St Olave's Grammar School 11+ guide is usually best approached as a competitive academic process rather than a general confidence test. Parents who do well here tend to combine steady skill-building with a realistic understanding of timing and standard.
The aim is not to chase every rumour about the format. It is to make sure your child can cope with the level of reading, mathematics and exam pressure that schools in this group commonly expect.
What this route typically focuses on
St Olave's uses a two-stage process rather than a single exam day. Stage 1 is a Selective Eligibility Test (SET): a one-hour, roughly 60-question multiple-choice paper split across four sections — English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Only the highest-scoring boys from the SET are invited back for Stage 2, which consists of two further one-hour papers on the same day (English, covering reading and writing, and Maths), with a short break between them. Final places are decided by standardising and combining the SET and Stage 2 marks together.
St Olave's has no designated or catchment area, so any boy who meets the qualifying standard can apply regardless of where the family lives. That widens the applicant pool considerably compared with schools that prioritise local postcodes, and recent years have seen well over a thousand applicants competing for a much smaller number of final places, making both stages genuinely competitive rather than a formality before Stage 2.
How to prepare well
Because Stage 1 tests all four areas but Stage 2 drops reasoning in favour of deeper English and Maths, the sensible sequence is to prepare broadly across all four areas first so the SET is not a bottleneck, then narrow the focus onto extended English (reading and writing) and Maths once through to Stage 2. Boys who only prepare for Stage 2-style content risk being filtered out at Stage 1 before that preparation is ever used.
A sensible plan usually blends untimed skill-building, short bursts of timed work, and regular review of errors. Parents often get better results from a steady weekly routine than from sudden cramming close to the test.
See exactly where your child stands
The free diagnostic pinpoints the weakest areas in minutes, so the advice on this page turns into a concrete plan rather than guesswork.
Common mistakes parents make
Most avoidable problems come from preparing the wrong things at the wrong time, or from assuming a bright child will automatically adapt under pressure.
- Skipping verbal or non-verbal reasoning practice because Stage 2 does not test it — Stage 1 still does
- Assuming Stage 2 is "more of the same" multiple-choice practice, when it moves to reading and writing plus a full maths paper
- Underestimating the applicant pool because there is no catchment area to naturally limit numbers
- Leaving writing practice until very late, since Stage 2 English specifically assesses writing, not just comprehension
Suggested next steps
If you want a realistic starting point, begin with a baseline rather than with a full timetable. That gives you a clearer picture of whether reading, arithmetic, vocabulary or reasoning needs the most attention first.
- Use a mixed diagnostic across English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning to prepare for Stage 1 first
- Once Stage 1 style questions feel manageable, shift practice toward extended writing and full maths working for Stage 2
- Keep timing practice realistic to the one-hour-per-paper format used at both stages
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions parents usually ask first.
How many boys make it through St Olave's Stage 1 to Stage 2?
Only the highest-scoring boys from the SET are invited to Stage 2; the rest of the applicant pool is filtered out at that point. Final Year 7 places are awarded after Stage 2 marks are standardised and combined with the SET result, so both stages matter.
Is there a catchment area for St Olave's?
No. St Olave's has no designated area, so boys can apply regardless of where they live, provided they meet the qualifying standard. This means the applicant pool is not limited by postcode the way it is at some other grammar schools.