Where do children make most mistakes in their 11 Plus Non-Verbal Reasoning exam?

In Non-Verbal Reasoning mistakes tend to be focussed on core exam techniques rather than any subject specific issues.

If there were one topic which did cause most issues it would be the spatial awareness questions (nets of cubes, opening out and closing up shapes, 3d rotations and reflections) but some children will simply have a greater ability in this area.

The largest number of problems come with working quickly and accurately. Children simply make too many mistakes on questions which they will happily admit they should know the answer to. This is caused by poor attention to detail, bad habits (too much guessing, using online sources) and of course the pressure on the day.

Pressure can play a very big part in poor levels of performance on the day, particularly with NVR so anything that can be done to avoid it will be beneficial.

What can you expect your child to do in Non-Verbal Reasoning – typical experience

Some children will be better at Non-Verbal Reasoning than others. Examiners tend to place huge time pressure on children because they use a child’s ability to work quickly and accurately as an indicator of potential and intelligence.

Lots of children become well enough prepared to be able to score 90%+ in tests (untimed), but under pressure their scores may slip to 80% or below.