Devil Girl

I really struggled with the test, but then again it does not help that I am dyslexic.

The first time I tried it I could not answer most of the questions (LOL though in fairness I was not well yesterday) but I looked at it again and I got 9/15. So I was quite pleased with that

christmasoompa

Agree with that, my brother failed it..........and then went on to get straight A's in GCSE's and A Levels, first class degree and a masters. Hardly a great indicator of academic prowess in my view! And most of it is common sense and logic - so it's hardly surprising boys struggle really.

iaink

On the other hand I'm a boy and passed it (as did both my brothers), and it was perhaps one of the best thing that ever happened to me.

I went to the (Boys) grammar school, got ten O levels, mostly because they pushed harder and expected more of me.

Then we moved to an area with only comprehensive education, I never really adjusted to the casualness, drifted along and got only 2 A levels (one an E!) and was frankly very lucky to get into Uni for my chosen course of study. Finally I buckled down a bit and got a 2i and went on to spend another three years not completing my PhD.

On the other hand maybe I have a lot to thank the comprehensive part of my education on, as I ended up in Leeds through clearing, rather than at Imperial if I had stayed working hard at grammar school, and through the people I worked with there ended up in the job that ultimately led me to come to Canada, meet my wife and live relatively happy ever after.

Maybe its all just Fate.

fledermaus

It's a great social divider, the 11 plus. Junior school friends were divided, some to Grammar and some to Secondary Modern. Grammar to University and Secondary to apprenticeships. That was the whole point of the 11 plus, to keep you in your place, or "selection" as they called it .

In our area parents had to complete a form saying which schools you would prefer your child to go to, and asked the occupation of the child's father. What's that got to do with intelligence? My dad was a joiner employed at a Government establishment, and mum wrote "joiner" on my brother's form. She was wise to the system when it was my turn and she wrote "civil servant". I passed, my brother didn't.

Souvenir

I don't think abolition of the 11-plus and introduction of the comprehensive system did much to reduce the social or other divides. I was in the first year of the comprehensive intake, in Brighton. I attended schools on a large (80-acre) campus that included an infant school, junior school, a secondary modern and both boys and girls grammars. We were kept at junior school for an extra year before going to the comprehensive, which had been the secondary modern. The grammars took in no new secondary students and gradually converted to sixth-form colleges.

When we got to the comprehensive we were streamed into one of eight classes; 2A1 through 2B4. I was in 2A1 and the courses we followed were just as they would have been had we gone to grammar. Many of the teachers we had were from the grammars. The "academics" had very little to do with the "non-academics". We may as well have been at different schools.

It's just struck me that I spent about 13 years on the same campus. Where did the time go?

BristolUK

There are a lot of inconsistencies with exams.

In 1973 I left school with my CSEs including a grade 2 at Physics which I was not good at and a grade 4 at Maths and English; in English Lit I was even Ungraded. A few months later I took a Civil Service exam equal to 5 'O' levels, mainly English and Arithmetic, and I passed easily.

At roughly the same time I took O levels at English and Economics. I failed both. I failed the Economics one especially badly, yet the following year I did an ONC (equal to A level) and I passed all but one part. What was silly was, having failed the Economics 'O' level badly, I passed the ONC Economics at over 80%.

Posidrive

13 out of 15 in 1 min 30 sec. In stupid error on the English second and the last math question had me stumped so I guessed wrong

Not convinced that the last question was a proper mathematical series though

Anyway the 11 plus is generally a joke, I failed mine (far to many years ago)and still have a university degree in engineering.

Alberta_Rose

14/15 in 2mins 32.

My problem was one of memory, I left Q10 as I felt it was taking too long, and meant to go back to it, then I forgot.

I had much more time than I imagined I had, so probably should have got 15/15 if I'd remembered to go back and finish it ...... short term memory loss has been a feature recently ...... <wanders off, mumbling incoherently>.......

Souvenir

You didn't need to tell us that you're an engineer. It's quite evident.

Calgal

Hey - you're not alone girls - I scored the same (hated, and was always useless at math, too).

Solarfish

15 / 15 but I took my time and went and checked a few. I did pass the original many years ago but I think 10 minutes for these questions is a little generous, is the timing supposed to be representative of today's tests?