Different purposes
SATs are national curriculum tests that all state school pupils sit, used to measure the progress of schools rather than to select individual children. The 11 Plus is an optional, selective entrance exam used by grammar and some independent schools to choose pupils for a Year 7 place.
Different content and difficulty
Key Stage 2 SATs cover English and Maths from the national curriculum and are sat at the end of Year 6. The 11 Plus is usually sat at the start of Year 6 and reaches beyond the curriculum, adding Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning in most regions and rewarding speed and problem solving under tight timing.
Because the 11 Plus is selective, it is designed to stretch and separate able children, so it tends to feel harder and faster than SATs.
What this means for preparation
Strong SATs performance is a good sign, but it does not cover everything the 11 Plus tests, especially reasoning and timed problem solving. Prepare specifically for the 11 Plus in the format your target schools use, rather than assuming curriculum work alone is enough.
See where your child stands
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