ISEB Pre-Test or UKiset: Which Test Does a Boarding School Want?

Which test a boarding school wants, the ISEB Pre-Test or UKiset, depends on the school, since each one decides and states its requirement on its own admissions page. The ISEB Pre-Tests are four online, adaptive and shared entrance assessments in English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, which schools can use for Year 7 entry or deferred entry into Year 9, whilst UKiset is an adaptive online entry test in English that schools use to assess international candidates.

Because the two tests were built for different groups of applicants, the practical first step is to read the admissions page of every shortlisted school and then confirm with its admissions office which test applies to a child who lives overseas. ISEB states that pupils overseas can sit the Pre-Tests, so an international family may be asked for either, and the school's own instruction settles it.

How do the ISEB Pre-Tests differ from UKiset?

The ISEB Pre-Tests are a shared set of four online adaptive tests, whereas UKiset is a single adaptive online entry test in English that produces a Profile for international applicants. ISEB describes its tests as covering mathematics, English (reading comprehension and grammar), verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, and says results are standardised against a sample of pupils applying for independent school admission.

UKiset describes itself as developed with Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and its sections cover vocabulary, mathematics, non-verbal reasoning and other English skills such as reading, listening, creative writing, grammar and spelling. Its results compare the candidate with British students of the same age, and they also give a CEFR English level through Cambridge Linguaskill.

• ISEB Pre-Tests: English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning; Year 7 entry or deferred Year 9 entry; sat at an invigilation centre.
• UKiset: vocabulary, mathematics, non-verbal reasoning and English skills; designed for international candidates; most candidates sit it through a secure online invigilation service.
• Both are adaptive and both are described by their own bodies as comparing the candidate with UK peers.

Which applicants are usually asked for which test?

Applicants to schools that use the ISEB Pre-Tests are usually asked to sit them for Year 7 or Year 9 entry, and international applicants are often asked for UKiset instead, although each school decides and states this on its admissions page. UKiset describes its test as designed for international candidates applying to British independent schools, and says schools use the report to inform decisions about overseas applicants.

ISEB, for its part, states that pupils in the UK and overseas can sit the Pre-Tests and that results remain comparable across all applicants. A boarding school may therefore ask an overseas child for the Pre-Tests, for UKiset, or for another route entirely, so the written requirement of that school is the only reliable guide.

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Can a child sit both tests?

Neither ISEB nor UKiset addresses sitting both on the pages we read, so a child should sit both only if a school asks for it. ISEB states that a pupil takes the Pre-Tests once per academic year and that, if they are taken more than once, the first set of results is used.

UKiset sends the Profile to schools the family chooses, and the family can choose those schools before or after the test. Where two shortlisted schools ask for different tests, the admissions offices are the right people to ask whether one result would satisfy both.

How does a school use the results?

A school uses Pre-Test results as standardised, comparative evidence of a pupil's attainment alongside the rest of its admissions process. ISEB says results are standardised against a sample of pupils applying for independent school admission and are available to schools immediately after the pupil finishes, provided the family has shared the Applicant ID with each school.

UKiset says schools use the Profile to understand an overseas applicant's academic potential and English level, and that some schools run further tests or interviews after reviewing it. ISEB adds that any SEND or EAL requests must be approved by the senior schools, which is worth raising early with each admissions office.

What should you ask the admissions office?

The most useful questions establish which test the school requires for an applicant in the child's exact situation, and what happens after the result arrives. Asking in writing gives the family a record to work from when a school's requirements differ from one shortlisted school to the next.

• Which test do you require for an applicant living overseas, and for Year 7 or Year 9 entry?
• Do you accept the ISEB Pre-Tests, UKiset or both, and does one replace the other?
• What happens after the result, such as an interview, a further assessment or a visit?
• Do you need the ISEB Applicant ID, or should the UKiset Profile be sent to you directly?
• How do you handle SEND or EAL requests for the test?
• Can our child's current school act as the invigilation centre?

How do you prepare for each test?

Preparation for the ISEB Pre-Tests usually means practising the four subjects in an online format, and ISEB states the tests are based on the national curriculum and that extra preparation is not required, though some families choose to do more. ISEB sells a Prep Pack and endorses practice questions on Bond Online Premium Plus.

UKiset's own preparation guide recommends regular study of each section, wide reading and listening in English, structured essay practice and puzzles for non-verbal reasoning, and it states that there are no official papers or mock tests. A tutor can help the student practise and prepare for either test, in the format the chosen school requires.

Related guides

• ISEB Pre-Test tutors
• UKiset tutors
• ISEB Common Pre-Test guide
• Understanding ISEB Pre-Test scores
• 13+ Common Entrance tutors
• 13+ and Common Entrance explained

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