11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi

Our DD is preparing for Kendrick 11+ exam scheduled for Oct/Nov 2009. She is has been going through Susan Daughtrey's VR books, Susan Daughtrey's VR Tests (Bright Sparks), IPS VR Tests, Bond, NFER Tests etc. She has also been going through various NVR tests as well. However, most of these are Multiple Choice format whereas Kendrick exam is Standard format. Are there any other sets of Test that we should be going through with her that have different set of questions which are more applicable to Kendrick?

Any advise would be appreciated.

Many thanks

Hi, My DS is currently preparing (slowly and very reluctantly) for the Reading exam this November and My DD will be sitting Kendrick exam the following year. Although I haven't started giving Kendrick much thought yet, I have read quite a few old posts on the exams and I think the VR preparation you are doing looks about right. Standard VR exams are quite a different thing from Multiple choice as there is obviously far greater scope in the type of questions that can be set,(for example the anagram and crossword type questions), but if your DD has worked through the Susan Daughtrey Practices and Exercises Books 1-4 she should be familiar with all the types that are likely to come up. The practice that she has done on the Multiple choice papers won't be wasted I'm sure: if anything the questions that are common to both Multiple choice and Standard are slightly tougher in Multiple choice as you are expected to make use the answer sheet to help you, particularly with speed. If your DD is practising them without the answer sheet and doing well on the timing then it must be a good sign!

As far as the Nfer papers are concerned, I have read that the Kendrick paper is more like the "old Nfer" papers than the current ones on sale but I have no idea how you would go about getting hold of copies of those. I had a quick look at the Learning Together website and it seems that their VR books are a Standard format as well and may be useful for extra practice.

I'm afraid I have no idea about the NVR materials yet as we are only just starting to think about it now.

Good luck

CN

hi there, i cannot offer any advice i am afraid, but, it is nice to find someone else who is working towards Kendrick, my DD to is studying towards the entrance exam this year.

we are using the NFER recommended papers and also some Athey educational ones, which were very similar. as well as some online NVR tests which are more like games, to try to make it a bit more "fun"!
my DD does very well with VR ( usually 97%) but,not so well the NVR so, we are still working on those!

I have struggled with wanting her to be as prepared as possible, but without pushing her to much, it is difficult to know sometimes how much preperation work to do, i find.

Haven't tried the Susan Daughtrey books although have heard they are very good.

good luck to your DD

My daughter took and passed the Kendrick exam last year. She did about a month of practice papers (3-4 per week VR and NVR) and predominately used NFER. After the test, she said the NFER tests were most similar to the actual test . . . can't speak for this year's test though.

Best of luck.

N

Thanks everyone for the re-assurance. Our DD sat in Slough Grammar and Nonsuch. She scored 131 (out of 141) for Slough and 261 (out of 280) for NonSuch. So I hope she continues that form until end Nov as our 1st preference is Kendrick.

elevenp_parent wrote:Thanks everyone for the re-assurance. Our DD sat in Slough Grammar and Nonsuch. She scored 131 (out of 141) for Slough and 261 (out of 280) for NonSuch. So I hope she continues that form until end Nov as our 1st preference is Kendrick.

Congratulations and well done, looks like your DD is on track for a good shot at Kendrick.

And if you get your first choice you will release two places at other schools

It is very easy to panic when you see 500 kids chasing 100 places but as your post shows there is some "horse trading" before 1st March, and IIRC Kendrick waiting list moved about twenty places in a few weeks after 1st March earlier this year

Looking forward to your good news and helpful feedback, as we crawl towards the exams, Reading 2010 and Kendrick 2012.


steve

I like that image of LEAs trading horses rather than exchanging information.

Hi there,
DD is going through the Bond NVR papers that have Net/Cube type questions. Does anyone know if Kendrick exam has these types of questions? Most of the discussion on the forum says that NFER papers do not include these questions but just wanted opinion from other parents.

Many thanks

elevenp_parent wrote:DD is going through the Bond NVR papers that have Net/Cube type questions. Does anyone know if Kendrick exam has these types of questions?

Sorry I do not know. Kendrick format has been,

was 4 sections of questions, each to be answered in 10 minutes. There were 3 sections of 19 questions and 1 section of 18 questions, making a total of 75 questions. Therefore, 75 questions in 40 minutes.

The Bond How to do NVR book gives a link to their web site where you can download all the nets. We spent a happy afternoon cutting them out and playing with them. It was a good exercise in 3D spatial awareness.

steve

Hi EPP

I can confirm that there were no net/cubes in the Kendrick exam last year. My DD was not a big fan of them so I remember asking her particularly whether there were any.

Hope this helps.


ks

Thanks ks and stevew61.