions route as a key comparison point, not an afterthought. You can browse and shortlist senior schools through our explore tool and check each one's stated entry process.
How to support your child
Common Entrance can feel daunting, but the children who cope best tend to be well-prepared steadily rather than crammed at the last minute. A measured approach:
- Lean on the prep school. A good prep school knows the Common Entrance system intimately and will have a clear plan. Stay in close contact with staff and trust their pacing.
- Understand the actual target. Find out which senior schools your child is aiming for, what standard they require, and whether a pre-test will matter more than Common Entrance itself. Prepare for the assessment that actually decides the place.
- Build consistent habits, not crash courses. Regular reading, steady practice and good study routines over Years 7 and 8 beat frantic last-term revision.
- Keep perspective on results. A provisional offer plus a sensible Common Entrance performance is the goal — not a perfect score. Anxiety rarely improves outcomes.
- Watch the wellbeing. Long preparation runs can wear children down. Protect downtime, sport and sleep; a rested child performs better than an exhausted one.
Avoid over-coaching
There's a fine line between sensible preparation and over-coaching. Excessive tutoring can get a child into a school that turns out to be the wrong fit, leaving them struggling once the support falls away. The aim is to help your child show their genuine ability, in a school where they'll thrive on their own merits.
Common questions
Is Common Entrance harder than the 11-plus? They test different things. The 11-plus is a reasoning-heavy state grammar test; Common Entrance is a broader, curriculum-based independent school assessment. Difficulty depends on the child and the standard required.
What if my child isn't at a prep school? Children can sit Common Entrance from other settings, but preparation outside the prep system requires more planning. Talk to your target senior schools early about what they expect.
Does a great Common Entrance score guarantee a place? Not on its own — especially where a pre-test, interview and school reference carry significant weight. It's one part of a wider picture.
The bottom line
Common Entrance remains an important route into many independent senior schools, but it sits within an admissions system that has grown more varied and that often front-loads the real selection into earlier pre-tests. The single most useful thing you can do is research the exact entry requirements of each school on your shortlist, prepare your child steadily, and keep the process humane.
Next steps: Read our senior school guide for the wider admissions picture, or compare schools to see how their entry routes and results differ.