Just over 6 weeks to go and nerves are starting to set in. 2 mock exams booked during August, and so, so tempted to sign up for booster intensive courses but have decided not to in the end.

Sometimes i find these tutition companies really play on parents insecurities so we feel need to really book these courses for a better chance of exam success.

I really hope the cut off scores this year stays as low as the previous year, and finally I'm so glad it will be my final child taking the 11+

My son had both his mock, just 3 days of a final course at the end of the month and bits to do at home. Not long left

Good luck to your son Proud dad. Just seems like the days are just flying by.

It certainly is going quickly! Our DD has been doing workbooks at home, but it seems to have been going ok, so we’ve not offered her any external tutoring. Her current routine is to do 30 minutes of 10-minute tests (one each of VR, NVR and maths) every weekday morning. We go through what she gets wrong, and one of us has sometimes sat with her while she works through something, to check she’s finding the quickest way (especially in maths).

She did an in-person mock in July, and three practice papers at home, and she seems to have done ok in them, so we’re not inclined to change the current routine. She has another in-person mock later this month, and we have one more practice paper that she can do at home.

She’s our only child, so we’re first and only timers at this. Are we being too complacent? How much is right? Only time will tell...

Good luck to everyone else for the next six weeks!

Just outside sounds like she's doing really well.
It's really hard to gauge where she needs to be because this will be your 1st time going through the 11+ process.

With your support and if she seems up for the challenge in sure she will do very well. she will do very well. Wishing you all the luck!

We have the final Shirley bases mock exam and I'm sure there will be over 900 kids to compare results with.

11 days to go - how are you feeling, @Goodbyekitty and @Proud-Dad and anyone else?

DD has had a few days off (away with grandparents) but will have a paper mock to look forward to at home on Thursday! She was telling relatives at the weekend that she really hopes to get a place, doesn't know whether she'll do quite well enough, but is feeling ok about the exams (she's doing both the Birmingham test on 11th September, and the Walsall test the following weekend). I think her head is in about the right place, so we just need to keep it there

None of us has been to any of the three grammars we're considering (thanks, Covid!) so we're going to drive to them all in a few days' time, park up, walk to the gates and peer in, check out the bus stops, talk about the commutes, then go out for lunch to celebrate getting this far!

My Son is doing the test in Slough on the 11th of September.

We are just working through verbal cards made by cgp. He is very good with maths and Non verbal so just spending the next 10 days on verbal and trying to learn the meaning of as many words as possible and similar words.

He will just give it his best. If he doesn't pass then not to worry because I only found out about grammar schools a couple of years ago and if he did pass then he would be the first in our family. The main thing is knowledge doesn't go away and I feel all these preparations will not go to waste. He has learnt a lot.

Best of luck to everyone.

Eek - only three sleeps until the Birmingham test on 11th, then another week to the Walsall test!

How are they all doing? DD is loving being in Y6, and is coming home happy and also sleeping well because she's tired from adjusting to being back. She doesn't seem nervous at the moment - she's so bubbly about school, and is enjoying the early challenges of Y6 such as maths and spelling tests, and is even hoping the SATs will happen this year. She claims to enjoy tests, chiefly because the classroom is quiet! Let's hope she feels the same way on 11th and 18th

In terms of prep this week, she is doing three 10-minute tests before school each day, and after school today she's going to have a go at the familiarisation papers at https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/content/test which I realised yesterday we hadn't looked at!

Friday morning will be her last prep time before Saturday's test, so she'll do the three 10-minute tests as usual, and that will be it. After school on Friday she is meeting friends for some fresh air, and hopefully she'll have a really good night's sleep.

I also need to give some thought into her food/drink intake on Saturday - she has the afternoon slot, so I'm thinking a light breakfast and a decent early lunch, and a muesli bar (nut-free) to take with her.

We'll review the prep plan for the Walsall test after the Birmingham test, but I expect it'll be three 10-minute tests before school Mon-Fri to keep her ticking along.

Any last-minute tips from anyone that has been through this before?

Hope everyone is staying calm, and looking forward to it all being over very soon!

Just outside, really can't believe it's only 3 more sleeps until the Birmingham exam!
We had our final tuition lesson on Monday evening and DD was very upset about not seeing her tutor again. She really enjoyed these lessons.

We are also just doing 10 min tests now after school and tomorrow we will just go through the familiarisation papers that are online.

Friday will just be a chill out evening after school.

Maybe a movie then to bed early as we have the morning session.

It's great your daughter is feeling chilled out and enjoying being back at school.

All the best to her and everyone else taking the test on Saturday.

The wait for results will be the hardest

Good luck everyone

Just 1 more sleep in Slough