A parent's guide to ESAT and TMUA preparation

How to tell whether preparation is working

Preparing for an admissions test can get expensive, and from the outside it's often hard to see what's happening. The simplest question you can ask your child is: what did your last practice session show, and what are you doing differently because of it?

A useful session leaves something behind. That might be how accurate they were on a topic, how long questions took, a list of specific mistakes, or a clearer idea of what to practise next. If the only answer is 'I did more questions', the practice may not be moving their score.

You don't need to understand the maths to ask this. An answer like 'I keep losing marks on unit conversions, so this week I'm doing short timed sets on them' is a good sign.

Why the test format matters

The ESAT and TMUA are taken on a computer, they're timed, and every question is multiple choice. Paper worksheets can help with the content, but they don't fully prepare your child for moving between questions on screen, flagging ones to come back to, reading from a screen, or a clock that submits the paper automatically when time is up.

That's why Noetra puts as much weight on the experience of sitting the test as on the questions themselves. If the format is already familiar, there's less to go wrong on the day.

Planning without adding pressure

A good plan is calm and specific. It doesn't need to fill every evening. It should leave room for A levels, rest and normal life, while still checking regularly that progress is happening.

If preparation is taking over every evening and weekend, that's worth a gentle conversation. More hours don't help much when the feedback from them is vague.

Where you can help most

Your most useful role is protecting the routine. That means mocks booked into the week so they actually happen, honest conversations about how they went, and sensible sleep, especially in the last few weeks.

You can also take some of the practical load off early. Check that registration is done, that the right ID is ready, that any access arrangements have been asked for, and how your child will get to the test centre. None of this is hard, but it's much easier to sort out weeks ahead than the night before.

Questions worth asking

You don't need to check up every day. Every week or two, a few calm questions will tell you most of what you need to know:

• What did your last mock show?
• Which mistakes keep coming up?
• What are you practising this week, and why?
• When is your next full timed paper?