The Tiffin Girls’ School tests in two stages. Stage 1 is in early October of Year 6: English and maths papers of under an hour, answered on a machine read sheet; the English is multiple choice and the maths mixes multiple choice with numbers written into digit boxes. The highest scorers sit Stage 2 in November, set and marked by the school: English (reading comprehension and a creative writing task, written in answer booklets) and maths, where only the answers are marked. English counts for 60% and maths for 40%.
How to prepare for the Tiffin Girls’
The Tiffin Girls’ School two-stage test 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 October.
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.