The Blog
Practical advice for parents navigating the 11+ and entrance-exam journey — one honest post at a time.
Spatial reasoning & nets of cubes: the hardest NVR topics
Nets of cubes and spatial reasoning are the topics children find hardest. A step-by-step method to crack them, plus how to practise at home.
Read article →11+ mock exams: how many, when, and how to use them
How many mocks your child really needs, when to sit them, and how to turn the results into a plan that actually helps.
Read article →11+ exam day: a calm plan for the morning of the test
The week before and the morning itself — what to pack, easing nerves, and helping an anxious child walk in ready.
Read article →The 11+ timeline: a calm, month-by-month plan
When to start, registration deadlines, mocks and the final week — the stage-by-stage 11+ timeline I actually use with families.
Read article →How to prepare for CAT4 (and what to skip)
You can't cram CAT4, but you can stop a capable child underperforming. What genuinely helps, and what to avoid.
Read article →Reading: your child's secret weapon for the 11+
Reading is the highest-return 11+ prep there is. What to read, how to build the habit, and why it lifts maths too.
Read article →Non-verbal reasoning for the 11+: a straight-talking guide
Odd-one-out, matrices, rotations and codes — a clear walk through every 11+ non-verbal reasoning question type.
Read article →11+ maths: what's really tested, and how to prepare
The topics that carry the most marks, the traps that cost them, and how to build methods that stick under time pressure.
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