Quick Answer: Hard 11+ reasoning questions test logic rather than school knowledge. Common types are letter codes, letter series, hidden words, word links, number codes, shape sequences and multi-step word problems. Below are 10 original questions in the style of the ISEB Common Pre-Test and UK independent school 11+ papers, each with the answer and the reasoning that gets you there.
This post is for children in Years 5 and 6 preparing for entry to UK independent senior schools, including families in Dubai applying to boarding schools, and for parents who want to see what the harder questions look like. All ten questions were written for this post. They follow common 11+ question styles but are not taken from any real paper.
Try each question with a pencil and paper before reading the answer. Most of these questions are quick once you spot the trick, and spotting it is the skill being tested.
10 Hard 11+ Reasoning Questions With Answers
1. Letter code (verbal reasoning)
In a code, MAP is written as NCS. Using the same code, how is TIN written?
Answer: UKQ.
Compare each letter with its code. M → N moves forward 1 letter, A → C moves forward 2, and P → S moves forward 3. So the first letter moves 1, the second moves 2 and the third moves 3.
T + 1 = U, I + 2 = K, N + 3 = Q, so TIN is written UKQ.
What it tests: Not assuming every letter moves the same amount. Write the alphabet across the top of your page so you can count accurately.
2. Letter series (verbal reasoning)
Find the next pair of letters in the series:
AZ, CX, EV, GT, ?
Answer: IR.
Look at the first letters on their own: A, C, E, G. Each moves forward 2, so the next is I. Now the second letters: Z, X, V, T. Each moves back 2, so the next is R.
What it tests: Splitting a series into separate parts. When pairs of letters look random, track each position by itself.
3. Number codes for words (verbal reasoning)
Here are four words: LOST, SLOT, TOLL, LOTS.
Three of them are written in a number code. The codes are not in the same order as the words:
7259 9277 5729
(a) What is the code for LOTS? (b) What is the code for TOOL?
Answer: (a) 7295, (b) 9227.
Start with the code that has a repeated digit. 9277 ends in a double number, and TOLL is the only word ending in a double letter. So T = 9, O = 2 and L = 7.
7259 starts L, O, so it must be LOST, which makes S = 5. That leaves 5729 for SLOT (S, L, O, T) ✓.
So LOTS = L O T S = 7295, and TOOL = T O O L = 9227.
What it tests: Finding a way in. Repeated letters, or a letter that's in only one position, usually unlock the whole code.
4. Hidden word (verbal reasoning)
A four-letter animal is hidden in this sentence, across the end of one word and the start of the next. The order of the letters is not changed. Find it.
His ego attracts plenty of criticism.
Answer: GOAT (ego attracts).
What it tests: Reading across word boundaries. Move a finger along the letters, ignoring the spaces, and look at every place where one word ends and the next begins.
5. Word link (verbal reasoning)
Find one word that can go in front of all four of these to make four new words:
ball print note step
Answer: FOOT (football, footprint, footnote, footstep).
Other words fit some of them, such as hand (handball, handprint) or finger (fingerprint), but only foot works with all four.
What it tests: Checking every word. It's easy to stop at the first word that fits two of them.
6. Closest meaning (verbal reasoning)
Choose one word from each group that are closest in meaning:
(frugal, timid, ancient) (thrifty, loud, modern)
Answer: frugal and thrifty. Both mean careful with money and not wasteful. The other pairs are distractions: ancient and modern are opposites, and timid and loud are nearly opposites too.
What it tests: Vocabulary, and not choosing a pair just because the words are connected. Opposites are connected, but they are not close in meaning.
7. Shape sequence (non-verbal reasoning)
Here is a sequence of three shapes:
- a white square with 1 line across it
- a grey pentagon with 2 lines across it
- a white hexagon with 3 lines across it
Which shape comes next?
A. a white heptagon with 4 lines B. a grey octagon with 4 lines C. a grey heptagon with 4 lines D. a grey heptagon with 3 lines E. a grey hexagon with 4 lines
Answer: C. a grey heptagon with 4 lines.
Three things change. The number of sides goes up by one each time (4, 5, 6, so next is 7, a heptagon). The number of lines goes up by one (1, 2, 3, so next is 4). The colour alternates white, grey, white, so next is grey. Only C gets all three right.
What it tests: Tracking several changes at once. In non-verbal questions, list every feature (shape, number, colour, position, direction) and check each one separately.
8. Missing number in brackets (maths reasoning)
The number in brackets is made from the two numbers either side of it in the same way each time. Find the missing number.
