Year 6 heralds a seemingly complex network of tests and interviews for children, but none more so than the Eton List Test. While parents are beginning to get to grips with the ISEB test through suitable preparation platforms like Atom Learning, Eton's own test remains a mystery to most families who contact Oppidan. "Is it a game?"..."I heard some boys just burst into tears as it begins." The hearsay on offer is often humorous, if unhelpful.

Each year roughly 1,300 boys will apply to Eton, with 240 successfully winning 'A' places. Those close behind will be offered 'B' places on a waitlist, with a second round taking place in Y7 to reevaluate the cohort.

The reality is that the test itself hasn't changed a great deal since Walter and I took it as 11 year olds in early 2003.

Eton began using the test just after the Millennium with boys who are now almost thirty years old. Designed by Durham University for many years, it has more recently been taken on by Cambridge, who work alongside Eton to create something adaptive and unique, an hour in length, that looks not just at current level, but at potential. This is the key: the Eton Test is designed to work out how boys might be able to achieve in the future, not just what they have learnt to this point. We think it should be trusted. Gamification of the test offers challenges for the boys that revolve around balancing speed and accuracy, testing cognitive and reasoning skills in a genuinely engaging, fun way. 'Fun' is an important word; many boys return home from the test mentioning the 'interesting' approach it took - they enjoy the challenge.

The test gets harder if you do well and this is something for boys to relish, not fear. Exercises include comprehension at speed, memory testing, shape-shifting games and situational mathematics.

So how to prepare? With any online test, it's about 'doing your stretches', not over-exerting. Light test preparation enables greater familiarity and builds confidence, too much leads to burnout. At Oppidan we have created resources for our mentors that help with this. In the end, our best advice is to relax and let the test work its magic. Boys will be fairly judged alongside their interview and their school reference; these elements are just as, if not more important.

In 2021, Oppidan will have supported more boys applying for Eton than a successful prep school. We pride ourselves on taking an engaging, relaxed approach to making the most of the opportunity on offer and feel we understand the school and its approach better than most. Most importantly, Eton is not the school for every boy. Too often we see parents keen to shoehorn their child into a school that is not right for them. For any boy undergoing the process, the aim must be to enjoy it for its intrinsic value, rather than its (often disappointing) end result.

For any further queries re: Eton or Oppidan's approach to mentoring, please do get in touch.