Kent Test- Number of questions asked?

[salsa]

The maths slowed down again in 2015. Not exactly sure whether it was 25 questions in 25 or 30 minutes.

Unless the questions were harder in 2015, I would think it was 25 questions in 25 minutes.

We know they had 25 questions and IF the familiarisation booklet for 2015 says the same as this year's it would be:
30 minutes, 5 practice and 25 test. So, 1 minute per question. This looks in line with the GL practice papers, but of course we don't know if the questions were harder.

(I don't have the 2015 familiarisation booklet)

[Mehere]

In 2015 it was 25 maths questions in 30 mins i.e. 5 questions less that in 2014 but the same time allowed.

Edited to clarify - the 30 mins includes the practice time so really it is 25 questions in 25 mins.

[PettswoodFiona]

I would add that some of those single questions have multiple parts to them (or so DD remembers but some of her tests she did last year may have merged into other test memories) so it seems like a lot more.

[salsa]

In 2015 it was 25 maths questions in 30 mins i.e. 5 questions less that in 2014 but the same time allowed.

Edited to clarify - the 30 mins includes the practice time so really it is 25 questions in 25 mins.

Thank you.

These timings seem to be in keeping with the GL practice papers. However, there were comments last year that many children didn't finish the test which may suggest that the questions may have been more challenging than the practice ones.

[jayzee1]

Any 2015 takers do they remember roughly what was in maths paper?

Thanks

[northkentparent]

Any 2015 takers do they remember roughly what was in maths paper?

Thanks

My daughter took the Kent test in 2014 and son in 2015.
Given that the Kent Test was put together by GL we used (almost exclusively) the GL sample papers (8 sample maths papers in all) to practise during the summer holiday.
The feedback I received tells me that the maths test in 2014 was trickier than in 2015. Indeed from feedback a lot were not able to finish the paper in 2014 meaning that for a child aged 10years and 1month old on the day of the exam the pass mark was only 11/30! There were fewer questions to complete in the 2015 paper and the pass mark (in percentage terms) nudged up a little too.

Whether it means anything- in 2014 my daughter's GL sample paper average results were a little higher than her 11+ percentage score. Conversely, in 2015 (in a paper which I suspect was easier) my son's GL sample paper average results were significantly lower than the percentage he managed in the 11+ exam.

If interested, I can PM you the GL and 11+ breakdown over these past two years

[salsa]

That's very interesting. Thank you. Apart from the GL papers, did you use any other materials which were similar? Especially now that the GL papers are for a longer test, I'm looking for something which is half the duration. I know we can do half the paper, but I suspect the English comprehension would have had to be a shorter text to enable the children to complete it in 25 minutes including the other sections.

Thanks.

[northkentparent]

That's very interesting. Thank you. Apart from the GL papers, did you use any other materials which were similar? Especially now that the GL papers are for a longer test, I'm looking for something which is half the duration. I know we can do half the paper, but I suspect the English comprehension would have had to be a shorter text to enable the children to complete it in 25 minutes including the other sections.

Thanks.

From my children's feedback the GL Assessment sample papers were similar to the general structure of the 11+ in 2014 and 2015- and I used these sample papers pretty much exclusively.
For example in the NVR questions there was a familiar feel to the questions in the Kent Test. <This was feedback from my daughter after the exam so treat it cautiously> So in 2014 the three NVR sections had a section similar to : "Code" questions (see section 3 in sample Test 7), "most alike" questions (2 shapes on the left hand side and then choose the shape the same- see section 4 in sample test 6) and a section where the questions were similar to section 3 in sample test 5).

With reference to timings- yes, the GL sample papers are about twice as long as the 11+ papers (maths was only 25 questions in 2015). However, given that the Maths and English were pretty much back to back in the Kent Test, I didn't see too much harm in getting them to sit these longer papers and get them used to concentrating for this extended period of time(which they practiced under test conditions). The whole thing for me was to try and instil confidence in them- and get them familiar with the exam process.

[jayzee1]

Any 2015 takers do they remember roughly what was in maths paper?

Thanks

My daughter took the Kent test in 2014 and son in 2015.
Given that the Kent Test was put together by GL we used (almost exclusively) the GL sample papers (8 sample maths papers in all) to practise during the summer holiday.
The feedback I received tells me that the maths test in 2014 was trickier than in 2015. Indeed from feedback a lot were not able to finish the paper in 2014 meaning that for a child aged 10years and 1month old on the day of the exam the pass mark was only 11/30! There were fewer questions to complete in the 2015 paper and the pass mark (in percentage terms) nudged up a little too.

Whether it means anything- in 2014 my daughter's GL sample paper average results were a little higher than her 11+ percentage score. Conversely, in 2015 (in a paper which I suspect was easier) my son's GL sample paper average results were significantly lower than the percentage he managed in the 11+ exam.

If interested, I can PM you the GL and 11+ breakdown over these past two years

Hello yes many thanks please do..greatly appreciated