11 Plus Exams Forum

Why pay a tutor when most gs are moving to CEM testing which is supposed to be tutor proof?

Depends on the teaching in your primary school. But you can DIY too, which is the point of this forum anyway!

This forum good whichever way you go, DIY or paying for a tutor. We found that the tutor just helped them to get into the groove of the test, for example the non verbal shapes etc, teaching them strategies and so on, and then for practice. Many people do this happily themselves and it is indeed possible. For us, that half hour per week saved fightng and tears with mummy teaching them, it was all very emotionally charged if I did it, they don't have a 'its teacher I mustn't complain' button with us! But for many it works well. But do prepare yourself in whatever way, the tutor proof is a myth, it may be unfair but everyone has to do some prep, or you are sending in a child that is at a serious disadvantage. But again, nothing you cannot do yourself.

Take a look at the CEM mocks and the CEM books on this forum and you will see that preparation for these tests ( that you are not supposed to be able to prepare for) is thriving.

I would not advise sending in your students unprepared because they will be up against students who are. Last year all the students I knew who were sitting CEM papers at Latymer and HBS went to CEM mocks run by this forum and all of the HBS students got through to the second round and all the Latymer students got offered a place. So preparation seemed to have an impact. A tutor is not necessary if you are prepared to put the time and effort in yourself but preparation certainly is. So your title should really be Why prepare? Paying a tutor is just like paying a garage to fix your car or a cleaner to clean your house or a hairdresser to do your hair. You could do it yourself but it might be more time efficient to pay someone else who already has the experience. Some parents however get a lot out of doing it and bonding with their students and benefit a lot from the experience but others hate it! DG

Daogroupie wrote:Take a look at the CEM mocks and the CEM books on this forum and you will see that preparation for these tests ( that you are not supposed to be able to prepare for) is thriving.

I would not advise sending in your students unprepared because they will be up against students who are. Last year all the students I knew who were sitting CEM papers at Latymer and HBS went to CEM mocks run by this forum and all of the HBS students got through to the second round and all the Latymer students got offered a place. So preparation seemed to have an impact. A tutor is not necessary if you are prepared to put the time and effort in yourself but preparation certainly is. So your title should really be Why prepare? Paying a tutor is just like paying a garage to fix your car or a cleaner to clean your house or a hairdresser to do your hair. You could do it yourself but it might be more time efficient to pay someone else who already has the experience. Some parents however get a lot out of doing it and bonding with their students and benefit a lot from the experience but others hate it! DG

Very well said. Much better than me! But it's what I meant

All well said. I would add those with children at indies would have had smaller class sizes and more individual attention, so you need to attempt to level the playing field somehow. I don't believe any exam is tutor proof, whether it's GCSE, SATS or A Level, having some one to one always helps.

I believe the change is more about making the test accessible to all. A bright child will be able to make a good attempt without prep and so it will encourage more free school meal qualifiers to have a go.

Children often respond well to a tutor and get into the regular routine of having one. Good luck !

Daogroupie wrote:Take a look at the CEM mocks and the CEM books on this forum and you will see that preparation for these tests ( that you are not supposed to be able to prepare for) is thriving.

I would not advise sending in your students unprepared because they will be up against students who are. Last year all the students I knew who were sitting CEM papers at Latymer and HBS went to CEM mocks run by this forum and all of the HBS students got through to the second round and all the Latymer students got offered a place. So preparation seemed to have an impact. A tutor is not necessary if you are prepared to put the time and effort in yourself but preparation certainly is. So your title should really be Why prepare? Paying a tutor is just like paying a garage to fix your car or a cleaner to clean your house or a hairdresser to do your hair. You could do it yourself but it might be more time efficient to pay someone else who already has the experience. Some parents however get a lot out of doing it and bonding with their students and benefit a lot from the experience but others hate it! DG

You are right Daogroupie, it should have been why prepare.
How do you prepare for a test where there are only a few familiarization booklet available.

There is much much more than a few familiarization booklets. There are pages of CEM books on the forum and Amazon. Go and take a look. There are more coming out all the time. DG

Plus CEM is simply English, Maths, VR and NVR in a particular format, there is nothing special about it. But if you prepare using the format you will be in a much stronger position when you sit the exam. I can see students getting better in one hour using the format. But it s a bit too late if that hour is the actual exam while others spend a hour a week doing it before the exam. DG

Don't have a tutor if you:
1. Have ample time at hand to research patterns, formats etc.
2. Are good at teaching and explaining
3. Have plenty of parents in your network whose children have got into GS recently
4. Have a bright child who is hard working and follows what you say
5. Can afford to buy tons of books from various publishers
6. Have started prep at least an year before the exam
7. Have back up plans if dc not selected in GS and will not be worried if the results are negative.

I can write more but these are the points from top of my head.