11 Plus Exams Forum

I just wondered how much the selective schools rely on the interviews when deciding whether or not to offer a place. For example City of London rank the papers and the top 200 get interviews. Does this mean that if you are 198-200 although you'd get an interview your chance of a place would be slim? Do you think that the decision may have already been made in some ways based on exam performance? Unless of course someone higher in ranking didn't do as well at interview as expected and so the places would alter slightly.

MCLC wrote:For example City of London rank the papers and the top 200 get interviews. Does this mean that if you are 198-200 although you'd get an interview your chance of a place would be slim?

I can't comment on how City of London do things, but from what I know, a lot of indie schools use interviews to pick out those who show potential (even if they didn't do that well in the test) and avoid offering places to those candidates who may have done well thanks to intensive tutoring but - on the evidence of the interview - do not show much promise of further development. This is why in many interviews DCs are asked seemingly irrelevant questions, just to test their ability to think on their feet and solve problems.

It is a very interesting question that I always wondered about. I suspect that the interviews will indeed have a significant weightage at a school like CLSG where the interviews were largely academic. NLCS and G&L interviews focussed on both academic and personality aspects of the candidates. I understand some other schools largely focussed on personality aspects.

I think it would probably be difficult for those in the range of 190-200 to step up into the shortlist if the interviews were non-academic. Having said that, schools would probably be looking for those students that fit better with the school ethos and weed out those candidates who are over tutored.


All the best to you and your DS at CLS!

Thanks both for your comments. It is definitely an interesting one.

MCLC wrote:Does this mean that if you are 198-200 although you'd get an interview your chance of a place would be slim

Most people do not understand the purpose of interviews.

As shootmedown has stated on a previous thread stated the clock is set on zero.

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All 200 have met the required academic standard-generally a line drawn at this point all are equal at this point (even scholarship candidates)-everyone now competes again from the start.

Is it typical for the HT to try to promote the school in the interview? Is an interview ever a sales pitch in disguise?

kanye wrote:Is it typical for the HT to try to promote the school in the interview? Is an interview ever a sales pitch in disguise?

My only experience of an indie interview being my own getting on for 45 years ago, I would only comment that given that a child who has made it to that stage at one school will probably also have interviews at at least one other, it would be a very arrogant HT who didn't at least try to make it a bit of a two-way process. Although a recent post about a member's DS's experience at Habs might indicate that isn't necessarily how they all think.

So interesting and odd. I was really surprised with DD2 to find myself being interviewed at some schools. I was even asked point blank if, given DD's excellent Consortium score, we would take a place if offered. At NLCS, the Head comes to say hello to each group but doesn't speak to parents individually. This is to make it very clear that they are looking at your DD, not you. They don't care what you wear, how you speak etc. There are staff and current parents on hand to answer questions but no one's marking parents.

Eton certainly give it some importance,its a chance to see whether the boy will make the most of all that the school has to offer,they are very clear they dont just want "faces in front of a screen",if thats all you have to offer then other schools will be far more suitable

I do think top scorers can miss out on an offer if they appear disinterested at interview or in taster lessons, I know a parent who was told this was the case with her DC. This is a school's chance to look at the child and work out who will fit and really wants to come. Obviously if you score highly it's yours to lose, but lower scorers might really impress the school on the day with their enthusiasm and willingness to learn.
I was only interviewed at one school (the one DD now attends) and yes shootmenow we were asked that question, but I think they sometimes worry they are wasting an offer on a high consortium scorer who has also applied to schools considered more academic then they are, they were our first choice for many reasons so we were able to make that clear. I certainly did not feel I was being judged, there are all sorts of parents at the school, it was a two way discussion about our DD and which school would suit her.