Please note that the Mock Tests are organised exclusively by the St. Olave’s PA. Therefore, please direct any queries to the PA at olaves.mocktests@gmail.com and not to the School. We will not be able to provide any updates on queries made to the school. All updates are provided on this website.
In terms of logistics, cars will not be allowed to be parked on Park Avenue and council parking enforcement will be put in place to avoid inconvenience to the neighbours.
The St. Olave’s PA mock test is as similar to a real admission test as possible. It is held in the school hall using the same procedure and instructions as the St. Olave’s admission test and replicates the real St. Olave’s Stage 1 Selective Eligibility Test (SET) very closely. Therefore, because your child will have gone through the experience before, the real test should be a lot less stressful for your child.
Your child’s results will indicate the likelihood of performing strongly in the real SET (Selective Eligibility Test) , and will help identify any areas to focus learning on beforehand.
As parents who been through the process that you are going through, we understand that it can be a stressful time. We have run the mock tests since 2016 in order to offer parents of prospective entrants to grammar schools a practice test to help parents/carers and pupils prepare and set their expectations, and at the same time to raise funds for the school to enrich the lives of St. Olave’s pupils.
At St. Olave's Grammar School, Goddington Lane, Orpington, Kent, BR6 9SH. Note that entrance is only via the Park Lane entrance.
We believe this test will be of use to you regardless of which school you finally decide to apply to. It is open to both boys and girls.
Each mock test will cost £60.
The St. Olave’s Parents’ Association believes that everyone should have the opportunity to gain admission to a Grammar school and has a number of free places for those who can demonstrate financial hardship (for example to students in receipt of the Pupil Premium). If you think you qualify, then please apply in confidence to olaves.mocktests@gmail.com and provide details.
The mock test is intended to be as close to the St. Olave’s Stage 1 Selective Eligibility Test (SET) as possible. It contains four separate multiple choice sections across English Comprehension, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-verbal Reasoning.
The test itself is around 60 minutes, similar to the St. Olave’s SET as well as that of several other grammar schools. The entire process from the time you drop your child at the specified location until the time you can collect them is likely to be around 2 hours.
For copyright reasons we do not distribute the test questions. However, there will be sample papers that will be on sale for purchase during the mock test days. Please note that we now accept payment in both cash and card
The mock test is open to both boys and girls therefore your daughter is very welcome to sit the test. We believe that the St. Olave’s mock test is an excellent preparation for an entrance test to any grammar school.
The test is designed for children in Year 5 who will be sitting secondary school entrance exams in the next school year. The test is not appropriate for children who are not in Year 5.
Sample papers are available on sale for purchase during the mock test days. Please note that we now accept payment in both cash and card. In addition, the PA sell sample test papers at the school during their Open Day in the summer.
There is no pass or fail on this test. You will receive results showing which questions your child gets correct, wrong or does not attempt. This will help you decide whether he or she needs more support for a particular section in terms of practice or speed or both. We also provide a ranking within the cohort who sit the test at the same time as your child (separately for boys and girls and also across all candidates) which will help you understand their readiness for the real test.
Your son can perform well in one mock test in summer on a certain day. The main test paper although similar in style, can be more challenging for your son and also the cohort taking the SET can be much stronger than those taking PA Mock Test.
Results are emailed to your registered email address. To give you a very clear picture of your child’s performance in comparison to other potential grammar school applicants, we tell you:
After all the mock tests have been run, we send a further email with similar percentile ranks showing your child’s performance compared to all the pupils who have taken the test this year.
The test papers are sent away for marking and it takes us about 2 weeks to get the results, therefore the earliest we may publish results is two weeks after the mock test date. We endevour to issues the results between 2-3 weeks after the mock test date. Results are sent by email.
Please let us know of any special medical or education requirements. Atleast one of the mock test sessions will cater to those with special educational needs, known medical needs or other circumstances which may require positive action on the day of the test. You will be required to provide documentary evidence of needs. Any decision on eligibility for extra time taken by the Parents’ Association will be completely separate from a decision by the School on extra time for the actual SET.
