For most children, Year 4, around age eight to nine, is the ideal time to start preparing for the 11+, with practice stepping up in Year 5. Starting then gives you room to build skills calmly, a little at a time, rather than cramming in the final months. Year 3 is best kept to light groundwork like reading and number confidence. The exact timing is less important than the habit: regular, gentle practice almost always beats a frantic late push.
- Year 4 (age 8 to 9) is widely seen as the ideal time to start, stepping up in Year 5.
- Year 3 is for light groundwork: reading, vocabulary and number confidence.
- Year 5 is when regular practice papers, timed work and mocks matter most.
- Starting earlier and gently beats cramming, but a focused late start still helps.
When is the best time to start?
Year 4 is the sweet spot for most families. It is early enough to build skills without pressure, yet close enough to the exam that the work stays relevant. By Year 5, that foundation lets you move into focused practice without panic.
The reason early-and-gentle wins is simple. Reasoning skills and vocabulary grow slowly, through repeated exposure, not in a weekend. Spreading the work out protects your child from burnout and keeps their confidence intact for the day that matters.
Year 3: light groundwork
In Year 3, skip formal 11+ practice. This is the year for foundations that make everything later feel easier.
Encourage wide reading, talk about new words, and play with numbers in everyday life. Strong reading habits in particular pay off across English and verbal reasoning, which is why reading matters so much for the 11+.
Year 4: gentle structure
Year 4 is when you can add light, structured practice. Think short puzzles, problem solving and a first look at the styles of question the exam uses.
This is a good moment to learn which subjects the 11+ tests, so practice covers the right ground. Keep sessions brief and positive. A few minutes of daily practice with Pip introduces the question types without it ever feeling like a second school day.
Short, regular sessions build skills that stick and keep stress low. A daily ten or fifteen minutes across the year does far more than long, draining sessions squeezed into the final term.
Year 5 and 6: stepping up
Year 5 is when preparation shifts gear. Regular practice papers, timed exercises and full mock exams help your child build speed, stamina and exam confidence.
This is the right stage to introduce mock exams under realistic conditions. Year 6 then becomes a calmer consolidation phase, since the exam usually falls in the autumn term. The goal by then is steady revision and managing nerves, not learning anything brand new.
What if we are starting late?
Plenty of families begin later than Year 4, and a focused start still works. You simply need to be realistic about time and ruthless about priorities.
Lean on consistency over volume, target the weakest areas first, and keep practice daily so progress compounds. Deciding how much your child should study each week helps you build a plan that fits the time you actually have.