I’ve seen a lot of discussion on the forums lately about applying to international schools for our kids. While everyone seems to be stressing about the interviews, there’s often a major hurdle to clear even before that: the written exam! My eldest child just went through the application process for schools here in Madrid last year. We ran into quite a few pitfalls but also gained some valuable experience. So, I’m starting this thread to talk about everything related to entrance exams for international schools in Spain, hoping to help other parents who are on the same journey.
Most reputable international schools, like Runnymede College in Madrid or The British School of Barcelona, require a written entrance exam. For younger children, it might just be a simple session of drawing, letter recognition, and interaction with a teacher. However, starting from the middle primary years, the written exams become more formal, primarily assessing three key areas: English, Maths, and Cognitive Abilities. English is the top priority, as it’s an all-English teaching environment, and schools need to ensure the child can understand the lessons.
What’s on the Exam for Each Subject? And How to Prepare?
English
The English section usually includes reading comprehension, writing, and vocabulary. For reading, they’ll be given an age-appropriate passage followed by questions. The writing tasks are quite flexible; it could be a picture composition or, as seen in some [international school entrance exams], a short essay on a given topic. The main focus is on the child’s expressive and logical skills. Vocabulary questions, well, they test vocabulary. There are no shortcuts to preparing for this; the best way is through consistent effort, like reading original English books and encouraging your child to keep a diary in English.
Maths
The Maths questions usually aren’t overly difficult and are typically aligned with the British National Curriculum. For instance, when my child took the exam for Year 7, the topics included fractions, decimals, percentages, and some basic geometry. The crucial part is ensuring your child can understand the maths questions in English. Many children know how to solve the problems but fail because they don’t understand what’s being asked. A good strategy is to get some UK-equivalent year-level maths workbooks for your child to practice with and get familiar with the English terminology.
Cognitive Abilities Test
The CAT4 test is a nightmare for many parents because it doesn’t test specific knowledge but rather a child’s learning potential, such as logical reasoning and spatial awareness. It is mainly divided into four parts:
| Test Type | Assessed Ability |
|---|
| Verbal Reasoning | The ability to think logically with words. |
| Quantitative Reasoning | The ability to think logically with numbers. |
| Non-verbal Reasoning | The ability to reason using shapes and patterns, a common component of [international school entrance exams]. |
| Spatial Ability | The ability to mentally manipulate and transform 2D and 3D shapes. |
The question formats in the CAT4 are quite unique, and many children are stumped the first time they see them. What we did was find some practice tests online beforehand to let our child get a feel for them, so they’d be familiar with the question types and how to approach them. The official GL Assessment website has official practice materials; you can check out their resources for international school entrance exams. Don’t just assume it’s an IQ test and not prepare at all. Going in cold can really put your child at a disadvantage. Familiarity with the format is crucial! I hope this information is helpful to everyone, and I welcome other experienced parents to share their insights too!
