Tiffin School 11+ Entrance Exam: A Guide for Parents

Tiffin School's 11+ entrance exam, sat by boys applying for Year 7, assesses English and Maths across two stages set by Quest, an external test-setting partner appointed by the school. Stage One usually falls in early October of Year 6, with Stage Two following in mid-November. Up to a tenth of places go instead through the separate Sporting Aptitude and Musical Aptitude Assessment routes, and no route includes an interview.

About Tiffin School

Tiffin is a state grammar school for boys, with entry beginning in Year 7 and running through Year 11. The school is based in Kingston upon Thames, with a roll of around 1,400 pupils.

The entrance exam

The Year 7 entrance exam is set in partnership with Quest, an external test-setting partner appointed by Tiffin, and assesses English and Maths across two stages. Stage One uses a multiple-choice, computer-marked answer sheet for both subjects, a format many candidates will recognise from other 11+ tests; Stage Two moves to handwritten answers of a similar length, marked by Quest. Boys applying through the Sporting Aptitude or Musical Aptitude Assessment routes, which together account for up to a tenth of places, are assessed separately from the academic papers, with criteria the school publishes on its own admissions pages. There is no interview as part of any route.

• English (Stage One): Multiple-choice, computer-marked answer sheet, typically 40 to 60 minutes
• Maths (Stage One): Multiple-choice, computer-marked answer sheet, typically 40 to 60 minutes
• English (Stage Two): Handwritten answers, similar length to Stage One, marked by Quest
• Maths (Stage Two): Handwritten answers, similar length to Stage One, marked by Quest

Registration and key dates

Registration for the Year 7 entrance exam usually opens in early June, during the summer term of Year 5, and closes in early September, at the start of Year 6; families applying to a Tiffin place should also submit the local authority's common application form by the end of October of Year 6. Stage One is sat in early October, with invitations to Stage Two sent in mid-October and that stage itself following in mid-November. Offers are announced on National Offer Day in early March of Year 6, ahead of entry into Year 7 the following September. The key facts table on this page carries the current dates.

• Registration opens: early summer term, Year 5
• Registration closes: start of the autumn term, Year 6
• Local authority application deadline: end of October, Year 6
• Stage One test: early October, Year 6
• Stage Two invitations sent: mid-October, Year 6
• Stage Two test: mid-November, Year 6
• Offers announced (National Offer Day): early March, Year 6
• Entry to Year 7: September, following 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.

• Admissions FAQs (PDF)
• Entry at 11+
• Admissions policy (PDF)

Past papers and familiarisation

Tiffin does not publish past papers for its Year 7 entrance exam, having instead made illustrative sample questions available on its website for both Stage One and Stage Two, covering English and Maths. These give a sense of question style and format, without matching the full length of the real papers. Families usually pair this material with general practice in multiple-choice technique and in timed, handwritten answers, building familiarity with both the computer-marked and the handwritten stages of the test.

Preparing with Taylor Tuition

Families preparing for the Tiffin 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 work with us online from anywhere in the UK or abroad, 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.