Registration for the ISEB Pre-Tests taken is completed by the child’s parent or guardian via the Guardian Portal.
Registration for the 2024-25 academic year is now open; please visit the Guardian portal to register and create your child’s Applicant Profile.
If you have a child due to take the Pre-Tests in the 2024-25 academic year we recommend you join our mailing list for important information, resources and guidance directly from the exam board.
Registration for tests taking place in the 2024-25 academic year is now open.
Parents and guardians will need to create an account on the Guardian Portal from 10 June 2024. Once you have an account, you will be able to log in and create an Applicant Profile for your child. Please note that this account is different from the families/parent account you may have set up on the ISEB online shop, and your login details for this account will not work on the Guardian Portal. If you are having trouble accessing your Guardian Portal account, please read this support article.
Registration for parents and guardians is:
– Free: There is no charge to parents/guardians for registering children for the ISEB Pre-Tests. – Simple: Registration is completed through an easy-to-use online admissions platform called the Guardian Portal. – Quick: You only need to register your child for the test once, no matter how many different schools they are applying for. – Editable: You may return to the Guardian Portal to add to or amend your child’s registration.
Once you have created the Applicant Profile, you will be able to view your child’s Applicant ID. This will need to be sent to the senior schools you are applying to. Each senior school will let you know how to share the Applicant ID with them. You must share the Applicant ID with each senior school so that your child can take the tests and have their results shared with that school.
For more information on the process, read this step-by-step guide to registering children for the Pre-Tests.
Information about test scheduling, submitting special requests, and selecting an invigilation centre.
Most children in the UK take the Pre-Tests at their current prep or junior school. If this is not an option, many senior schools will act as invigilation centres for the tests. If your child cannot take the tests at either their current or prospective school, you will need to arrange for a non-school test venue. Please contact ISEB for support sourcing an approved non-school invigilation centre venue. If you select an invigilation centre in the guardian portal you will need to contact them to ensure they have booked the test for you and it is scheduled to take place before your child's test deadline.
Parents and guardians will need to inform senior schools of any SEND or EAL requirements. If your child has SEND requirements, you can enter these during the registration process on the Guardian Portal. You will be given an opportunity to upload any documentation required, and select which adjustments are required, such as extra time. These requests must be approved by the senior school. Please speak directly to each senior school if you have specific questions regarding support for your child. The senior school will advise what documentation is required as proof of SEND status. You may also wish to talk to your child's current school's SENCO for advice.
The Pre-Tests can be taken at any time during the testing window, which runs from the autumn to spring term in each academic year. Your child's invigilation centre will schedule the tests according to the test deadline set by the senior school. If your child has more than one senior school application, the invigilation centre can view all the senior school deadlines and schedule according to the earliest deadline. If your child's invigilation centre is their current school or a senior school to which they are applying, the tests will probably be scheduled on a suitable date during the school timetable.
Children will usually take the Pre-Tests at their current school, or at a senior school to which they are applying. If your child’s current school does not usually host the Pre-Tests, it is quick and easy for them to get set up as an invigilation centre, and ISEB can support them throughout the process. We have created a flyer that parents can share with their child’s current school that explains how to get set up as an invigilation centre in two simple steps, and what they will need to run the session.
Download the Two steps to become a Pre-Tests invigilation centre flyer for current schools.
If you need to find an invigilation centre, please review the map below to see if there is a centre in your area that you can contact.
Personal information required (for the Applicant): You will need your child’s legal first name, middle name, and surname, their date of birth, gender, and the name of their current school.
Invigilation centre: The name of the school or test venue where your chid will take the Pre-Tests.
SEND status: If your child has SEND, you must provide information and documentation in this section.
EAL status: If your child has EAL, you can add details in this section.
To request 25% extra time or other adjustments, you must first upload the evidence required by each senior school. ISEB recommends contacting the senior schools to which your child is applying to find out what evidence they require. Most senior schools will require a professional assessor’s report (e.g. an Educational Psychologist) and a letter from your current school’s SENCO that outlines your child’s normal ways of working. However, you should check this with the senior school now so that you can be prepared for when you complete registration. Senior schools that you have applied to will be able to see all uploaded SEND documents and will use these to make their decision on your request for extra time and other adjustments.
View
ISEB Pre-Tests: Information for Parents
ISEB Pre-Tests: Test Framework
ISEB Pre-Tests: SEND Guidance
The step-by-step process for SEND
Registration for the 2024-25 testing session opens on 10 June 2024.
Read this step-by-step guide to registering children for the Pre-Tests for full information about how to register.
Before completing the registration for the ISEB Pre-Tests in the Guardian Portal, parents/guardians should always inform senior schools about their child’s specific needs to discuss with the senior school what provision or adjustments should be made when assessing them for entry. The senior schools will advise what reports/documentation will be required as evidence. This is to ensure that the correct report/documentation is provided in the Guardian Portal.
Where appropriate, and in agreement with senior schools, applicants with SEND can be given additional time of 25% to complete each test element. Applicants requiring extra time should have extra time requested for them by the parents/guardians as part of their registration in the ISEB Guardian Portal.
Other access arrangements allow applicants with special educational needs or disabilities to access the assessment, based on evidence of need and normal way of working.
If parents are unsure whether their child needs extra time and/or other access arrangements, they should speak with their current school’s SENCO.
Senior schools must approve the access arrangements before the tests are taken.
The ISEB Pre-Tests are accessible to applicants for whom English is an Additional Language (EAL). Reasonable adjustments may be applied, the nature of which will depend on the candidate’s specific needs. For applicants with EAL, this may include the use of a standard bilingual paper dictionary. In individual cases, schools may decide that not all test elements are a suitable form of assessment for a candidate whose first language is not English.
ISEB recommends that, in the first instance, a pupil sits the ISEB Pre-Tests at their current school or at the senior school to which they are applying for entry.
Many senior schools that use the Pre-Tests for admissions work with a number of third-party educational and governmental organisations that are approved to act as an invigilation centre.
Parents and guardians should contact their child’s prospective senior school to find out if there are any existing approved third-party invigilation centres they can use.
Alternatively, or for additional support, parents and guardians can contact ISEB for help sourcing an approved non-school venue invigilation centre.
Yes, it is possible for applicants to take the ISEB Pre-Tests overseas.
For overseas applicants, parents should ask the child’s current school if they can invigilate the ISEB Pre-Tests. If the pupil’s current school cannot accommodate the test, please contact ISEB for support in sourcing an approved non-school invigilation centre.
An applicant only takes the ISEB Pre-Tests once in an academic year. Having taken the tests, his/her results are shared with each senior school which registers them.
This minimises stress and anxiety for children and we encourage parents to recognise this significant advantage.
If a candidate takes the ISEB Pre-Tests more than once in the same academic year, the results from the first tests will be used.
To access a range of support articles, videos and FAQs about using the Guardian Portal and registering your child for the tests, visit our Common Pre-Tests Knowledge Base. You can also contact us with any queries you might have by submitting a ticket.
Find our more about the best way to approach preparing for the Pre-Tests and access a range of support resources.
Join our mailing list to get important Pre-Tests updates for parents and guardians.
Thank you for submitting the form
Explore Bond Online Premium Plus, the only ISEB-endorsed Pre-Tests practice platform.
Prepare for admissions interviews with ISEB and Oppidan Education. Access free resources including a video masterclass series.
