-
What is atestingtime?atestingtime is a fully online testing process for getting the best out of Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning learning. It is brand new and has unlimited questions available. It is like an e-book version of printed tests, with the special software included to display, answer, mark, review and analyse. Its questions are based on best Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning practice available.
-
What does atestingtime subscription offer my child?We offer online Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning tests to help your child practise for Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning exams.
Our tests are reasonably priced and unlimited in quantity.
Millions of questions are waiting for you – you will never see the same one twice! New questions are written for you every time by our advanced algorithms
Find out more... -
What does atestingtime cost?
This provides the student with 24 hour, 7 days a week access to unlimited tests on atestingtime.Rates are from (VAT incl) Monthly: £21 Yearly: £139
We provide two main options for payments, both through the secure and established PayPal. You can choose to make- a single, one-off payment. (PayPal account or Credit Card)
- a recurring payment (PayPal account or set one up in minutes)
-
What are the minimum system requirements to run atestingtime?atestingtime has been tested on the major browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera) and versions that are currently supported by the vendors. It will need internet access.
-
'Unlimited tests and questions' - what does that really mean?Unlimited means unlimited. atestingtime uses sophisticated algorithms to generate new questions as and when you need them. The questions are not contained in a database full of questions. It stores the questions only for your review. There is no practical limit to the number of questions we can generate in this way. This is how we can pass this amazing benefit on to you!
-
How do I get the App on my iPad?When you have atestingtime open in the Safari browser on the iPad, you can save it to your home screen by tapping the share button. This is the button immediately to the left of the address bar. It looks like a box with an arrow coming out of it.
This brings up a window of options such as mailing the link to a friend.
In the middle of these options is "Add to Home Screen."
Once you tap this option, you then tap the "Add" button in the top right corner of the window.
The App will now be installed on your Home Screen. -
Non Verbal Reasoning questions have an unfamiliar look being picture and symbol based rather than written. Logical thinking is needed to work out relationships between shapes, find the odd one out, solve codes and missing sequence patterns.
Read more... -
Why do schools use Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning exams?The nature of the questions used in Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning exams requires a different range of mental processes to a written test. Using pictures and designs instead of words ensures these tests can be accessed equally by pupils where English is an additional language or by pupils who think more visually or have difficulties with a more written format. The tests are considered to be non culture or gender specific. They provide a contrast to verbal tests and English exams and are felt to be more indicative of a scientific or mathematical mind.
-
Are Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning tests just for grammar school exams?No, certainly not!
Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning tests are used by a wide variety of schools, both state and Independent as well as grammar.
HR departments of many large companies use them as an interview and selection tool and Medical schools across the world use Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning as part of their entry exams. -
Lots of things to lots of people!
There is no national exam for the Eleven Plus, and this makes it very confusing. People refer to different exams for different types of schools as the Eleven Plus. Many private / independent schools, state schools and grammar schools set their own admission arrangements and as part of these have exams they call the 11-plus. These exams all vary in content and form. atestingtime is designed for use by all children who are sitting school entrance exams, whether called 11-plus or not, whether for state, grammar or independent, who face a Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning test as part of that process. -
We studied as many of the questions in the exams that we could and decided to aim for a 20 sec target for the NVR questions and 35 secs target for VR questions. We chose this for two reasons:
• in the exam itself there is usually an amount of instruction that the student needs to read first,
• In the exam the student needs longer to tick the (correct) box in paper based tests.‘How good you are’ at these tests is shown by a number of things. Obviously, the percentage correct is one of them, but the time taken is also very relevant and must be taken into account. Also, the level of difficulty and even the difficulty level of the questions answered versus those not answered to prevent ‘cherry picking’ the easy questions!
For instance: is a score of 95% accuracy at level 6 in 10mins for a 20 question test, better than 85% accuracy at level 10 in 15mins for a 25 question test? The Standard Score aims to address that question.
We developed the Standard Score to allow pupils to gauge their ability especially as the difficulty level changes and the demands of accuracy and speed are balanced. We reviewed a very large number of tests and worked on an algorithm that combined all these factors. We then fixed a score of 100 at a level that we found students looking to pass 11+; pre-tests; or try for scholarships would be likely to attain.