Once bookings are open, all available sessions are shown on the website. There will be no sessions opening at a later date. There is a maximum of 150 places available in each session due to health and safety reasons. To be guaranteed a space in your chosen session, early booking is recommended.
This year we are only offering one test paper across all sessions therefore unless you want your child to attend multiple sessions for practice, we do not recommend you to book more than one session.
We currently only accept payment by PayPal. Setting up an account with Paypal is free and simple
Please let us know of any special medical or education requirements. One of the mock test sessions will cater to those with special educational needs (SEN), known medical needs or other circumstances which may require positive action on the day of the test. You will be required to provide documentary evidence of needs. Any decision on eligibility for extra time taken by the Parents’ Association will be completely separate from a decision by the School on extra time for the actual SET.
After you book, you should get a confirmation email from us. If you haven't got one, either you made a mistake with your email address or our email is in your spam folder. If you can't find it, please contact us, and add olaves.mocktests@gmail.com to your address book to make sure you receive emails from us in future.
There is a £10 administrative cost for a cancellation or a date change. Any changes will be subject to availability of a place on another date. However, we cannot change dates or give any refunds within 7 days of the date of the exam
See the information above. Please check dates of any school trips, sports days, sports fixtures, friends’ birthdays and other entrance tests etc before booking for your mock test session. There is a £10 administrative cost for a date change. Any changes will be subject to availability of a place on another date.
In the unlikely event of the Parents’ Association having to change or cancel the date of a test, we will give you at least two weeks’ notice and will offer you a choice of all available dates or a full refund.
Your child should ONLY have with them:
We will confiscate any disallowed items for the duration of the exam.
Comfortable clothes are best. As there will be some time spent waiting outside, please dress suitably for the weather.
All children are given an opportunity to go to the toilet before the test. Toilets are also available during and after the test if necessary.
Entry is via the Park Avenue Entrance ONLY. There is no entry from the Goddington Lane Entrance.
There is no parking available on site and extremely limited parking in neighbouring roads. If you are driving to the school, please be mindful of the parking restrictions and access to neighbours driveways. You are advised to park at Tesco Orpington where up to three hours of free parking is available with no requirement to use the store. Please arrive at the school through the Park Avenue entrance and await stewards’ instructions. Parents/carers are not allowed to re-enter the school grounds until the appropriate collection time.
Certainly. Candidates are strongly advised to use public transport wherever possible. Orpington Station is less than 15 minutes' walk away and there are a number of local bus routes.
We are sorry, but there is no waiting area for parents/carers at the school.
Your child must be collected by a responsible adult.
Please make every effort to be there on time as it can be distressing for the children if you are late. However, you will be provided with a mobile number to ring in case of emergency on the day.
If you have a morning session booked, please arrive by 9.30 a.m. and wait at the gate. Your child should be ready for collection from 11:15 am.
If you have an afternoon session booked, please arrive by 2:30 pm and wait at the gate. Your child should be ready for collection from 4:15 pm.
Entry to the School is via the Park Avenue entrance only.
No, because you will not be able to in the real exam, and we are trying to provide a realistic experience.
If your child is ill on the day and you notify us at least two hours before the test starts and can also provide a doctor’s certificate, we will allow you to book another mock test subject to availability. If there are no remaining places, we will give you a refund.
If your child needs to carry prescribed medication with him / her to the examination hall, you MUST tell us during the booking process.
There will be a first aider on site during each test. If you have concerns about this or if you have a child with medical needs please contact us at olaves.mocktests@gmail.com
We will only use your personal details to administer your account and to provide the products and services that you have requested from us. Your personal data will be removed from our system 90 days after the final exam results have been sent out.
All our invigilators are DBS checked. Before and after the test children will be in groups accompanied by two adults. During toilet breaks children will be shown to the toilets by two adults who will remain outside (unless in an emergency). In the event of a fire alarm the children will be escorted outside where a register will be taken.
Please note that the Mock Tests are organised and run exclusively by the St. Olave’s Parents’ Association. Therefore, please direct any queries to the PA at olaves.mocktests@gmail.com and not to the School.