11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi everyone.

For those who's children will be sitting VR and NVR tests on the day, what will you be doing a week before the exams?

Will you be getting your children to sit the tests in similar "exam conditions" , by getting them to do a 50 min VR paper, followed by a 15 minute break and then 50 minute NVR paper?


And when will you be easing off on the work - the days before the exam or a few days before?

Dear Jaysdarlin

I would personally ensure the child is proficient in all areas of method/technique/timing and then 4/6 weeks before start making the child sit the exams all in one go [once a week]

It would be no use trying this the week before, then finding said child did not have the stamina/concentration levels for the long haul.

Patricia

Thanks for that Patricia.

It was niggling me at the back of my mind. A lot of people have recommended that NFER tests should be saved for the last two weeks, but i dont think that will work very well, seeing as NFER are a lot harder than most shop bought books.

We have 3 weeks left - so trying not to panic and also trying to keep my wits about me!

Shop-bought NFER NVR tests consist of only 60 questions whereas the real exam will have 80 questions to be done in 50 minutes. How do you practice keep going to complete those last 20 questions?

Not wanting to appear too much of a Drastic Mum, I have started to add 4 questions per section. I therefore also had to make an answer sheet for 16 sections per question.


As there are two types which alternate between the papers (most alike and most unalike), the following method is applied:


•Paper 11A, 4 questions per section from Paper 11B should be added to each section.
•Paper 11B, 4 questions per section from Paper 11A should be added to each section
•Paper 11C, 4 questions per section from Paper 11D should be added to each section.
•Paper 11D, 4 questions per section from Paper 11C should be added to each section.


Is that too drastic?

Today was an interesting day.

For the first time during a test, I didn't give my son a timer. Normally I set a 50 minute timer for VR and 8 minute timer for NVR (and reset per completed section). I left him with a clock.

I told him with the VR test I would be back after half the test and let him know that it was half time. Well I miscalculated the time and returned half an hour later, instead of 25 minutes, and sheepishly informed him he had 20 minutes left... He was very surprised.

Then I told him I would be back to let him know that there were five minutes left.... and then completely forgot, and returned when the time was up. Leaving him no time to check through his answers or mark the unfinished ones.

He got the lowest ever on a VR. Do I feel idiotic, and timer-dependant.