For instance, at level 10 at 20 secs (for NVR) or 35secs (for VR) per question with 100% correct you would get 100. Getting wrong marks decreases the Standard Score, as does taking extra time.
Just out of interest approximately one sixth of all tests taken (approx 25 million questions over 2.2 million tests to date) score over 100 Standard Score.
In order to improve the accuracy, a Standard Score can only be calculated when at least 5 questions have been answered in a test.
-
Schools traditionally refer to any entrance exam, taken for entry in the school year after they turn 11, as the Eleven Plus. Your child will take these exams sometime between September to January of their Year 6 schooling, when they are aged between 10—11. You should check with individual schools and Local Education Authorities for exact details of exam dates and test arrangements.
-
Both NVR and VR are good practice for the tests. Some schools and areas test on both, some only one and some only test on some elements of each. Two of the main exam boards are CEM and GL. GL exams will usually assess on all areas of VR and NVR listed however CEM will only assess on certain topics. To easily identify these topics, a separate column titled ‘CEM’ has been created. To find out what schools in your area test on from year to year, please contact the admission departments and Local Education Authorities of the schools you wish to apply to, directly, to obtain the most up to date and accurate information about school admissions. You may find that OddOneOut in NVR, and Move A Letter in VR are some of the easier question types (but see What level should my child do?) also.
-
The graphs show how well you have done in all your tests; how well you have done in any given test; how well you do on each question type; and how your Standard Score has improved over time. The 'Bell Curve' graph shows where, given your recent tests you sit in ability compared to others taking the tests. The further to the right the better. Notice that the middle - the average - is a Standard Score of 80. A Standard Score of 100 would indicate that you should be positioned well to sit 11+ tests.
-
Generally you should start at the beginner level. It is worth starting here to understand how the tests work. As you begin to get more questions correct and/or do the tests more quickly you should progress through the levels of difficulty. As you progress through the tests you will notice that your Standard Score will rise. The Standard Score is the best measure of your ability and may not appear to be aligned to a percentage correct as it also takes into account the speed and difficulty level.
-
In addition to the Beginner level questions, there are some ‘Early Starter’ NVR tests (found under ‘Take A Personalised Test' on your Home Page). These have questions designed to ease the younger child into the process. Following this, they will quickly progress to the Beginner level and beyond.
-
What does an Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning test paper look like?
Depending on the school, papers are written in house or bought as custom written from testing specialists.
For example,- The Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, based in Durham University, writes test papers for selected grammar school Eleven Plus in the Birmingham area;
- The National Foundation for Educational Research, NFER, constructs new, custom-made selection tests for many schools and Local Authorities; and
- GL Assessment is the author of exam papers for Trafford and the London Boroughs of Kingston and Barnett.
atestingtime questions have been based around our extensive research of current Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning exam questions for you to work through with your child. -
Past papers of actual exams can be difficult to find. They will often remain the property of the commissioning schools, designing company or similar.
Some schools have sample exam papers for sale at Open evenings or available direct from the school.
This difficulty in obtaining past papers and paper based tests is one of the significant reasons for subscribing to atestingtime, as it will provide unlimited practice tests. -
At what times is atestingtime available?atestingtime is available on subscription 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with no restrictions. It is down to you to personalise the tests you want your child to take and when you want them to take them. Whether you want a daily routine of short tests or to try a longer test once a week, atestingtime gives you the freedom to choose.
-
When can my child use atestingtime?As often as you wish, wherever or whenever you have internet access and can log in. You can build it into a routine that can be done on laptops, in internet cafes or round at Grandma's!
-
What can atestingtime offer me as the parent of a child sitting Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning exams?As a parent your time is valuable!
- atestingtime does the mundane work of marking the tests, online and immediately, for you.
- By enabling you and your child to revisit each question once the test is marked you can spend time more productively.
- You can target the exact question types and the number of questions relevant to both your child's needs and the school exams they are sitting.
- atestingtime's graphs and performance charts show exactly how long your child spent on each question in each test.
- atestingtime's graphs and performance charts show exactly how long your child spends on each type of question.
- You can stop rationing out written test papers or rubbing out answers as our questions are unlimited. There are millions of different questions!
-
My child has a tutor, how does this work with atestingtime?atestingtime works well alongside tutoring. Your test questions can be personalised to match up with new concepts learnt in class. A child may, for example, be introduced to codes questions with their tutor and can then select just code questions on atestingtime to practise and reinforce techniques.
