ISEB Pre-Test schools 2026: The list of senior schools
The ISEB Common Pre-Test is the most widely used pre-test in UK independent senior school admissions. Many of the leading independent senior schools subscribe, from day schools in London to boarding schools across the home counties and beyond. ISEB does not publish a current subscribing total on its public site; recent published counts have sat around 80 schools. If your child is sitting it in Year 6 or Year 7, the chances are that at least one school on your shortlist uses it.
This guide groups the main subscribing schools by region, flags how schools tend to use the result (sift, shortlist, or one signal among several), and points you to the things worth checking on each school's own admissions page before you commit.
The list of subscribing schools changes year to year. Always confirm on the school's own admissions page that the Pre-Test is still required, and that the deadline and registration route match what you've read elsewhere.
How schools use the Pre-Test result in practice
Schools rarely use the Pre-Test as a single pass/fail score. In practice, it tends to do one of three jobs.
For the most oversubscribed schools (think Eton, Westminster, St Paul's), the Pre-Test is a sift. A strong standardised age score (SAS) gets your child through to the next round, which is usually an interview, a written paper, or both. For smaller or less oversubscribed schools, the Pre-Test is one signal alongside the school report, references, and the interview. And for a handful of schools, the Pre-Test sits inside a longer assessment day with additional subject papers.
Knowing which category a school falls into matters more than the SAS threshold itself. A 125 at one school will sail through; at another it might just scrape the next round. Schools don't publish their cut-offs, but the senior school's own admissions team will usually tell you frankly how competitive entry is.
London day schools
Most of the well-known central and west London independents either accept or require the Pre-Test for 11+ or 13+ entry. The picture for 2026 entry is broadly:
| School | Entry point | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| St Paul's School | 13+ | Sift, followed by interview and written papers |
| Westminster School | 13+ | Sift, followed by interview and written papers |
| Westminster Under School | 11+ | Used alongside school's own assessment |
| Dulwich College | 11+ | Sift, followed by interview (13+ Year 9 entry uses Dulwich's own bespoke papers) |
| University College School (UCS) | 13+ | Used alongside interview and references |
| James Allen's Girls' School (JAGS) | 11+ | Sift, followed by interview |
| Lady Eleanor Holles | 11+ | Used alongside school's own assessment |
| Harrodian Senior School | 11+ | Used alongside interview |
| Maida Vale School | 11+ | Used alongside interview |
| Kew House School | 11+ | Used alongside interview |
| Fulham Senior School | 11+ | Used alongside interview |
Major boarding schools
The Pre-Test is the standard route into most leading boys' and co-ed boarding schools at 13+. Many boys' schools, in particular, use the Pre-Test in Year 6 to decide who gets a conditional place two years before entry.
| School | Entry point | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eton College | 13+ | Sat in Year 6 autumn, followed by interview and Eton-specific tasks |
| Harrow School | 13+ | Sat in Year 6 or 7, followed by interview |
| Charterhouse | 13+ | Sat in Year 6 or 7, followed by interview |
| Wellington College | 13+ | Sat in Year 6 or 7 |
| Marlborough College | 13+ | Used in pre-test stage for Year 9 entry |
| Bradfield College | 13+ | Pre-test plus school assessment |
| Radley College | 13+ | Boys-only, sat in Year 6 |
| Tonbridge School | 13+ | Boys-only, sat in Year 6 |
| Lancing College | 13+ | Used with interview |
| Bedford School | 13+ | Used with interview |
| Oundle School | 13+ | Used with interview |
| Stowe School | 13+ | Used with interview |
Girls' senior schools
Several leading girls' schools subscribe, though some maintain their own entrance papers in parallel and treat the Pre-Test as one piece of evidence rather than the gateway.
| School | Entry point | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Downe House School | 11+, 13+ | Used as a sift before assessment day |
| Benenden School | 11+, 13+ | Used alongside school's own assessment |
| St Swithun's School | 11+, 13+ | Used alongside school's own assessment |
| Woldingham School | 11+ | Used alongside interview |
| Roedean School | 11+, 13+ | Used alongside school's own assessment |
| Abbot's Hill School | 11+ | Used alongside interview |
| Palmers Green High School | 11+ | Used alongside interview |
Schools across the south east and home counties
Outside London and the big-name boarders, a cluster of strong day and boarding schools across Surrey, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Thames Valley use the Pre-Test as the front door to 11+ or 13+ entry.
| School | Entry point | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Brighton College | 11+, 13+ | East Sussex |
| Hurstpierpoint College | 11+, 13+ | West Sussex |
| Seaford College | 13+ | West Sussex |
| Cranleigh School | 13+ | Surrey |
| Caterham School | 11+ | Surrey |
| Berkhamsted Senior School | 11+, 13+ | Hertfordshire |
| King's School Canterbury | 13+ | Kent |
| King's School Rochester | 11+, 13+ | Kent |
| King Edward's School Witley | 11+, 13+ | Surrey |
| Pangbourne College | 13+ | Berkshire |
| St Edward's School | 13+ | Oxford |
Schools across the rest of England
Coverage thins out beyond the south east, but several of the largest and best-known boarding schools in the Midlands, East Anglia, the North and the West Country also subscribe.
| School | Entry point | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Ampleforth College | 13+ | North Yorkshire |
| Birkdale School | 11+ | South Yorkshire |
| Bloxham School | 13+ | Oxfordshire |
| Brentwood School | 11+, 13+ | Essex |
| Felsted School | 13+ | Essex |
| Culford School | 11+, 13+ | Suffolk |
| The Leys School | 11+, 13+ | Cambridgeshire |
| Worth School | 13+ | West Sussex |
| King's College Taunton | 13+ | Somerset |
| Dauntsey's School | 11+, 13+ | Wiltshire |
This list isn't exhaustive. The full subscribing list, which ISEB updates each year, has sat around 80 senior schools in recent counts. Treat this guide as a starting point for your shortlist research, then check the senior school's own admissions page for the definitive current arrangements.
When children sit the test
Most subscribing schools test in Year 6, usually between September and December, for entry in Year 7 or Year 9. The 13+ boarders typically test in the autumn or spring of Year 6, so the result can sit on file for two years before your child starts.
A few schools test in Year 7 instead, particularly for 13+ entry where the school wants a more current picture. The senior school's admissions page will state the window clearly. Your child sits the Pre-Test once per year (the system blocks repeat attempts), and the same SAS is shared with every subscribing school you've applied to.
What to do once you've got your shortlist
Once you've identified two or three subscribing schools, three practical steps tend to matter more than reading any further guide.
First, register directly with the schools, not via ISEB. Each school will tell you which test centre to book and when. The Pre-Test itself is free; the senior schools cover the cost.
Second, look at the school's overall admissions arrangements, not just the Pre-Test slot. Many schools combine the Pre-Test with a school report, references, an interview and, at 13+, often Common Entrance or the school's own papers a year or two later. The Pre-Test is rarely the whole story.
Third, talk to the school. Admissions offices at independent schools are usually candid about how competitive entry is, what kind of SAS tends to clear the sift, and what the next stage looks like in practice.
