There is no single national 11+ length. How long it takes depends entirely on which test your area uses. As a working rule, most 11+ papers run about 45 to 60 minutes each and most children sit 2 to 4 papers, so total testing time usually lands somewhere between about 1 hour 30 minutes and 2 hours 30 minutes. Some tests are shorter in places (the Kent Test uses two 30-minute sections in Paper 1) and some are fixed and longer (the ISEB Common Pre-Test is 2 hours 15 minutes). Your school or local authority publishes the exact timings each year.
- There is no national 11+ length. The test used in your area decides it.
- Most papers run about 45 to 60 minutes, and most children sit 2 to 4 papers.
- The ISEB Common Pre-Test is fixed at 2 hours 15 minutes across four sections.
- A few schools run a full exam day with several papers, breaks and lunch.
- Build stamina with short timed run-throughs, not marathon sessions.
The short answer
There is no single national 11+ length, because there is no single national 11+. Each area, consortium or school sets its own test, and each sets its own timings. What holds up across almost all of them is the shape: a paper of roughly 45 to 60 minutes, and 2 to 4 papers in total.
So if you want one number to plan around, plan for about 45 to 60 minutes per paper and check how many papers your child sits. Which test applies to you is set by where you live and where you are applying, which our guide to the 11+ exam types maps out in full.
How long each 11+ exam takes, compared
Every timing below comes from that test's own guide on this site. Where a test does not publish a duration we say so rather than guess, because these figures are re-issued each admissions round and do change.
| Exam | Papers | Timing | Typical total |
|---|---|---|---|
| GL Assessment | Separate timed subject papers | About 45 to 60 minutes each | Depends how many papers your school sets |
| ISEB Common Pre-Test | 4 online sections | English 40, Maths 40, NVR 30, VR 25 minutes | 2 hours 15 minutes |
| Kent Test | 2 papers, plus a writing task | Paper 1 is two 30-minute sections; Paper 2 is reasoning (verbal and non-verbal); the 40-minute writing task is not in the main score | Confirm with Kent County Council |
| Medway Test | 3 papers | English 30, Maths 50, Reasoning 45 minutes | 125 minutes |
| Bucks Transfer Test | 2 papers, same day | Roughly 45 to 60 minutes each | About 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours |
| CSSE (Essex) | 2 written papers | Each about an hour | About 2 hours |
| Trafford 11+ | 2 papers, same day with a short break | Each about an hour | About 2 hours plus the break |
| Sutton SET | 2 stage-one papers, then school second-stage papers | Stage one is two papers of around 45 minutes | Stage one about 1 hour 30 minutes; second stage varies by school |
| CEM or Cambridge | Mixed papers bundling several subjects | Varies by area | Confirm with the school |
| FSCE | English, creative writing and maths | Varies by area | Confirm with the school |
Several entries there say "confirm with the school" on purpose. Where a duration is not published in one consistent national form, an invented number is worse than no number, so ask the school or the local authority running your test and use the figure in this year's admissions pack.
Why the number of papers matters more than the paper length
Parents usually ask how long a paper is, but the figure that actually shapes exam day is how many papers your child sits. One 60-minute paper is a short morning. Four papers with breaks is most of one.
The pattern is set by the board. GL keeps each subject in its own paper, so children sit more papers but each is shorter and more predictable. CEM bundles topics together, so there are fewer papers but each runs longer and moves faster. That is one more reason the board your school uses shapes your prep, alongside which subjects appear and what format the papers take.
Could it be a whole day?
Yes, at some schools. A number of selective schools keep children on site for the full day, spreading papers across the morning and afternoon with breaks and lunch built in.
If that is the case, the school will say so in advance and explain the routine. It sounds daunting, but the breaks make it manageable, and it is all part of how the 11+ runs.
There is no negative marking, so a blank always scores zero. Teach your child to move on from a stuck question, then come back if time allows, rather than burning five minutes on one puzzle.
Does paper length affect how the 11+ is marked?
No. However long the paper, your child gets a raw score (the number of questions answered correctly), and that raw score is converted into a standardised score adjusted for their exact age. Schools compare the standardised score, never the raw mark, which is precisely why a 40 out of 50 and a 40 out of 80 can be read side by side. Our full guide to how the 11+ is scored and marked walks through the whole process.
What the timing means for practice
Build exam stamina gradually with short timed sections, not long, draining mocks. Ten focused minutes against the clock teaches pacing without wearing your child out.
Daily habit does the heavy lifting here. A few minutes of timed daily practice, the way Pip builds it into five minutes a day, trains both speed and calm, so the real paper feels familiar rather than frightening.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the 11+?+
There is no single national length. It depends which test your area uses. As a guide, most 11+ papers run about 45 to 60 minutes each and most children sit 2 to 4 papers, so total testing time is commonly between about 1 hour 30 minutes and 2 hours 30 minutes, spread over one or two sittings.
How long are 11+ papers?+
A typical GL Assessment 11+ paper is 45 to 60 minutes. Some tests are shorter: the Kent Test Paper 1 is two 30-minute sections. Some are longer: the CSSE 11+ in Essex and the Trafford 11+ both use papers of about an hour each.
How long is the 11+ exam in total?+
It depends on the test. The ISEB Common Pre-Test totals 2 hours 15 minutes across four sections. The Medway Test totals 125 minutes across three papers. Tests built from two 45 to 60 minute papers total roughly 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours.
How long is the ISEB Common Pre-Test?+
2 hours 15 minutes in total, split into four separately timed sections: English 40 minutes, Mathematics 40 minutes, Non-Verbal Reasoning 30 minutes and Verbal Reasoning 25 minutes. It can be sat in one session with short breaks or split across sittings.
Does the 11+ take a whole day?+
At some schools, yes. Certain schools keep children on site for the whole day, spreading papers across the morning and afternoon with breaks and lunch. The school confirms the routine in advance.
How is the 11+ marked?+
Your child gets a raw score, the number of questions answered correctly, which is then converted into a standardised score adjusted for age. Schools use the standardised score, not the raw mark. Paper length does not change this, because standardisation puts every test on a common scale.
Does a longer 11+ paper mean a harder exam?+
No. Length reflects how many subjects a board packs into each paper, not difficulty. A 60-minute paper covering two subjects is not harder than two 30-minute papers covering the same ground.
How do I find the exact timings for my child's 11+?+
Ask the school or the local authority running the test. Timings are published in the admissions pack each year and can change, so confirm them rather than relying on last year's figures.
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