Every year, thousands of 11+ and 13+ candidates go to what might be their very first interviews. They’re hoping for a place at their target schools, but they’ll probably be nervous about going through the whole process.

Interview prep is important to give yourself the best chance of impressing the teacher and the school. Teachers generally want to teach bright, enthusiastic, polite pupils who are interested in the world around them, so that’s the impression you want to give during your interviews!

It’s also important to do your research about possible target schools so that you can talk about the differences between them. These might involve all kinds of aspects, including the facilities, activities, curriculum, alumni and values (or ‘ethos’).

Here’s a quick guide to the right behaviour and how to create and rehearse answers to the kinds of questions you might be asked.

Let’s start with a few basics.

Appearance

You’ll probably be sent a letter before the interview telling you how you’re expected to dress. It’ll usually be just your school uniform, but it’s worth checking. You want to make the best possible first impression, so you don’t want to stand out like a sore thumb!

Manners

You should be polite, friendly and respectful. That means following any instructions you’re given and getting the basics right.

When you’re called into the interview room, you’ll probably be met by a teacher who’ll offer you a handshake. How to shake hands properly is an important social skill. You should simply grip and shake the hand firmly for a second or two and then let it go, smiling and keeping eye contact throughout. (You can probably afford to grip the hands of male teachers a bit more firmly!)

After that, the teacher might sit down, but you shouldn’t sit down yourself until you’ve been invited to do so. That’s not polite. Not everyone cares about these things, but it’s better to be safe than sorry!

After the interview, you might have to shake hands again, but you just need to follow the same procedure as before.

Body Language

The way you sit and stand and how you position your hands, arms and legs are important in making the right impression. I once starred in a Channel 4 documentary on mating habits, so I had to learn all about body language!

There are many different signs, both good and bad. Here are a few to bear in mind:

Dos

• Keep eye contact while you’re listening to the teacher.
• If you’re speaking yourself, you should look into the teacher’s eyes at least half the time.
• Mirror the body position of the teacher, eg if the teacher leans forward, it’s a good idea to lean forward as well.
• Find a neutral position for your hands, eg clasping them together and resting them in your lap.

Don’ts

• Don’t show any bad habits, eg playing with a pencil or picking your nose.
• Don’t cross your arms. It puts up a barrier and makes you look defensive—or just plain bored!

Questions

There are lots of questions you might be asked in an interview, but some of the most common ones crop up again and again. It’s always worth preparing and rehearsing your answers—even to the simplest of questions.

If you’re asked a difficult question, feel free to take a moment to work out what to say. A short pause is much better than ‘waffling’ vaguely without really saying anything!

Typically, you’ll be asked a mixture of ‘open’ and ‘closed’ questions.

• Open questions invite you to provide information or your opinion on something in a sentence or two.
• Closed questions only need a one-word answer, but you shouldn’t settle for that. For instance, if someone asks you about your favourite subject, you shouldn’t just say English or Maths. You should be prepared to explain why without any prompting. Otherwise, you might end up with a lot of awkward pauses! Instead, try to imagine that each question comes with the words ‘and why’ at the end. That will help you to remember to explain everything.

It’s worth coming up with a list of possible questions and then writing out ‘model answers’ to each of them. Here are a few that might crop up:

Personal

• What’s your name?
• Where do you live?
• What close family do you have?

Academic

• What’s your favourite subject?
• What’s your least favourite subject?
• Which subject do you think is most important?
• Is there any extra subject you think should be taught?
• What makes a good teacher?
• What makes a good lesson?
• Is learning facts at school more important than developing skills?
• Is it better to be good at Maths or English?
• How important is it to learn a foreign language?

Likes and Dislikes

• What do you like to do outside school?
• What are your favourite things to do with your friends?
• Do you like sport?
• How important is sport at school?
• How important are music and drama at school?
• What’s your favourite kind of music?
• Do you play an instrument?
• Do you have any hobbies or extracurricular activities?
• Have you recently been to a cultural event like a play, a concert or an exhibition?
• If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
• If you could live abroad, which city or country would you choose?
• If you won millions of pounds in the lottery, what would you spend it on?

Current Affairs

• Do you ever read a newspaper or listen to the news?
• Have you seen a news story recently that you were especially interested in?
• What do you think are the most important issues in the world today?
• Do you think we should try to save the planet or learn to live with climate change?
• Which is more important, Science or the Arts?
• What do you think of the current government?

Self-awareness

• How would you describe yourself?
• Do you think you are talented?
• Why do you think you deserve a place at this school?
• If people who know you well had to describe you in three words, what would they say?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Has there ever been a big challenge in your life that you’ve had to overcome?

Values

• Is it better to be an adult or a child?
• Is it important to be intelligent and well-educated?
• Is it more important to be kind or clever?
• How important is it to be creative?
• Who are the people who inspire you?

School Choice

• Why did you apply to this school?
• How does it compare to other schools you know about?
• What qualities do you think we’re looking for in potential pupils?
• If you could change anything about your current school, what would it be?
• Which other schools did you apply to?
• What did you like about the other schools?

Boarding

• What makes a good boarder?
• What extra problems do you think you would face as a boarder?
• What do you think are the benefits of boarding?

At the end of the interview, the teacher will usually ask if you have any questions. Interviews are a two-way street, so it’s not just a case of the school choosing the pupils—the pupils also need to choose the school!

That means it’s worth thinking of a good question to ask. It shouldn’t be too basic because that just means you couldn’t be bothered to look it up online! It should be about something important to you and relevant to your application.

Here are a few examples:

• What do you most enjoy about this school?
• Why do you think I should want to study here?
• How do you think I’ll fit in with the other pupils?
• How do you think your facilities will benefit me personally?
• What are the opportunities for me to…? (Fill in the blank with what you’re most interested in, such as sport, music or drama.)

Practice

After you’ve done your preparation, you should rehearse by asking an adult to play the part of the teacher and conduct a mock interview. This is called rôle playing. You’re the candidate, and your mum, dad, tutor or other adult plays the part of the interviewer.

You should try to mirror the conditions of the interview as closely as possible. That means wearing the same clothes, knocking on the door, shaking hands, sitting down and answering questions just as you would in the real thing—and for the same amount of time, if possible.

Try to keep up the act. If you make a mistake, don’t say, “Sorry” or start again. Just keep going as best you can. Things always go wrong, so it’s good to practice recovering from your mistakes.

Afterwards, you can have a ‘debrief’, discussing what you think went well and what you might need to do better:

• Did you smile?
• Did you keep eye contact?
• Did you offer a firm handshake?
• Did you wait to be asked to sit down?
• Did you answer the questions correctly?
• Did you say what you wanted to say?
• Were you confident, or did you keep saying, “Er” and “Erm” the whole time?

Verdict

Interview prep is important in making the best possible first impression at the school of your choice. Exams only give schools limited information about your suitability, so they have to measure your social skills and willingness to learn some other way. That’s where interviews come in.

If you prepare well and come across as polite, enthusiastic and bright, you’ll have a much better chance of being offered a place. Remember, though, the interview is not just for the school. It’s for you as well! This is your chance to find out if it’s going to be a good match, so pay attention to what you’re told and ask a question to find out whatever else you need to know.

 

 

 

 

If you’re looking for past papers with answers, especially in the run-up to 11+/13+ exams, GCSEs or A-levels, you can visit my Past Papers page and subscribe for just £37.99 a year.