Lessons
Structured lessons & exercises — free samples
Fun Lessons
Interactive & engaging lessons
Vocabulary
Build your word power
Creative Writing
Prompts, techniques & games
Comprehension
Passages, skills & mock papers
Flash Cards
Quick revision cards
Knowledge Nuggets
Bite-sized learning tips
11+ Syllabus Hub
Every topic & question type explained
11+ Subjects
Explore all subjects
Grammar Schools
School guides & information
Find Schools Near You
Nearest grammar schools by postcode
11+ Key Dates
Registration, test & apply-by dates
11+ Pass Marks
Qualifying scores by county
Readiness Quiz
Is your child ready? 2-min check
11+ Prep Guide
Complete preparation guide
FSCE Hub
Complete FSCE syllabus, schools & practice
FSCE Exam Guide
Exam preparation guide
ISEB Pre-Test Hub
Format, scoring, sections & preparation
ISEB Exam Guide
The Pre-Test explained for parents
ISEB Schools
Which schools use the Pre-Test — verified
Blog
Articles & expert tips
Contact Us
Get in touch with us
Join WhatsApp
Join our community group
ISEB Pre-Test Dates 2026/27: Registration, Testing Window & Deadlines
When to register, when children sit it, and why school deadlines matter more than ISEB’s
ISEB Pre-Test Dates & Registration, 2026/27
ISEB runs one long testing window each academic year and lets parents register for free — but the dates that actually decide anything are the senior schools’ own deadlines, which sit inside that window and are usually much earlier. The ISEB dates below were checked on ISEB’s own pages on 6 September 2026; the school deadlines come from each school’s admissions material as recorded in our directory (verified 18–31 August 2026).
Key dates for the 2026/27 session
9 June 2026
Guardian Portal opens
Parents and guardians can create an account and register their child for the 2026/27 session from this date. Registration is free.
1 September 2026
Live testing begins
The first day a child can sit the 2026/27 Pre-Tests. Results are age-standardised, which ISEB says ensures there is no disadvantage for those who take the tests earlier in the testing period.
October – November 2026
Most selective-school deadlines
Schools set their own deadlines inside ISEB’s window, and the most selective ones cluster here — Eton and Wellington, for example, want Year 6 candidates tested in October/November. Check every target school’s own date.
Spring term 2027
Later deadlines and Stage 2
Some schools accept sittings into the spring term — Bradfield, for example, tests between November and February — while 13+ schools invite long-listed Year 6 candidates to interviews and assessment days.
Late May 2027
Testing window closes
The last date for a 2026/27 sitting. A child can only sit once per academic year, so a missed school deadline cannot be fixed with a second attempt.
How registration works (free, on the Guardian Portal)
Check every target school’s admissions page
Confirm the school actually uses the ISEB Common Pre-Tests at your entry point (our verified directory shows which do, and which have switched to another provider), then note its own deadline — it is almost always earlier than ISEB’s late-May cut-off.
Create a Guardian Portal account
At iseb.eva.tech/guardian. The portal asks for your child’s legal name, date of birth, gender and current school. There is no charge from ISEB; schools charge their own separate registration fees.
Share the Applicant ID with each school
Registration produces a single Applicant ID. Give it to every senior school you are applying to — that is how one sitting is shared with all of them.
Arrange the venue
Many children sit at their own prep or junior school. If not, choose an approved invigilation centre in the portal and then contact it directly to confirm the booking — portal selection alone does not schedule a sitting. Overseas centres exist for international candidates.
Upload access-arrangement evidence early
Extra time (25%) and other adjustments need supporting evidence — typically an educational psychologist’s report plus a note from the current school’s SENCO — uploaded before the sitting. Requirements are set by each senior school.
Let the venue set the date
Your invigilation centre tells you the exact testing date(s). The four sections may be sat together or split over days; each section is designed to be sat in one sitting — the clock keeps running if the browser closes, and only the invigilator can pause it.
The timeline by year group
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Year 4 | Nothing to do with ISEB yet. Read together, keep arithmetic fluent, and start looking at senior schools if 11+ entry is a possibility. |
| Year 5 (autumn–spring) | Shortlist schools and diarise their deadlines. Registration for a Year 6 sitting opens in June of Year 5. Secure the Year 5 curriculum — the Maths ceiling ISEB specifies, with English pitched at the same level. |
| Year 5 (summer) | Register on the Guardian Portal once it opens (9 June 2026 for the current session). Gentle familiarisation with the question formats and ISEB’s free walkthrough. |
| Year 6 (autumn) | The main sitting window for 11+ entry and for 13+ schools that pre-test in Year 6. Most selective deadlines fall in October–November. |
| Year 6 (spring–summer) | Stage 2: interviews, assessment days and school-set papers for long-listed candidates. 11+ offers arrive; 13+ offers are usually conditional. |
| Year 7 (for some 13+ routes) | Some 13+ schools test in Year 7 rather than Year 6 — ISEB itself says the tests are often taken in Year 6 or Year 7 — so check the school’s own page. A child sitting again in a new academic year sits a fresh test — once per year is the rule. |
Dates questions parents ask
Any time inside the session window — 1 September 2026 to late May 2027 for the 2026/27 session — but only once, and each senior school sets its own earlier deadline. Because the most selective schools’ deadlines cluster in October–November of Year 6, many candidates sit then.
Nothing: ISEB does not charge parents or guardians for registration on the Guardian Portal. Senior schools charge their own separate registration fees, which vary widely.
Yes. ISEB says results are age-standardised to ensure there is no disadvantage for those who take the tests earlier in the testing period — but a later sitting buys more time for consolidation and on-screen familiarisation, so there is no need to rush to the first available date. Aim for each school’s deadline.
Contact the school immediately. Some schools will accept a later sitting inside ISEB’s window; the most selective publish firm deadlines and are unlikely to — ask rather than assume either way. Because the test can only be sat once per academic year, there is no second attempt to fall back on.
Results are available to the registered senior schools straight after the sitting is complete. It is consistently reported that parents are not sent the scores; schools decide what, if anything, to share.
Rehearse the Pre-Test Experience Calmly
Forward-only, difficulty-ramping ISEB-style mocks with a free walkthrough — unlimited sittings in every plan, with a 7-day free trial.