The final month before the 11+ is not the time to prove how much revision your family can endure. It is the time to make performance predictable.
You want the child to know the format, manage the clock, recover from a difficult question and use familiar methods automatically. A calm four-week structure is usually more useful than a frantic list of everything that might appear.
Week 4: diagnose under realistic conditions
Sit a full timed mock in the correct style for the target exam. Use realistic breaks and answer-sheet procedures where appropriate.
If you need a paper to sit this weekend, the free timed mocks come with marking schemes and answer sheets so you can score it properly. free timed mock papers
Then analyse the result in categories:
- knowledge gaps;
- misread questions;
- timing or unfinished sections;
- answer-transfer errors;
- repeated topic weaknesses.
Choose three priorities for the week. Do not try to fix every wrong answer equally.
Week 3: repair the highest-value weaknesses
Spend most sessions on the gaps identified in Week 4. Use short targeted worksheets, then finish with mixed questions so the child has to recognise when to use the method.
Add one or two short timed sections. The aim is to keep exam pace alive while still learning.
At the end of the week, revisit several questions that were originally wrong. If the child can now solve them independently, the correction has stuck.
Week 2: rehearse the real format
Sit another full or centre-specific mock. Compare it with the previous one, but do not look only at the percentage.
Did the child complete more? Were there fewer answer-sheet errors? Is the weakest subject improving? Did they handle a difficult question without getting stuck for five minutes?
Use the remaining sessions to tidy amber areas — skills that are close to secure.
This is also the week to confirm practical exam details: location, arrival time, permitted equipment and any instructions sent by the school or test authority.
Week 1: reduce volume, increase familiarity
The final seven days should feel controlled. Use shorter sessions, familiar question types and quick review of common errors.
A full mock early in the week may be reasonable if your child responds well to them, but avoid turning the last few days into a sequence of score tests.
Keep bedtime stable. Make sure the child knows what will happen on exam morning. Normality is an advantage.
The day before
Do not cram. If your child wants to practise, use a short confidence-building set and stop early.
Pack what the official instructions require. Plan travel. Choose breakfast. Then let the child do something ordinary.
The goal is to arrive rested, not “fully revised” at the cost of sleep.
The morning of the exam
Avoid a last-minute lecture about every strategy ever learned. Give one or two reminders only: read instructions, keep moving, and do not let one hard question steal the paper.
A child cannot control the difficulty of the test or the performance of other candidates. They can control how they use their time and methods.
Use the right mock for the right test
If your child is sitting at a specific centre or consortium, format familiarity matters. EduArchives includes centre-specific practice alongside standard mocks.
Find the closest practice format →
Frequently asked questions
How many mocks should we do in the final month?
There is no universal number. Enough to rehearse timing and reveal weaknesses, but not so many that targeted learning, schoolwork and rest disappear.
Should we increase revision hours in the last month?
Not automatically. Better targeting often matters more than more hours. Protect sleep and concentration.
What if the last mock goes badly?
Treat it as information, not a prediction. Identify whether the issue was knowledge, timing, fatigue or one unusually difficult section and adjust the final plan accordingly.