Key Details About The New ISEB Pretest Format
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Table of Contents
Introduction
The ISEB Pretest underwent significant changes in 2022.
In this article, we will highlight all the key changes so your child is fully aware of what to expect in this year’s exam.
What’s changed in the new ISEB Common Pretest (CPT)?
GENERAL CHANGES
1) The previous test was created by a company called GL Assessment. The new test is powered by a company called Century Tech, whose software is being used to register candidates, deliver the test and provide results.
The old software was quite outdated and clunky and the new test is a lot more flexible and slick. Overall, this is a positive change that improves the test taking process.
2) Linked to the above change, the layout of the test screen has changed significantly. There are now a number of new accessibility features available for candidates. These include the ability to select coloured overlays for better readability and to increase or decrease the text size.
You can see how these features work on the official ISEB Pretest Walkthrough here.
We also have all these features in our new practice tests as you can see in the top menu of the screenshot below from NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 1 👇
Students can therefore get used to adjusting the settings ahead of time so they know what works best for them. We highly recommend working this out beforehand so your child is not spending precious time during the test adjusting the settings.
3) The timer will remain at the top of the screen but there is an option to hide it if your child finds it distracting.
The progress bar has been moved from the bottom of the screen to the top and can also be hidden.
We’ve replicated these features in all our ISEB Practice Tests so your child can get used to them and work out whether they prefer these features to be hidden or visible.
Here is a screenshot from NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 2 that shows what the timer and progress bar look like. You can choose to hide or show them in the Settings options.
4) The timings of the individual modules have changed. The new timings are as follows:
◘ English – 40 minutes (previously 25 minutes)
◘ Mathematics – 40 minutes (previously 50 minutes)
◘ Verbal Reasoning – 25 minutes (previously 36 minutes)
◘ Non-Verbal Reasoning – 30 minutes (previously 32 minutes)
The total test time is 2 hours and 15 minutes. The modules do not all need to be taken together. If your child is at a prep school, they will most likely split the modules up over 2 to 4 days. If your child is taking the test at another test centre or at their target school, you should reach out to them to find out how the test will be administered.
If your child qualifies for 25% extra time, the timings will be as follows:
➢ English – 50 minutes
➢ Mathematics – 50 minutes
➢ Verbal Reasoning – 31.25 minutes
➢ Non-Verbal Reasoning – 37.5 minutes
Our new practice tests match these new timings exactly. There is also an option to take each section of the test with extra time, as you can see from the screenshot below from NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 3. However, we only recommend choosing this option if you are sure your child will qualify for this.
5) The process to register your child has changed. Previously, they would be registered via their school. Each child must now be registered via a parent or guardian. You can do this via the Guardian Portal here. ISEB have supplied lots of handy information and guidance on how to register so the process is relatively straightforward.
6) In the old version of the ISEB Pretest, there were certain questions in the Verbal Reasoning section that required students to select two answer choices. In the new version of the test, only one answer must be selected for each question. You can read more about this in the Verbal Reasoning section below.
7) The new test will contain no Sample or Practice questions. In the older version of the test, some of the modules included these within the timed portion of the assessment. In the new test, there will be general instructions provided and then the test will begin right away, with every question counting towards your child’s score.
ENGLISH
8) The structure of the English module has changed. Previously, 50% of the marks were allocated for Reading Comprehension, 25% for Sentence Completion and 25% for Spelling & Punctuation.
In the new test, there are two sections. Section 1 covers Reading Comprehension and Section 2 covers Grammar. The Grammar section consists of questions covering three topics: Cloze Sentences, Shuffled Sentences and SPAG.
The next few points will cover each of these topics in further detail.
9) The first section of the test covers Reading Comprehension. In the old version of the ISEB Pretest, there was just one longer passage, either fiction or nonfiction.
In the new test format, there will be multiple smaller passages of 300-500 words each.
The passages could be fiction, non-fiction or poetry.
In the old format, the passage was divided into smaller sections on the left hand side of the page. Students needed to click numbered buttons to navigate between the questions. It looked like this 👇
In the new format, the passage is in the centre of the page and students may need to scroll up and down to view the text and the questions underneath.
This is a screenshot from NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 4 that shows you what this looks like 👇
The passages in the new test are no longer numbered by line but rather by paragraph or verse. The questions will refer to specific paragraphs or verses that are relevant to the specific question.
