Exam Day Tips for 11+ Students

The Night Before

The night before the 11+ exam is not the time for last-minute revision. By this point, your child knows what they know, and cramming will only increase anxiety and disrupt sleep. Instead, focus on calm preparation and a good night's rest.

Pack the Bag

Prepare everything your child will need and place it by the front door. A typical exam bag should include:

• Several sharpened pencils (HB is standard) and a good quality eraser
• A pencil sharpener
• A black pen (some exams require pen rather than pencil for certain sections)
• A ruler
• A clear water bottle (labels removed, as many exam centres require this)
• The exam admission letter or registration confirmation
• A small, healthy snack for afterwards

Check the specific requirements issued by the exam centre — some have strict rules about what can and cannot be brought into the room. Packing the night before removes one source of morning stress.

Early Bedtime

Aim for your child to be in bed at least 30 minutes earlier than usual. Avoid screens in the final hour before bed, as the blue light from phones and tablets interferes with the body's natural sleep signals. Instead, encourage quiet activities: reading a favourite book (not an 11+ textbook), having a warm bath, or listening to a calming audiobook.

If your child is anxious, acknowledge their feelings without dismissing them. Saying "There's nothing to worry about" is rarely helpful because it invalidates what they are genuinely feeling. Instead, try: "It's completely normal to feel nervous. That just means you care about doing well, and you've worked hard to prepare."

No Cramming

Resist the temptation to do "just one more practice paper." Research shows that cramming the night before an exam is counterproductive — it increases stress, disrupts sleep, and rarely leads to meaningful learning. If your child wants to do something study-related, let them browse through their vocabulary notebook or re-read a favourite story. Nothing intensive.

Morning Routine

A calm, well-organised morning sets the tone for the entire exam experience. Plan the morning carefully and leave plenty of time for everything.

A Healthy Breakfast

Your child needs sustained energy, not a sugar rush that will crash an hour later. Good options include:

• Porridge with fruit and a drizzle of honey
• Wholemeal toast with scrambled eggs
• A banana and a small bowl of cereal (low sugar, not chocolate-flavoured)

Avoid anything your child does not normally eat — exam morning is not the time to experiment. A glass of water is essential; dehydration impairs concentration even in mild cases.

Arrive Early

Plan to arrive at the exam venue at least 15 to 20 minutes before the required time. This allows for unexpected traffic, parking difficulties, or the simple need to find the right entrance. Rushing creates panic; arriving with time to spare allows your child to settle, visit the toilet, and feel calm before the exam begins.

If possible, do a practice run to the venue in advance so you know the route, the parking situation, and how long the journey takes.

Keep the Mood Positive

On the journey, talk about normal, pleasant things — not the exam. Ask about their plans for the weekend, discuss a book they are reading, or play their favourite music in the car. Avoid last-minute quizzing or instructions like "Remember to use paragraphs." Your child has prepared; now they need your confidence and calm, not additional pressure.

During the Exam

Once your child is in the exam room, they are on their own — but the strategies they have practised will carry them through. Here are the key principles to remember.

Read the Instructions Twice

This sounds simple, but exam nerves can cause children to misread questions or miss important details. Before starting to write, read the instructions on the front of the paper carefully. Then read the specific question or prompt twice. Underlining key words in the question can help focus attention on exactly what is being asked.

Plan Before Writing

For creative writing tasks, spending three to four minutes on a quick plan is time well invested, not time wasted. A brief plan — even just five bullet points — provides a roadmap that prevents the panic of not knowing what to write next. It also ensures the story has a clear beginning, middle, and end rather than trailing off because the writer ran out of ideas.

Watch the Clock

Time management is crucial. If the exam has multiple sections, note how many minutes are available for each and pace accordingly. For a creative writing task, a useful rule of thumb is:

• First 3-4 minutes — read the prompt and plan
• Middle 18-20 minutes — write the piece
• Final 3-4 minutes — read through and check for errors

If your child is running out of time, it is better to write a brief but complete ending than to leave the piece unfinished. Examiners reward a sense of closure.

Leave Time to Check

The final few minutes should be reserved for proofreading. Read through the entire piece slowly, looking for:

• Missing full stops and capital letters
• Spelling errors, particularly in common words
• Sentences that do not make sense or are incomplete
• Missing words (it is surprisingly common to skip words when writing quickly)

Even correcting two or three small errors can make a meaningful difference to the overall impression of the piece.

Managing Nerves

Some level of nervousness is normal and even helpful — it sharpens focus and provides energy. But excessive anxiety can interfere with performance. These techniques can help your child manage their nerves effectively.

Breathing Techniques

Teach your child the 4-7-8 breathing method before exam day so it feels natural when they need it:

• Breathe in quietly through the nose for 4 seconds
• Hold the breath for 7 seconds
• Breathe out slowly through the mouth for 8 seconds
• Repeat three or four times

This technique activates the body's relaxation response and can be done discreetly in the exam room. Even two or three slow, deep breaths can reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety — racing heart, shallow breathing, and tense muscles.

Positive Self-Talk

The voice inside a child's head has enormous power. If that voice is saying "I can't do this" or "I'm going to fail," anxiety will escalate. Teach your child to replace negative thoughts with realistic, encouraging ones:

• "I have practised for this and I am ready"
• "I just need to do my best — that is enough"
• "Feeling nervous is normal. It means my brain is getting ready to work hard"
• "I will take it one question at a time"

Practise these phrases at home in the weeks before the exam, not just on the day. The more familiar they are, the more automatically your child will reach for them when needed.

What to Do If You Get Stuck

Getting stuck during an exam is not a disaster — it happens to everyone. What matters is how your child responds.

• Do not panic — take three slow breaths and remind yourself that feeling stuck is temporary.
• Move on — if a particular question is causing difficulty, move to the next one and come back later. Spending ten minutes on a question worth two marks while neglecting a section worth ten marks is poor strategy.
• Re-read the prompt — for creative writing, re-reading the title or prompt can spark new ideas. Sometimes the answer is hiding in the question itself.
• Write something — a partial answer is always better than a blank space. Even a few sentences will earn some marks. Examiners cannot give marks for an empty page.
• Use your plan — if you planned your creative writing at the start, look back at your plan. It will remind you where you were heading and what comes next.

The children who perform best in exams are not the ones who never feel stuck. They are the ones who have practised getting unstuck.