Mock Exams

[walsallmum]

Hi all just wondering whether any parents had bad experiences during mocks but their DC still got in.
My daughter has done two now and seems to freeze out on the day!
stressed is an understantement

[MamaBear]

My ds1 did 2 mocks prior to his Bucks 11 plus and he came out looking so awful, didn't touch his snacks and was convinced that he had failed. We had to really boost him up but in a way it was good because he was more motivated to study harder. Happy ending: he passed

[walsallmum]

hi mamabear

how did he do in the mocks compared to the real thing though?

[Wolves mum]

my DS did a mock and certainly wasn't the top scorer and it made me quite nervous, however when he passed his 11 plus (with a solid score), I found out he'd actually scored higher than any other child that had sat the mock!

I wanted him to do the mock to experience sitting in a strange room with lots of other children, rather than to test his ability if that makes sense.

I did tell him on the exam day not to worry about any other children if the room, if they are crying, vomiting whatever he is to totally ignore them and carry on with his test. I explained that the teachers would sort out the other children without him getting involved.

I also got him to sit the practise papers at home in different rooms and sometimes in a quiet environment and sometimes with lots going on so that he could practise switching off to distractions.

HTH

[MamaBear]

In one mock he did quite well, it showed his weaknesses and we worked on it, however the other mock that was closest to his exam was awful. They even gave him a sad face as opposed to a smiley face and the questions were so hard. Now I know it was a complete waste of money as it was nothing like the CEM.

He gained a really good mark on his exam I was worried if he only scraped through maybe he would not be suited to a grammar.

ds2 is taking the exam this year and we've made sure he sits the cem multiple choice style exam. He panics more than ds1 so we have to constantly boost him up.

Sometimes I really feel like a cheerleader with pom poms saying come on you can do it- exhausting!

Good luck to your dd, I'm sure she will do really well in spite of her nerves.

[HappyRobot]

I don't think you need to get 80s or 90s % to gain a place. My ds did mocks and he got in his 60s and 70s in terms of percentage.

He got offers from Warks and Brum.

[walsallmum]

hi happy robot my dd is still only on the 55% mark which worrys me

[FunkyMonkey]

Hi All. Our DS had real difficulties with weeks to go with certain areas, e.g. Comprehension, algebra, coordinates, symmetry, and some others to a lesser extent.

We kept him ticking over on what he was good at, even not practicing those elements for a few weeks, and helped him actively to understand the concepts where he needed help.

He got a 361 score in the Shropshire Walsall Wolverhampton test in the end, so rapid improvement is possible in last few weeks, let alone months.

But, please, praise them and reward them, as the school is probably pushing them in SATs too so they probably wondering what it is all for!

The sats helps them to tick over in core areas, so good opportunity to focus on their 11 plus weaknesses.

[walsallmum]

thanks for that funky monkey - its encouraging

my dd is doing ok not brilliant but ok.
i can see a bit more fire in her belly now which is a good sign .

she has another mock next week so fingers crossed for more than 55%!

[HappyRobot]

Most of the mock exam firms will give you a detailed report for a £10 where they will delve deeper into areas for improvement and also they offer sessions in the holidays.

I think there is a cut off time to get these reports though.

It may be worth getting a report to see where you need to concentrate.