The best 11+ study routine is one your child can keep up week after week without it taking over family life. Steady and sustainable will always beat short bursts of intense effort.
Plan it together
Involve your child in deciding when and how they practise. A plan they helped make is one they are far more likely to follow.
Keep sessions short
Fifteen to thirty minutes is usually enough. Choose a time of day when your child concentrates well, which for many children is not straight after school.
Mix it up
Rotate through the subjects your area tests: comprehension, spelling and grammar, maths, vocabulary and reading, plus verbal or non-verbal reasoning if they are part of your local test. Variety keeps practice fresh and stops weaker areas being quietly avoided.
Know when to stop
If your child is tired, upset or not taking anything in, stop. Forcing a session usually does more harm than good, and a fresh start tomorrow works better.
Keep it positive
Praise effort and celebrate progress, however small. Avoid comparisons with other children.
Protect the balance
Keep time for friends, hobbies and doing nothing in particular. Build in days with no 11+ practice at all, especially during school holidays.
Stay flexible
Routines can change as the test gets closer or when school gets busy. What matters is that practice stays regular. Cramming in the last few weeks rarely works.
Calm and consistent beats hours of revision. Your child is preparing for a test, not training for the Olympics!