4 (19) 5 6 (41) 7 2 (13) 7 3 (?) 8
Answer: 23.
The rule is "multiply the two outside numbers, then subtract 1": 4 × 5 − 1 = 19, 6 × 7 − 1 = 41 and 2 × 7 − 1 = 13. So 3 × 8 − 1 = 23.
What it tests: Testing the rule on every example. A rule such as "square the first number, add the second and subtract 2" works for the first two sets but fails on the third, which is why the third set is there.
9. Age problem (maths reasoning)
Sam is three times as old as his sister. In 6 years' time, he will be twice as old as she is. How old is Sam now?
Answer: 18.
Let his sister's age be x, so Sam is 3x.
In 6 years: Sam is 3x + 6 and his sister is x + 6. Sam will be twice her age, so:
3x + 6 = 2(x + 6)
3x + 6 = 2x + 12
x = 6
His sister is 6, so Sam is 18. Check: in 6 years Sam is 24 and his sister is 12, and 24 is twice 12 ✓.
What it tests: Remembering that both people get older. A very common mistake is to add 6 to Sam's age only. If algebra isn't familiar yet, a table of possible ages (sister 1, 2, 3 …) works just as well.
10. Remainder puzzle (maths reasoning)
A number of sweets is shared out. When they are shared equally between 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 children, there is always exactly 1 sweet left over. When they are shared between 7 children, there are none left over. What is the smallest number of sweets there could be?
Answer: 301.
If there is 1 left over each time, then one less than the number divides exactly by 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. The smallest number that 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 all divide into is 60 (their lowest common multiple). So the number of sweets is 1 more than a multiple of 60: 61, 121, 181, 241, 301, …
Now test each one for 7: 61, 121, 181 and 241 don't divide by 7, but 301 = 7 × 43 does. The answer is 301.
What it tests: Turning a wordy problem into a number fact (here, a lowest common multiple) and then testing candidates in order instead of guessing.
Strategies for Hard 11+ Reasoning Questions
- Write things down. Write the alphabet with numbers under it (A = 1 to Z = 26) at the start of a verbal reasoning paper. It makes codes and series faster and more accurate.
- Test the rule on every example. Questions 8 and 1 both catch children who find a rule that works once and stop there.
- Split complicated patterns. Letter pairs, shape sequences and matrices often have two or three things changing separately.
- Check your answer in the question. Put your answer back in (Question 9) or re-read the sentence (Question 4) before moving on.
- Practise timing as well as accuracy. Many 11+ tests, including the ISEB Common Pre-Test, are timed and taken on a computer, so practise working steadily and moving on when stuck.
- Read widely. Hidden words, word links and synonym questions all reward a broad vocabulary, which grows fastest through regular reading.
How Improve ME Institute Helps
Our 11+ preparation course covers verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English and maths in small groups of a maximum of four, so each child gets close attention while learning to work under timed conditions. Every student starts with a free Diagnostic Test, which shows which question types your child finds hardest before teaching begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is on the ISEB Common Pre-Test?
A: The ISEB Common Pre-Test is used by many UK independent schools as an early stage of admissions. It usually covers English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, and it's taken on a computer with multiple-choice questions. Each school decides how it uses the results.
Q: What are the hardest types of 11+ reasoning questions?
A: Children often find multi-step codes, letter series with two patterns, hidden words, and non-verbal sequences where several features change at once the hardest. In maths reasoning, word problems that need more than one step (like Questions 9 and 10 above) are usually the most challenging.
Q: When should my child start preparing for the 11+?
A: Many families begin in Year 5, which gives time to build vocabulary and reasoning skills gradually rather than cramming. The right timing depends on your child's starting point and the schools you're applying to.
Q: Can children in Dubai sit UK 11+ tests?
A: Yes. Many UK independent schools accept international applicants, and the ISEB Common Pre-Test is taken online, often at the child's current school or an approved centre. Check each school's admissions page for exactly how and where its tests are taken.
Q: Is verbal reasoning the same as English?
A: Not quite. English papers test reading comprehension and writing. Verbal reasoning tests how well a child solves problems using words and letters, such as codes, series and word links. A strong vocabulary helps with both.
Ready to Try More?
Choose the two questions above your child found hardest and try them again in a week without the answers. If you'd like structured, timed practice across every 11+ question type, see our 11+ course or book a free Diagnostic Test at Improve ME Institute in Gold & Diamond Park, Al Quoz. For older students who enjoy a challenge, our post on hard maths questions that actually make you better at maths is a good next step.
