Your school guide
Fettes College
At age 11, Fettes applicants join the Prep School. The school uses CAT4 and interviews, with a separate boarding conversation.
Independent school · Edinburgh
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Meet the school
At a glance
Facts checked
- Usual Prep assessment
- CAT4 and interview; additional Houseparent interview for boarders
- Fettes College
Plan your approach
Entry information
At age 11, children join Fettes Prep rather than the Senior School. The usual assessment is CAT4 with a Prep Headmaster interview, plus a Houseparent interview for boarders. Fettes says no preparation is needed for CAT4; applications and assessments are arranged individually after registration, subject to availability.
Entry stage: 11+ entry to Fettes Prep; Senior School from 13+
What the assessment covers
- Verbal reasoning
- Non-verbal reasoning
- Quantitative reasoning
- Spatial ability
Assessment provider: GL Assessment (CAT4)
The admissions process
- Contact Admissions to discuss the intended start date, day or boarding place and any learning support needs. Complete the registration form to arrange assessment, subject to availability.
- The registration form asks for a passport identity page or birth certificate and any educational assessment reports you wish to share. It currently lists a non-refundable registration fee of £150 plus VAT per child.
- Age-11 Prep applicants usually complete CAT4 and interview with the Prep Headmaster. Boarding applicants also interview with the relevant Houseparent.
- Fettes says CAT4 does not require preparation. Its publisher advises against coaching or practice tests; children receive introductory examples within the assessment. CAT4 uses tasks involving words, shapes, numbers and spatial patterns.
- Arrange a Prep visit or taster day to meet pupils and experience lessons and activities. Overnight taster stays are sometimes available; ask Admissions about current options.
- Fettes states that its Prep pupils progress automatically to Senior School at 13 without another entrance examination. Its separate early-offer route, available from Year 6 for UK-school pupils, is for later Senior entry at 13.
Read the official details: Admissions information from Fettes College
Go to the source
Official links for your shortlist
Use the school’s current admissions information to check which sample papers or familiarisation materials apply to your child’s entry year.
Know what to expect
Follow the school’s assessment guidance.
Age-11 entry is to Fettes Prep, which usually uses CAT4 and interview. Fettes explicitly says no CAT4 preparation is involved, consistent with GL Assessment’s guidance.
Read the official guidance: Fettes College · GL Assessment
Keep the practical steps clear
Your application starting points
Use the official links on this page to answer these questions for your child’s entry year.
Check the entry point and eligibility
Confirm the year group, age requirements and any conditions that apply to your child.
Put the right dates in your diary
Note any published registration, assessment, application and offer-response dates that apply to your child’s route. They may be separate steps.
Follow the assessment guidance
Check what the school asks your child to do and whether it recommends any preparation. Use its own instructions and the assessment provider’s advice.
Check fees and financial support
Look at fees, bursaries and scholarships, including any separate forms, evidence and deadlines.
Picture your child’s everyday life here.
An open day is a chance to look beyond the exam. Useful questions to take with you:
- How do you help new pupils settle in and make friends?
- Who can a child turn to when they feel worried or stuck?
- How do you help pupils recover from a setback and discover their strengths?
Know where to focus
See what your child is learning.
See the topics your child has practised, revisit questions that need another look and choose a focus for the next session. Plusling helps you put your time where it can be useful.
- Topic summaries and practice history
- Choose topics in Focus Practice
- Progress to discuss with the adults helping them
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Before you apply
- Confirm your child’s intended start date and available day or boarding places with Admissions.
- CAT4 includes introductory examples. Follow the school’s advice and let your child approach the assessment without revision or practice tests.
- Discuss any learning support needs, financial assistance and the terms of an offer directly with the school.
Plusling’s guide to Fettes College is independently written. The school and its admissions authority publish the official arrangements.
Contains government school-register data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Primary sources
- Scotland: official school register Scottish Government
- Fettes College, Edinburgh | Independent Day & Boarding School Fettes College
- Fettes admissions by entry age Fettes College
- Fettes admissions welcome and entry points Fettes College
- Fettes registration form and required documents Fettes College
- Visit Fettes Prep and arrange a taster day Fettes College
- Fettes Prep transition to Senior School Fettes College
- Fettes early offers for later 13+ Senior entry Fettes College
- CAT4 information for parents GL Assessment
- CAT4 information for parents GL Assessment