Senior schools use a child's ISEB Common Pre-Test score, sat in Year 6 or 7, to make an early conditional offer for entry at 13 — years ahead of Common Entrance itself. Common Entrance (CE13), sat in Year 8, then largely confirms that offer, provided the pupil has kept working to a suitable standard.
Why the offer comes so early
The timing gap here is the whole point of the system. A pupil applying to a senior school for Year 9 entry (age 13) would traditionally have had to wait until CE13 results in Year 8 to know whether they had a place — leaving very little runway for a family to plan, or for a prep school to advise on realistic alternatives. The Common Pre-Test exists to close that gap. By testing reasoning and core academic skills in Year 6 or 7, well before CE13 is even set, senior schools get a standardised, comparable basis to make a decision far earlier.
| Stage | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| ISEB Common Pre-Test | Year 6 or Year 7 | Adaptive online assessment; senior school receives a standardised score |
| Conditional offer | Shortly after the Pre-Test | Senior school offers a place, conditional on continued suitable progress |
| Common Entrance (CE13) | Year 8 | Prep school administers papers set by ISEB; scripts sent to the senior school |
| Confirmation | Following the CE13 results | Offer is usually confirmed, not re-decided from scratch |
What "conditional" actually means in practice
A conditional offer is not a guarantee with no further requirement — it is a place held open on the understanding that the pupil keeps developing broadly in line with the picture the Pre-Test gave. In the years between the Pre-Test and Common Entrance, the pupil's own prep school continues to teach and assess them, and it is the prep school's report of the pupil's progress — alongside their CE13 performance — that the senior school relies on to confirm the place.
This is the mechanism that gives families and prep schools genuine certainty years ahead of the actual exam, which is the core practical benefit of the Pre-Test system over an all-or-nothing exam at 13.
Why Common Entrance mostly confirms rather than re-selects
Because the conditional offer has already been made on the basis of the Pre-Test, Common Entrance at 13 is not generally a fresh competition against other candidates. Its role is closer to a check: does the pupil's performance, together with their school's report, remain consistent with the offer that was already made? For the great majority of pupils who continue working steadily, CE13 confirms what was already understood to be the outcome, rather than surprising the family with a different one. The mechanics of how CE13 papers are actually marked — including who does the marking and why the "pass mark" isn't a single fixed number — are covered in How Are Common Entrance Papers Marked?.
What could still cause a conditional offer to be withdrawn
Briefly — because this deserves its own full treatment — a conditional offer is not entirely risk-free. The main circumstances that can put one in doubt are a significant, sustained drop in the pupil's academic performance relative to what the offer assumed, a CE13 result that falls well short of the senior school's required standard, or a serious concern raised in the prep school's report (for example around conduct or effort) rather than a single weak paper. Schools generally look at the whole picture — including references and interview impressions — before acting on any of these, and a narrow shortfall on its own rarely leads to withdrawal. For the fuller picture on exactly what can and can't unpick a conditional offer, see the companion article What Does a Conditional Offer at 13 Really Mean?.
FAQ
Does a strong Pre-Test score guarantee my child a place?
It gives a conditional offer, not an unconditional one. The place is expected to be confirmed provided the pupil's progress and CE13 result remain broadly consistent with what the Pre-Test suggested — it is not a guarantee that removes all further requirement.
If my child's Pre-Test score was borderline, is a conditional offer still possible?
Yes — a Pre-Test score is one part of a wider picture that can include references, an interview and the senior school's own sense of fit, so a borderline score does not automatically rule out an offer. Ask the individual senior school's admissions office how they weigh the Pre-Test alongside these other elements for their own process.
Can a family apply to more than one senior school using the same Pre-Test result?
The Pre-Test result can be shared with multiple senior schools via the Guardian Portal, but each senior school makes its own, independent admissions decision based on that result and its own criteria — a conditional offer from one school says nothing about whether another school will make the same decision.
What happens between the conditional offer and Common Entrance?
The pupil continues at their prep school as normal, working towards the CE13 syllabus in whichever subjects the senior school requires. The prep school and the family typically stay in contact with the senior school's admissions office during this period, particularly if there is any concern about progress.
If a conditional offer depends on your child keeping pace in core subjects between now and Common Entrance, focused one-to-one support can help — explore aitutors.me to find out more.