11 Plus Exams Forum

My son took the new CEM Durham test in South Warwickshire which included verbal reasoning, numeric and non-verbal reasoning.

Does anyone know the maximum marks for section? He achieved a total of 308 which wasn't quite enough to get him into a South Warwickshire grammar as he needed to get 325 or 329. He received:

81 marks for verbal reasoning
120 marks for numeric
107 marks for non-verbal reasoning

If someone could let me know that would be brill!

Thank you

Hi Daisy,

If it's anything like the Birmingham CEM exam there is no hard and fast maximum mark. Each section is "standardised" round 100 average, 15 standard deviations.

In plain English, the average score for each section will be 100 (half of the candidates will do better and half will do worse), and the bottom and top 25% will score 90 and 110 respectively.

So you son's maths result was in approx. the top 9% of all results and his verbal reasoning at the level of approx. the bottom 10% candidates, his non-verbal was in the top third.

The "pass" marks correspond to about the top 28% and top 25%. It looks as though the additional assistance didn't do much to help with the verbal section. Personally, I recommend you go over to the Appeals section and see what people think, if you can stand yet another battle.

Mike

Wow, thanks for that Mike! I would have never got there!!

Maths is one of the stronger subjects for J at school, and he enjoyed the non verbal reasoning practice exercises, but he really does struggle with processing speed when it comes to english or verbal reasoning and this is his weakest area at school, despite loving to read and reading a couple of years above his age.

I think we're going to appeal to try and get J into the local Catholic school as we thought two lots of appeals might not be such a good idea and we don't think his headteacher would support an appeal to the Grammar school as she was very much against him taking the 11 plus in the first place!

Thank you so much for your reply Mike!

You're welcome; I think your head teacher has a lot to answer for!

Mike

Yup, me too!! She still doesn't know my surname and it drives me mad when I see her or she calls me and calls me by the wrong name (it may not the same as my son's but it's not changed since he started the school!) In a meeting with her before the 11 plus (where she told us she'd try to talk J out of taking it, and that he wasn't naturally bright, she didn't even get HIS name right!!!) May sound petty but if she can't get that right.... !!

Rant over!!!!