Guildford High School 11+ Entrance Exam: A Guide for Parents

Guildford High School's 11+ entrance exam for Year 7 entry is an online assessment sat on a single day, followed by a separate Interview Day for candidates who progress.

Cambridge University Press and Assessment sets the test, which covers verbal, non-verbal and mathematical skills.

About Guildford High School

Founded in 1888, Guildford High is an independent day school for girls, based across sites in central Guildford.

The entrance exam

The entrance assessment for Year 7 entry is an online test, sat on a single day and set externally by Cambridge University Press and Assessment. It assesses verbal, non-verbal and mathematical skills. Candidates who progress are then invited to an Interview Day, which includes a short, informal interview alongside a series of activities across science, creative writing, PE, drama and music; these activities are not separately marked papers, giving staff a chance to see how candidates engage across different subjects. A distinct audition process runs alongside the main route for those applying for a music scholarship.

• Verbal, non-verbal and mathematical skills: online entrance assessment, single day, provided by Cambridge University Press and Assessment
• Interview: short, informal interview (10 minutes), part of Interview Day
• Interview Day activities: science, creative writing, PE, drama and music activities (not separately marked papers)

Registration and key dates

Registration for Year 7 entry usually closes in the autumn term of Year 6, shortly before the entrance assessment itself takes place later that same term. The assessment is followed by an Interview Day in the new year, with offers usually issued shortly afterwards and an acceptance deadline falling a couple of months later. Parents should check the key facts table on this page for the current admissions cycle's exact dates.

• Registration: closes in the autumn term of Year 6
• Entrance assessment: sat in the autumn term of Year 6
• Interview Day: held in January of Year 6
• Offers: issued in January of Year 6
• Acceptance deadline: falls in March of Year 6

Current dates are in the key facts table at the top of this page, taken from the school's own admissions pages below, which remain the reference for each round.

• Entry at 11+
• Admissions
• Admissions FAQs

Past papers and familiarisation

Guildford High does not appear to publish sample or familiarisation papers for its Year 7 entrance assessment on its own admissions pages, so families are usually best placed checking directly with the school for anything it makes available closer to the assessment.

In the absence of school-specific materials, preparation for this format of test tends to focus on general practice in verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematics, alongside building familiarity with sitting an online, timed assessment, since candidates used to paper-based tests sometimes need time to adjust to computer-based formats.

Preparing with Taylor Tuition

Families preparing for the Guildford High 11+ usually come to us a year or so before the assessment, though shorter runs work where the foundations are already sound. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors build each programme around the format the school actually uses, whether a written paper, an online pre-test, an interview or a combination of them.

More than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status and around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, so the preparation is led by people who know how selective schools assess. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check.

Families in Surrey and further afield work with us online, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject, with no registration fee and a free initial consultation to talk through your child's current level and the timeline to the 11+. Families receive progress reports after sessions and have a dedicated point of contact, and we reply to enquiries within one working day with tutor recommendations.

Read more about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.