A pupil's perspective on how to succeed at the Durham CEM 11 Plus Exam

On 13th September 2014, I sat the new CEM 11+ exam. With support from 11+ Tutoring Academy, I felt very calm, confident and well prepared, as I walked into the exam room.

I chose to sit my exam at Pate's Grammar School, in Cheltenham; I found the environment very calm and nurturing. Surprisingly, the exam wasn’t as difficult as I imagined! This was probably because I was so well prepared by 11+ Tutoring Academy.

For nine months (from January 2014), I attended group sessions at National Star College.

Whilst there, I was taught many different techniques and methods that would be useful for the exam. The work was challenging but really enjoyable. I made some good friends and Philip, our tutor, made learning interesting and allowed us to have fun! I was provided with a recommended list of study books to complete and attended all the mock exams during the summer holidays.

Although the media say that some parents intensely drill their children, mine chose to let
me plan my own daily work chart. This meant I could balance TV with mental arithmetic, study books with the iPad! Personally, I have always had a great love for sports and every evening I took part in different sporting clubs, such as tennis, swimming , athletics and roller skating. This helped me to stay fit and relax and have fun, to take my mind off studying.

From my experience, I would recommend reading on a regular basis (every evening before bed) and watching interesting documentaries which helped to widen my vocabulary.

Finally, to be able to learn, you need to have a natural drive and passion to succeed; my Open Morning Visit to Pate’s inspired me further to achieve my dream.
I have now achieved a place at Pate's Grammar school and have had a positive learning experience with 11+ Tutoring Academy, to get me there!