100 Real 11 Plus Interview Questions, Tips and Advice For Independent Schools

100 Real 11 Plus Interview Questions, Tips and Advice For Independent Schools

Congratulations! If your child has been called in for an interview following an 11 Plus exam at an independent school, they’ve done well enough to get through to the next stage. Of course, this doesn’t guarantee an offer for a place at school, but your child is one step closer to an offer, which is excellent news!

If you want to take the worry out of getting this all-important preparation for the independent school interview right, you probably want an expert to walk your child through everything they need to know. 

That’s where our Independent School Interview Course can help!

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Preparation for the 11 Plus Independent School Interview

Schools will be looking for bright, articulate, confident and well-mannered children who can fit in with the school and give back to the school. 

Every school knows the type of student they are looking for, so your child mustn’t pretend to be someone he isn’t.

Pretending to love Greek mythology and then not knowing anything about Kind Oedipus or Hades will ring alarm bells and make it evident that your child has been primed for the interview – very dangerous territory. So, the biggest tip of all is to be natural!

Some 11 Plus Independent School Interview Questions To Get Started

Here is a list of some common interview questions to practice at home before the private school interview – start as early as possible, so you have plenty of time to help your child build their confidence:

  1. What is your favourite subject at your current school – and why?
  2. What is your least favourite subject and why?
  3. Why do you want to come to our school?
  4. What sport do you play?
  5. What is your favourite sport?
  6. What extracurricular activities do you do?
  7. Do you play any musical instruments?
  8. Have you performed in any plays?
  9. If you had unlimited money, what would you do with it and why?
  10. Who is your favourite author?
  11. What is your favourite subject at school – and why?
  12. What is your least favourite subject and why?
  13. Why do you want to come to our senior school?
  14. What sport do you play?
  15. What is your favourite sport?
  16. What extracurricular activities do you do?
  17. Do you play any musical instruments?
  18. Have you performed in any plays?
  19. If you had unlimited money, what would you do with it and why?
  20. Who is your favourite author?

For the complete set of 100 real 11+ independent school interview questions, including scholarship interview questions and, brain teaser questions, plus in-depth video tutorials for your child, check out our Independent School Interview Course

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Quick Tip for Preparing Your Child for the Independent School Interviews

All schools want to find out about your child’s personality, critical thinking, and future goals and see how well they will fit in with the school community, so they use several kinds of questions for this purpose. While it is a formal interview, schools know that many children will be nervous so try to make them feel as comfortable as possible.

You can be assured that your child will get the variety of interview questions that are likely to come up, along with even more guidance on what they can expect at the interview, what to avoid at the interview and more!

What is the Interviewer Looking For?

The interviewer will be looking for your child’s ability to communicate clearly, with a good level of accuracy and attention to detail. They may also ask you questions about how well they work as part of a team or if they have any previous experience working collaboratively.

Extension 11 Plus Interview Questions

There are different types of independent school interviews: the standard interview, which has the usual core questions, and the scholarship interview, with extension questions.

Core Questions

These questions are designed to test whether you understand the basic concepts of mathematics and how these relate to everyday life. You may be asked:

  1. What would your class teacher say is your strength?
  2. Tell me about yourself.
  3. What do you like about our school?
  4. Why did you apply to this school?
  5. What do you want to do for fun or in your free time?
  6. Which subjects do you like best? Why do you like it?
  7. What extracurricular activities interest you?

Extension Questions

These questions are used to see whether your child can apply their knowledge to solve practical problems. Your child may be asked questions like the following in an academic scholarship interview:

  1. Work out the area of a rectangle using the formula A x BC.
  2. Calculate the volume of an irregularly shaped container.
  3. Find the surface area of a cuboid.
  4. Solve equations involving square roots.
  5. Work out the cost of a product by multiplying together its prices.

For the complete set of 100 real 11+ independent school interview questions, plus in-depth video tutorials for your child, check out our Independent School Interview Course

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