11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi

I am hoping someone on here can clarify the standardised scores as my DD scored 225 in a recent mock test, however having read some old threads on there it seems the pass marks were in the region of 400 and the lowest is 246 - how come the marks DD got in her mock are so wildly out of the actual scores from previous exams.
Thanks

Were the mocks standardised? If so, do you know how? Scores are standardised for the cohort taking the test, so it’s how everyone else does in comparison to your child that makes a diffrence.

OP: Isn't 280 max this time?

In any exam the average standardised score will be 100. It sounds like the result you have is the total score based on two papers...is that correct?
In the Surrey exams that use the Selective eligibility test, the final score is the sum of THREE standardised scores (SET, second stage maths and second stage English).

**edited to say that this is how it works for the girls’ schools anyway.

It's worth noting as well that there are only 2 year groups who have used the new joint SET style 11+ for Sutton schools - the current year 8 did the old style test that had much higher final scores (for WHSG at least).

For admittance this September, the email we had said the highest score awarded was 402 (so average of 134 per test), and the lowest mark considered selective was 246 (so average of 84 per test).

Another thing to consider is the fact that the final scores for Sutton are standardised according to the cohort who got through to the second stage. It is therefore more difficult to achieve any given standardised score than it would be with an unselected cohort (because overall standard will be higher). It's thus really difficult to make a meaningful comparison.

It just occurred to me - when DD did the mocks last summer, I'm sure the email/results had a score which the organisers would consider showed (the potential to be...) selective ability? That score seemed fairly accurate looking at those I know who got through to grammar schools to start in September.

Did you not get that information this year?

The results email from the first round did indicate what they thought a selective score would be. However, it's not completely clear how this is calculated. I suspect it is the score that relates to around the top 30% or so of the cohort who sat the test, as this is the rough percentage of children who sit the SET and are eventually deemed selective. However, the cohort sitting the mock is not the same as the cohort sitting the SET, so the level needed to be in the top 30% would be different.

The mocks are useful for lots of things (particularly having a practice in test conditions) but every year there are children who don't perform brilliantly in the mock but go on to get a place at their preferred school.

One thing I will point out about these Mock tests is that parents should not take the results as an absolute indication of their child's performance.

Most of these children from Y5 in primary school have never been in a formal exam setting as such a lot of them would have been very fazed/stressed by the environment

I know my DS said he was so nervous his 'right arm was about to drop off!'