This is an example of typical question wording from NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 5 👇
10) The second part of the test is called Grammar. It consists of three types of questions: Cloze Sentences, Shuffled Sentences and SPAG.
Cloze Sentences is similar to the Sentence Completion question type in the old version of the ISEB Pretest.
This example from NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 6 shows you the exact layout and wording you can expect in the new format 👇
The second type of question is Shuffled Sentences. This is a brand new question type. Below is an example from NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 7 that shows you it will be laid out and the instruction wording that will be used 👇
The third type of question is SPAG, which is an abbreviation of Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar. Some questions will test Spelling as in the below example from NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 8 👇
Punctuation could be tested as in the below example from NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 9 👇
Grammar will be tested as in the below example from NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 10 👇
Please note that complicated grammatical terms (fronted adverbials etc) will not be tested in the ISEB Pretest. A number of you have been in touch to ask about this as they are apparently covered by another publisher. Our advice would be not waste your time with such questions as they won’t come up and will just cause unnecessary stress for your child.
MATHEMATICS
11) In terms of content, this section will change the least compared to the older format of the test. You can expect the same topics to be covered with perhaps fewer questions that include tables/diagrams.
Here is an example of the layout of a typical Maths question from NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 11 👇
VERBAL REASONING
12) In the older version of the test, certain questions required two answers to be selected. For example, questions that required selecting two synonyms. In the new version of the test, each question has one answer only. You can still expect synonym based questions but the wording and presentation will be as the below example from NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 13 👇
13) There will be no number or code based questions in the Verbal Reasoning section. In the old test, number based questions such as Number Sequences and code based questions such as Letter Codes sometimes featured. The new test will focus solely on question types involving words and letters.
14) A number of new question types could feature in the new ISEB Pretest. These include Move Two Letters, Missing Letters, Odd One Out, Connected Words and Related Words. We’ve covered all of these in our ISEB Pretest Practice Tests as well as in our ISEB Pretest Verbal Reasoning product.
NON-VERBAL REASONING
15) The biggest change is the introduction of Spatial Reasoning question types. These did not previously feature in the ISEB Pretest. We’ve covered all the known Spatial Reasoning question types across our new ISEB range. For example, here is a Spatial Reasoning question from NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 12. This question type is called Combining Shapes.
16) Despite the introduction of Spatial Reasoning, 2D Non-Verbal Reasoning questions will still account for about half the marks in the Non-Verbal Reasoning section. We’ve made sure to cover all the known possibilities across our practice tests. For example, here is a Figure Matrices question from NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 14 👇
17) In the older version of the test, the questions were at the top of the screen with answer options A-E under each diagram.
In the new test format, the questions are in the centre of the screen and the answer options are formed from the diagrams themselves, so your child needs to click on the correct diagram rather than the letters A-E.
18) The old test format included fewer variants in the actual exam but a greater number of questions for each of these variants. In the new test, you can expect more variants to feature but a smaller number of questions per variant.
We hope you find this overview beneficial. All our ISEB Pretest Practice Tests and Skill Practice products have been fully updated to provide your child with the best possible preparation for the new test format.
You can view the full range below, including our Bundle offers 👇
Full Range Of ISEB Pretest Resources
ISEB Pretest: Full Practice Tests
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 1
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 2
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 3
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 4
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 5
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 6
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 7
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 8
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 9
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 10
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 11
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 12
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 13
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 14
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 15
Save 35% by purchasing our ISEB Pretest Practice Tests Bundle, including all 15 tests. Click the button below to learn more:
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Tests Bundle
ISEB Pretest: Video Courses
ISEB Pretest Non-Verbal Reasoning Course
ISEB Pretest Verbal Reasoning Course
Save 25% by purchasing our ISEB Pretest Courses Bundle, including all four products. Click the button below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Video Courses Bundle
ISEB Pretest: Skill Practice
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Reading Comprehension
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Cloze Sentences
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Shuffled Sentences
NEW ISEB Pretest English – SPAG
NEW ISEB Pretest 2D Non-Verbal Reasoning
NEW ISEB Pretest Spatial Reasoning
NEW ISEB Pretest Verbal Reasoning
Save 30% by purchasing our ISEB Pretest Skill Practice Bundle, including all eight products. Click the button below to learn more:
NEW ISEB Pretest Skill Practice Bundle
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out anytime here.
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