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Scores

How to read mock results

The short answer

A mock score is a snapshot from one practice test, compared with whoever else sat it. Different mock providers and practice platforms use different papers, different groups of children and different scales, so their numbers often disagree, and none of them is your child's real score. The most useful part of a mock result is usually the detail: which questions were missed, why, and whether time ran out.

What to do next

  1. Step 1: Look at which questions were missed, and why

    The detail tells you more than the headline score.

  2. Step 2: Check whether time ran out

    Running out of time needs different practice from not knowing a topic.

  3. Step 3: Compare scores carefully

    A mock score is not on the same scale as your area’s real test.

    Standardised scores explained

Why do different mocks give different scores?

Because almost everything about them differs:

  • The paper. Mock writers can't use the real test, so they write their own. GL Assessment says 11+ tests vary from area to area, so a local test’s timings, topics and number of questions may differ from GL’s own materialsGL Assessment: tests vary by areaChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School.The source says: 11+ tests vary from area to area so please be aware that the exact timings, the combination of topics covered (for example, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, Maths and English) and the number of questions in your local 11+ test may differ from those in our familiarisation and practice materials.View the official source, and Quest writes tests for individual schools or consortia (Tiffin's is a bespoke test made with QuestTiffin School: test written with QuestChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Tiffin School.The source says: Each year we work with Quest to create a bespoke test specifically for Tiffin, which also changes annually.View the official source), so a mock can only approximate your test.
  • The group of children. A score is usually worked out against the children who sat that mock. If they were very well prepared, your child's score will look lower; if not, higher.
  • The scale. One mock may give a percentage, another a "standardised score", another a rank. These are not interchangeable with each other, or with your area's real scale.
  • The day. Children are tired, nervous or distracted on some days. One result can swing a lot.

So if one mock says your child is comfortably above a pass mark and another says well below, both can be "right" about their own test and still tell you little about the real one.

How should you compare a mock score with a pass mark?

Carefully. A real pass mark, such as Buckinghamshire's qualifying score of 121Buckinghamshire: Qualifying scoreChecked 9 Oct 2026 against The Bucks Grammar Schools (TBGS).The source says: The qualifying score for Buckinghamshire grammar schools is a Secondary Transfer Test Score (STTS) of 121 or above.View the official source, sits on that area's own scale (each section there is standardised between 60 and 170Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (STT): Standardised score rangeChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Buckinghamshire Council.The source says: A child's ‘standardised score' will be between 60 and 170.View the official source). A mock may borrow the same numbers without being standardised the same way. Treat any comparison as a rough indication, and look at the trend across several pieces of evidence rather than at one number.

What should you look at instead of the headline score?

  • Unfinished questions. If your child ran out of time, practise pace before anything else.
  • Careless errors. Misreading, skipping a word such as "not", or marking the wrong box. These are often the quickest wins.
  • Topic gaps. Questions your child didn't know how to start. Note the topic and teach it calmly.
  • Strong areas. Name them to your child. Confidence matters.

What should you do after a disappointing mock?

  1. Pause before reacting. Your child will notice how you respond.
  2. Look at the detail together, briefly, and pick one or two things to work on.
  3. Don't immediately add more practice. Often the better fix is technique or rest, not volume.
  4. Remember what a mock is for: finding things to improve while there is still time.

If your child is very unhappy, or the mock confirms worries you already had, it is fine to reconsider whether the 11+ is right for them. See is the 11+ worth it? and keeping perspective.

Sources

Facts on this page come from archived official sources checked on 9 October 2026: GL Assessment (11+ familiarisation page), Tiffin School and our verified Buckinghamshire records.

ExamKind is independent and does not run or recommend any mock provider. How we make our content.

Facts used in this guidesources in each row
FactDetailSource
GL Assessment: tests vary by area11+ tests vary from area to area, so a local test’s timings, topics and number of questions may differ from GL’s own materialsSource: Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, checked
Tiffin School: test written with Questa bespoke test made with QuestSource: Tiffin School, checked
Buckinghamshire: Qualifying score121Source: The Bucks Grammar Schools (TBGS), checked
Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (STT): Standardised score range60 and 170Source: Buckinghamshire Council, checked

Written and checked by the ExamKind Editorial Team. Every fact on this page links to its official source. ExamKind is independent: no test provider, school or council owns us, and we have no ads. Spotted a mistake? Report an error on this page, or see every correction we have made.