Mock exam opinions

[Midlandsmom]

I just wondered what opinions were on mocks that are run by independent firms in the west Mids area? I've had an email telling me dates have been released from one of these firms today, and I had thought it might be a good idea previously. However - since then I signed my child up to an online trial thing (deliberately trying to be vague as I'm not sure I can name the company here) and was less than impressed by the content and some of it's (in my opinion) irrelevance to what I understand to be involved with the actual CEM exams. So as much as I like the idea of a mock for practising exam conditions/time pressures etc I don't know whether it's particularly helpful to pay for it with a company I'm not sure about or whether to just put child in for Walsall exam - as that in itself could be a practice before the KE one. Walsall likely too far to be a realistic option for us.

Have others used similar firms and mocks - are they worth the cost?

[Thingsbehindthesun]

I'm not in your area but when my youngest dd did her 11+ exam she did sit quite a few. At first I didn't really believe in them but they really did iron out the nerves and highlight silly mistakes.

You would think a child would fill in a multiple choice sheet correctly but it's the pressure of being in a strange environment, using the old brain for 2-3 hours , the noisy sounds. In one of the sutton mocks my daughter got below 50 for english which was shocking- but she told me she made an error with the answer sheet which had a compound effect on her score. But because she went through this and learnt from her mistake she got a better score in the second round.

If you don't want to go for the mock make your child practise in noise or with family so they can learn to tune things out.

[Turtlegirl]

Hi Midlandsmum
I think I had the same email! I have used the same company for online tests & mocks. Now on my third child! The online tests are not everything, but we found them good for ensuring a daily test, plotting progress and finding blank spots. The fast mental maths section was particularly helpful.
My first two (now at KEHVIS & KES) did the mocks, which were super helpful for practicing taking an exam in unfamiliar conditions with lots of people. Again, they highlighted weak areas of the curriculum and for my son in particular, it helped me realise that the tutoring he was receiving was not what he needed and I was able to put some maths boosting in place which helped him when it came to the 11+ itself.
I think the tests are pretty good value. My kids did three each and that seemed like plenty.

[WindowGlass]

Here here TBTS and TG

The commercial mocks were good practice for the experience, but don't rely too much on the content being realistic.

It's a shame for Walsall to be used for practice, but I'm sure it's commonly done.
Maybe they could open their grounds and charge for parking to offset the cost?
Leasing an ice-cream van for the day too!

[HappyRobot]

I found the mocks useful, but two would be enough in my opinion.

We have done three and four for our kids and now I think about it, two would have been just fine.

[clearsky]

If you have a child who hates being timed and gets very worried after a mention of any test then mock test is a great help to calm them down. However my ds never scored well on mock, but in real exam did better, also the cgp mock papers were great for timing practice.

[Jazz-UK]

We never used commercial firms for mock exams, however that was because dd had timed sessions at tutor (mini-mocks), and spent best part of summer doing mocks at home from various test paper providers.

Having studied for years myself, I can't stress the importance of exam question practise, and believe not practising may be one of the reasons why some very bright children may not perform as well as children who have sat timed exams. dd's first attempts were shocking and I went into a real panic - primarily from a time-management reason. We then made her sit the same papers, but use two different colour pens, one for within time, and one for after the clock stopped.

If you need the support, then I would consider using one of the firms, but whatever you choose, please let them practice under timed conditions.

I know the grammar schools look for natural talent, but natural talent in a 10 year old is a combination of natural abilities, upbringing and schooling.

[um]

All my children did some mock exams.

However I would say that an exam taken in spring (or even autumn) term is not really a 'mock'; it's more of a benchmarking assessment intended to possibly give assurance/highlight strengths and weaknesses. It may even help children to get used to being in a big exam hall, for example if they attend very small schools which do not conduct such assessments, or are home schooled.

A mock exam is one designed to be as similar as possible in terms of content, level and timing, to the 'real' exam.
It would not be appropriate to take such a mock before the end of the summer term.

[quasimodo]

These are all matters of opinion no one no one in my extended family have taken a mock exam but they have taken plenty of real exams set by different schools to increase their options and they take plenty of exam papers under timed conditions from their tutors and at home. This is a personal thing go with what works for you.

[Jazz-UK]

and they take plenty of exam papers under timed conditions from their tutors and at home.

This really is key, and I have to say I actually thought my dd didn't have a chance after she did the first few. Brilliant for assessing strengths / weaknesses as um said. You can tell I'm very passionate about this