If you are teaching your child Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning skills without the aid of tutors, and many parents successfully do, then atestingtime offers an excellent value for money source of practice, skill consolidation and testing.
With private tutoring costing anything from £25 an hour and packs of pencil and paper tests costing from £8 for a set of 4 one-use-only tests, atestingtime believes its unlimited online tests offer excellent value for money. -
Can I let my other children use atestingtime?atestingtime carefully monitors a child's results. This feedback is an important part of the learning process and it is vital that a child can see how they are progressing. For this reason the results from the tests are individual to each child, and so each child must be separately registered.
However, as the adult you only require one main account from which you can add other children and manage everyone’s details. Each student has their own account but share the same email address and password.
Start on My Home Page and on the lower set of tabs click the one marked 'Add User'. This will take you to the Subscribe Page where your current details are displayed. Add the details of the new student and click next. Payment details are displayed, choose the option you require and complete the payment process. -
How do I find out about admission information for the schools in my area?Please contact the admission departments and Local Education Authorities of the schools you wish to apply to, directly, to obtain the most up to date and accurate information about school admissions.
-
How do I cancel my purchase?Under the Distance Selling Regulations 2000 & the European E-Commerce Directive 2002 you have seven working days to change your mind and cancel an order. If you wish to cancel your membership you must email customerservices@atestingtime.com with full details.
To change or cancel your PayPal recurring payment agreement, log in to your PayPal account, go to your Profile page and click My Preapproved Payments. -
I am responsible for Assessment and the 11-plus, what can atestingtime offer our school?atestingtime offers tailor made packages and pricing to tutors and schools who need Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning online testing practice with their pupils.
This is aimed at many levels but is particularly useful at eleven plus and Common Entrance.
Computer based entrance tests and computer aptitude tests are now required by many senior schools (for example Eton, St Paul’s Girls’ School, London and St Johns, Surrey). Regular practice on atestingtime can help give your pupils the edge when it comes to highly sought after places at senior schools.
atestingtime can also support internal testing arrangements.
Many parents are anxious to know how schools prepare their child for senior school entrance exams (e.g. Eleven Plus and Common Entrance) and recommending atestingtime to parents as a way of working with their child at home shows awareness of their concerns.
Please contact us customerservices@atestingtime.com for full details or to arrange a visit to your school where we can demonstrate atestingtime for you. -
How does atestingtime encourage and reward those taking the tests?Every test taken generates an email to the registered email address. It states the time the test was taken, the score achieved and includes a link to the User Guides to ensure your child is getting the most from their subscription.
When you log on look out for the Shining Stars!
Bronze shines for a test result scored between 90 – 94%
Silver shines for a test result scored between 95 – 99%
Gold shines for a test result of 100% - congratulations! -
How secure is the information collected about my child?When you register a student to your account we only collect the minimum information required to successfully deliver the tests. This information is stored on our secure servers.
For more information please read our Privacy Policy. -
How do I unsubscribe?If you purchased on a monthly 'Pay Now' basis, you do not need to do anything: you will receive reminders and then your subscription will lapse when your period expires. If you purchased on a recurring payment basis, simply go to your PayPal account and cancel the recurring payment plan. Your subscription will lapse at the end of the current period and no further payments will be taken.
-
My monthly subscription expires next week. How do I extend it to continue using atestingtime?Login to your Personal Profile Page to extend your membership, you will find all your subscription details in the final section Current Payment Details of this webpage.
You can subscribe for a further period. You don’t have to wait until your subscription expires to renew your membership, your access will be added on to the end of your current period, or, if your subscription has lapsed, the new period will start from today. You will still have access to your old tests. -
What personal information do you hold about me?All account details are held so that we can contact you if there is a problem with your account. You can remove or change any of them in your Profile page.The email address is used to identify your account, and to send you emails of results and newsletters if you have opted to receive them. These options can be set in your Profile page.All other name and username fields are chosen by you for your convenience. We use them to personalise the screens and emails. These can be set in your Profile page.
-
How do I request you to remove all my personal data?Please email customerservices@atestingtime.com. Further details on Contact Us page
-
Who can I contact for help or technical assistance?Please email customerservices@atestingtime.com. Further details on Contact Us page