Is there really any hope?!!!

[mum23*]

I agree with Katel, it sounds too much rather than not enough and the other regime you mentioned is insane (and probably not true...9-5 at weekends???!!!) Most people I know do 1-2 hours per WEEK not day and maybe daily papers nearer the test time. Yoyo has put some great games links on this site, we have really enjoyed them. Try those for a bit of fun and there is a VR app for the ipod/pad too. Keep going and have a back up plan but don't let this preparation take over. Find out your DS CAT scores if you can- they could be a good indication of 11+ ability. Ask the teacher for them (should have taken them in year 5). Good luck to you and I know it's hard not to feel stressed about it.

[Luna]

Hi Precious. I also agree that he might be working too much. My son does 1 hour tutoring a week, another hour he does his homework received from the tutor and we practice for about another hour split into two days. Our rule is Fridays off to play outside with his friends and weekends are free to spend time as a family. I am not going to let this affecting our family in a bad way.

Once the holiday starts we will increase the volume of work also by doing more timed papers.

Another thing I noticed is that yes, boys are more immature in general ( not all of course) but I hear of girls sitting down practicing for hours or asking themselves to practice. If I would let my DS to his own will he will never do any work. Remember that boys are not sitting learners so maybe a bit of nature practice (games and practising maths in nature for example) sounds more attractive.

[new2me]

Just been through this journey with my DS to get him into Parmiters. He did a 10 minute paper on weekdays and one full paper at the weekends. I encouraged him to check for silly mistakes in his maths papers by offering him £1 a paper for no silly mistakes and 20p off for each one. This trained him to check his answers and cut down on the silly mistakes although there would always be one or two.

I found that one he was up to speed on question techniques, extra practice made no difference to his scores. He would always lose a couple of marks in maths to silly mistakes and a few marks in VR due to vocabulary. I scoured VR papers for unfamiliar/ outdated vocabulary and got him to do a handful of those type of questions each night.

He was never stressed out, didn't object to this amount of work, and sailed through the exam, confident he'd been fully prepared.

Good luck with your journey.

[ReplayMum]

Hi there,
I may sound silly here, but can anyone please advise me what does CAT stand for?

[scary mum]

Cognitive Ability Tests - lots of threads about them if you search

[mitasol]

CATs are Cognitive Ability Tests. You can find more information in the following links
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... cation#b28" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://shop.gl-assessment.co.uk/home.php?cat=310" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... mit=Search

[mum1972]

Well, we are also going for this and I sometimes feel the same way. The things that have been the most helpful to us are the tutor (who mainly uses the bond tests, plus does endless practice tests) plus also Kumon maths. In fact, I think the Kumon has been way more helpful than the tutor really.

So with that combination (Bond VR tests) and the Kumon I feel that I have done my best. I'm not prepared to put my child through 35 hours a week of extra work. The Kumon takes 20 minutes a day, sometimes 30 and the homework from the tutor another 30ish. I think that's enough.