Good preparation for the Selective test is a runway, not a sprint. The families who feel calm on the day are usually the ones who built skill steadily over a couple of years, rather than cramming in the months before. Here’s a staged plan that does that.
A staged runway
- Year 4
- Foundations — reading, vocabulary, number sense
- Year 5
- Introduce exam-style questions · sit a baseline mock
- Year 6 (early)
- Full cycle of timed mocks + writing feedback
- Year 6 (final stretch)
- Taper · consolidate · rest before the test
Year 4: foundations, no heavy drilling
This stage is about capability, not exam technique. Read widely and often, grow vocabulary through real books and conversation, and build number sense so mental maths feels natural. Avoid worksheets-as-grind at this age — they sap enthusiasm and teach little that wide reading and curiosity won’t teach better. The aim is a child who enjoys thinking, not one who’s already tired of tests.
Year 5: introduce the format and find a baseline
Now you can gently introduce exam-style questions so the formats stop feeling foreign — multiple-choice reasoning, on-screen comprehension, the rhythm of timed sections. Partway through the year, sit one baseline mock under realistic conditions. Its purpose isn’t a score to worry about; it’s a map of where the gaps are. Use our selective practice tests for this, then plan the next year around what it reveals.
Year 6: the full cycle, then taper
This is the year for a complete preparation cycle: regularly spaced full mock tests in the real on-screen format, writing feedback on every piece, and deliberate work on weak spots. The two non-negotiables are reviewing every mistake and not neglecting Writing.
Don’t let Writing slide. It’s a full 25% of the test and the section most families underprepare. Frequent, criterion-based feedback — the kind that tells a child exactly what to change — is where the gains are. Our guide to the Writing task explains what markers actually reward.
As the test approaches, taper. The final stretch is for consolidating and resting, not for last-minute cramming. A rested, confident child performs better than an exhausted one who did three more papers.
A realistic, feedback-rich way to do all this
Doing the above well means lots of exam-realistic practice and fast, specific feedback — which is hard to sustain by hand. Test Academy’s platform is the strongest we’ve reviewed for exactly this: timed mocks with percentile ranking and time-efficiency analysis, and criterion-by-criterion writing feedback in seconds. For a guided structure across the whole runway, the Selective Mastery course sequences it for you.