Haberdashers' Boys' School 11+ Admissions: Assessment, Registration and Fees

Getting into Haberdashers' Boys' School (Habs) at 11+ means registering for Year 7 entry, sitting the school's own paper-based Quest Admissions assessment in the autumn term before entry, and, if shortlisted, attending an interview; around half of candidates who sit the test are invited back for interview. The school also runs an 11+ deferred route for boys at prep schools finishing at Year 8, letting them sit the same 11+ test in Year 6 but join in Year 9 instead of Year 7.

The school takes the majority of its Year 7 intake from external applicants, alongside boys moving up automatically from its own Prep School and a small number from named feeder schools. Registration, the assessment and the bursary and scholarship application windows each have their own deadline, published on the admissions pages each cycle, so checking the current dates directly with the admissions office is the reliable way to plan ahead.

How entry works at Habs Boys

Most boys join Haberdashers' Boys' School at 11+, into Year 7, with the school taking around 160 to 175 boys into the year group each intake. Sixty of those places go automatically to boys moving up from the school's own Prep School, with a small number of further places reserved for boys from named feeder schools under a Group Preferential Pathway; the remaining places, the majority of the intake, are filled through the open 11+ application process.

Alongside standard 11+ entry into Year 7, the school offers an 11+ deferred route for boys at prep schools that finish at Year 8: these boys sit the same 11+ assessment in Year 6 and, if offered a place, join two years later, in Year 9. The school recommends this deferred route for boys at Year 8 prep schools and asks families to confirm their choice of route to both the school and their current prep school before the registration deadline.

How the 11+ assessment works

The first-round 11+ assessment is a paper-based test, set through the Quest Admissions system and administered jointly with the neighbouring Habs Girls school on the same day. It has four timed sections: maths and non-verbal reasoning (45 minutes), English and verbal reasoning (40 minutes), creative comprehension (20 minutes) and creative writing (20 minutes).

The maths and English questions are multiple choice and cover material based on the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum, while the creative comprehension and creative writing sections ask for written responses to text and visual stimulus. Candidates may use paper and pencil for working out, provided by the school, but calculators, dictionaries and mobile devices are not permitted.

• Maths and non-verbal reasoning: 45 minutes, multiple choice
• English and verbal reasoning: 40 minutes, multiple choice
• Creative comprehension: 20 minutes, written response
• Creative writing: 20 minutes, written response

Interviews and what happens after the test

Around half of the boys who sit the first-round assessment are invited back for interview. Interviews are held over a set period in January, and the school also invites parents to a separate meeting with school leadership to discuss whether the school's approach suits the family.

Offers follow the interview round, and families who accept a place pay an acceptance deposit of fifty per cent of a term's fees, refunded when the boy completes his time at the school. A boy who is unsuccessful at 11+ is welcome to apply again at 13+; the school does not accept a reapplication for the following year outside its standard entry points, so that a boy has time to develop before trying again.

Registering and applying, step by step

Families apply through the school's own online application form, which sits alongside separate routes for occasional in-year places and for overseas applicants, the latter carrying its own registration fee. Registration, and any scholarship application, close on the same date each cycle; a separate, slightly later deadline applies to bursary applications.

The steps run in this order: register and pay the registration fee, sit the written assessment, attend interview if shortlisted, receive the offer decision, then accept the place and pay the acceptance deposit by the acceptance deadline. The school publishes the exact dates for each stage on its admissions pages ahead of every entry round.

• Register online and pay the registration fee
• Sit the paper-based Quest assessment
• Attend interview if shortlisted
• Receive the offer
• Accept the place and pay the acceptance deposit

Scholarships and bursaries

Habs Boys awards Academic Scholarships at 11+ to the strongest performers in the entrance assessment and interview, with no separate application needed; these typically cover part of the fees, leaving the remaining balance payable. Art, Drama and Music Scholarships are also available at 11+, each assessed through a portfolio, audition or further assessment alongside interview, and offering a similar level of fee remission.

Means-tested bursaries run alongside scholarships and can be held together. Awards range from partial support up to a full, free place, assessed against household income through an application process that includes an informal meeting with the school's Finance team; bursary applications close slightly later than the main registration deadline. A free place also carries support toward uniform, a school device, coach travel, lunches, academic trips and music tuition, with partial bursaries receiving this support on a sliding scale. A separate, donor-supported scheme, Bright Futures, funds a small number of fully funded places at 11+, 13+ or 16+ for boys of Black African or Caribbean heritage.

How to prepare for the Habs Boys 11+ assessment

Because the maths and English sections are multiple choice and based on Key Stage 2 content, timed practice under exam conditions helps boys get used to working accurately at pace across two back-to-back reasoning-and-subject papers. The creative comprehension and creative writing sections reward boys who can respond fluently in full sentences to an unfamiliar text or image within a short, fixed time, so regular short-burst writing practice tends to help more than long, unstructured essays.

Because interview follows for roughly half of candidates, boys are best served by getting comfortable talking about their interests and current schoolwork in a calm, conversational way well before the interview period; fixed, rehearsed answers are best avoided. Families choosing between standard 11+ and 11+ deferred entry should raise the decision with their child's current school ahead of the registration deadline, since the school asks for that route to be confirmed early.

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Preparing for the Haberdashers' Boys' School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

The Haberdashers' Boys' School 11+ rewards steady preparation over a year or so, with the last term given to timed practice and interview confidence. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors match the programme to the school's assessment format and to where the child is starting from.

Because the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, and more than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status, families get a tutor who understands what the assessors are looking for. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check.

Families in London 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.