Reading School uses the FSCE test. Children in its catchment area sit it in July of Year 5; children from outside sit it online in late September of Year 6. There are four papers on separate answer sheets: Adventure and Compass (multiple choice), Beacon (short answers written one letter or digit to a box) and Discovery (a creative paper, marked only for children with eligible scores). The papers can draw on any Key Stage 2 subject. FSCE publishes no past papers and no paper lengths, so Prism practises the English and maths at the core of the test in papers of our own length. There is no non-verbal reasoning.
How to prepare for the FSCE Reading
The FSCE test (Reading School, summer of Year 5) covers maths and English. Most families start steady preparation in Year 4 or early Year 5, building accuracy first and speed later, then sit timed papers through the summer before the test, which usually takes place in July.
For maths, secure the Key Stage 2 arithmetic, fractions, ratio and problem solving before moving to the multi-step questions that separate the strongest candidates.
For English, read widely every day and practise comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar; selective tests reward precise word knowledge.
This test includes a piece of writing, so practise planning and writing a short story or description in a set time.
Some answers are written, not chosen, so practise without options to fall back on: write the number or the words yourself, show the working where the paper asks for it, and check each answer against the question.