Entrance to Nottingham High School is by examination. The information below relates to the next Entrance Examination, which will be held on the morning of Saturday 24th January 2009 for boys who will have reached the age of 11 by 1st September 2009 (i.e. boys born between 1st September 1997 and 31st August 1998 inclusive).
The examination consists of a Reasoning paper, a Mathematics paper and an English paper. A specimen English paper and a list of topics which may be covered in the Mathematics paper can be found in the attachments at the bottom of this page.
English Paper: (50 Minutes)
The English paper in the 11+ Entrance Examination was modified with effect from January 2006. Instead of the English paper being in two sections (a Comprehension and an Essay) there will be just one section.
Boys are asked to read a short passage, whose purpose will be to stimulate ideas for the questions that follow.
There are five questions, all of which will allow candidates to write from their own experience about topics mentioned in the passage they have read. For instance, if the passage were to describe a holiday memory, then we might well ask our candidates to write about a holiday memory of their own.
The purpose of the English paper is to give candidates the opportunity to reflect on their own experience and to write about it interestingly and imaginatively. We hope that they will find this an approach which will allow them to show us examples of their writing at its best. We even hope that they might enjoy writing in this way.
Before they start writing, they will be reminded of the importance of accuracy and precise expression, but there will be no test of specific knowledge.
Mathematics Paper: (50 minutes)
This contains approximately 25 questions. The first 15 concentrate on arithmetic and the final 10 involve solving problems and questions on shape and space. There will be a few questions towards the end of the exam that are harder than the rest. The mathematical knowledge required is at National Curriculum levels 4-5. A 15cm ruler may prove useful in the shape and space questions.
Reasoning (1 hour)
This test includes Verbal Reasoning and some non Verbal Reasoning using shapes. We regret that we are unable, because of the copyright restrictions imposed by the suppliers of these tests, to provide sample tests. However, it is possible to buy copies of similar test questions from good stationers. It is intended to carry out the Reasoning test using computers, but a paper-based option will also be available, should computer testing not be possible as a result of technical failure.
After the exam:
The examination papers are marked very quickly after the event and it is our normal practice to call approximately one-hundred boys for interview. Whilst this process is time-consuming we feel that it is vital because we know that each boy is far more than just an ‘examination mark’. We have about seventy places available for outside candidates but, although we always have a large number of candidates, we do not feel we can offer a meaningful interview to more than a hundred. We do not interview Junior School candidates as we have a very close knowledge of them via our staff. After the interviews have been held, our final selection for part-scholarships, bursaries and fee-playing places can be made.
Interviews normally take fifteen minutes, with the boy seeing the Senior Master and the Head of Year 7, and parents seeing the Headmaster. Boys and parents are welcome to join a tour of the School on the day of the interview.
