Rugby Entrance Exam: What to Expect and How to Prepare

Rugby School's 13+ assessment is not a conventional entrance exam. It is built around a 13+ Day, an assessment day combining interviews, a collaborative group activity and short reasoning tests, with offers made on the basis of that day. What the day looks like, and when it happens, depends on the school your child comes from. Children from prep schools are assessed in Year 6; children from secondary, grammar and independent schools following the National Curriculum are assessed in Year 8 and sit additional subject tests. This guide explains both routes and how to prepare.

The 13+ Day

Rugby assesses its 13+ candidates through what it calls the 13+ Day, a structured assessment day rather than a set of timed papers sat in an exam hall. The day is designed to see the whole child, and it combines an interview with a Housemaster or Housemistress focused on pastoral fit, an interview with a Moderator focused on academic potential, a collaborative group activity, a tour of a boarding house, and lunch with current pupils, with conversations for parents alongside. Short reasoning tests are taken during the day. Offers are made on the basis of this assessment, so the day genuinely matters, and a child who engages warmly, works well with others and shows genuine curiosity tends to do well. Our guide to the Rugby interview covers the two interviews in detail.

The two routes compared

The 13+ Day looks different depending on where your child is at school, and this is the single most important thing to get right. Children applying from a prep or primary school are assessed in the Advent term of Year 6, and their day is built around the interviews, the group activity and short reasoning tests, without formal subject papers. Children applying from a local secondary, grammar or independent school following the National Curriculum are assessed later, in the Lent term of Year 8, and in addition to the interviews and activities they sit tests in English, Maths, Science and a verbal reasoning test. Both routes lead to the same 13+ entry into Year 9, but the timing and the content differ, so a family must know which one applies before preparing. Preparing a Year 6 prep school child for Year 8 subject papers, or vice versa, is wasted effort.

The tests on the day

For all candidates, the day includes short reasoning assessments covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning, taken on screen and lasting a modest amount of time rather than a full exam session, often with some practice time beforehand. These are designed to measure underlying aptitude rather than taught knowledge, which is why heavy drilling is of limited value. For children on the Year 8 route from a National Curriculum school, the additional tests in English, Maths and Science assess attainment at the level expected at that stage, so secure work across those subjects in Years 7 and 8 is the foundation. Rugby keeps the precise paper titles and timings for the day deliberately low key, in keeping with the school's emphasis on the assessment day as a whole rather than a single exam score.

The handwritten questionnaire

Before the assessment day, Rugby asks the candidate to complete a handwritten questionnaire about their interests and achievements. This is more important than it first appears, because the school uses it as the basis for questions in the interviews. A questionnaire completed thoughtfully, in the child's own words and own handwriting, gives the interviewers genuine material to explore and lets your child talk about things they actually care about. A rushed or parent-written questionnaire does the opposite, offering little to discuss and ringing false in the interview that follows. Treat it as the opening move of the assessment rather than a form to dash off, and encourage your child to write honestly about what they genuinely enjoy and have done.

How to prepare

Because Rugby's assessment is built around an assessment day rather than a single exam, preparation is about genuine readiness rather than test technique. For the reasoning tests, a little familiarity with the format of verbal and non-verbal reasoning helps so the style holds no surprises, but these measure aptitude and reward a generally able, well-read child more than a drilled one. For children on the Year 8 route, secure English, Maths and Science at the expected level is the foundation, built steadily through Years 7 and 8 rather than crammed. For the interviews and the group activity, the best preparation is the kind that builds confidence and curiosity: a child who reads widely, pursues real interests, and is used to talking about ideas and working with others will engage naturally. Completing the questionnaire thoughtfully, in good time, is part of preparing well.

What to avoid

The first thing to avoid is preparing for the wrong route. A prep school child sits a Year 6 day built on reasoning and interviews, while a secondary school child sits Year 8 subject tests, and confusing the two wastes effort and unsettles a child. The second is over-drilling the reasoning tests, which measure aptitude and reward a curious, well-read child more than a heavily coached one. The third is neglecting the questionnaire and the interviews, which carry real weight: a thoughtful questionnaire and a child who can talk warmly about genuine interests do far more than rehearsed answers. Confirm your route early, prepare for the right one, and let your child's genuine curiosity show.