What is Quest?
Quest (previously known as Atom Assessments) was launched by Atom Learning to redefine the way schools test children. Quest creates school progress tests (Quest Progress) and school entrance tests (Quest Admissions).
More than 100 independent schools trust Quest to administer their entrance exams. Quest Admissions puts children at the heart of the assessment process with shorter online exams filled with enjoyable content. Admissions teams get the data they need to make decisions, and children have more positive exam-day experiences.
Quest Admissions is a bespoke entry test for schools. Quest works in partnership with schools to build assessments that are fair and accessible to children from all backgrounds. Entrance exams can put a lot of pressure on young children, so these assessments are designed to be enjoyable and accessible.
A Quest Admissions exam typically combines a mixture of traditional subjects like English, maths and reasoning with newer components. These broaden the scope of what’s being assessed and test analysis and synthesis skills. They are also used to gauge whether children can engage in long-form problem-solving.
Many schools are switching from other exam providers to Quest because they want to make their admissions process more accessible and inclusive. Quest Admissions:
- are shorter and less taxing on the child
- test more widely than most entrance exams
- prioritise lifelong learning - identifying readers and problem-solvers
Every assessment is unique and branded to the school. Each school chooses the subjects to suit their admissions process. More information about your target school’s test will be available on the admissions section of the school website.
What does Quest Admissions test?
A Quest Admissions entrance assessment consists of one or two parts. Each school will decide whether to use Part 1, Part 2, or both.
Part 1
Part 1 tests a student's understanding of the content taught on the national curriculum, including maths and English comprehension. Some assessments will also include verbal and non-verbal reasoning. For more information about which subjects will be tested on your student's exam, check your target school’s website.
Some of this section of the test is adaptive, so the questions are tailored to the student's learning ability. If a child answers lots of questions correctly, they will begin to see more challenging questions. Adaptive testing meets children at their level. It helps them to stay motivated and prevents them from feeling discouraged from seeing questions that are too difficult.
The maths section covers the topics caught on the national curriculum. Children taking an Atom Assessment for 11+ entry will be tested on topics taught up to the end of Year 5.
Children will be tested on arithmetic and number, geometry, measurement, and statistics. They will also have questions which assess mathematical reasoning and problem-solving. Students will need to think carefully when answering these questions, as they’ll likely need to solve problems with several steps. They will have scrap paper and pencils to help them work through the problem.
English
The English section includes a reading comprehension exercise. Students will see a passage of text and will answer questions to show that they can process and understand the text, analyse it, and infer meaning from context. Reading widely – including reading texts across different genres, and written by a range of authors – will help students build these skills organically.
Atom works with writers to produce challenging fiction and non-fiction texts that children enjoy. All texts are bespoke, so they are completely unseen for all children.
Some schools choose to additionally include questions which test spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Verbal reasoning
Verbal reasoning measures children's ability to reason and solve problems with written information – like letters, words, numbers and symbols. Some of the skills involved include logic, problem-solving, and reading fluency. Children who read widely and have a wide vocabulary will be well-prepared for these questions.
Non-verbal reasoning
Non-verbal reasoning involves analysing visual information and solving problems using shapes, diagrams, and pictures. These sorts of questions test skills such as logic, spatial awareness, and maths. Playing with puzzles and games such as Sudoku, Lego and Rubik’s Cubes are a great way to practise these skills.
Part 2
However, Quest Admissions aims to go beyond testing a narrow skillset. These tests also look at a student's ability to:
- Analyse source materials from unfamiliar contexts
- Evaluate and synthesise information
- Use sustained thinking to solve multi-step problems
- Apply logic to solve problems
Part 2 of Quest Admissions measures these skills through two unique components: puzzles and problem-solving and creative comprehension. These are very different to exams provided by other test providers and create a more enjoyable testing experience.
This section is not adaptive. All children will see the same questions regardless of their performance, although some might progress further through the questions than others.
The school will choose whether to incorporate Part 2 in the exam.
This section assesses your child’s ability to reason with information and solve problems using interactive puzzles. They will need to show sustained thinking and use trial and error, to work through the puzzle.
Which mock tests should my student use?
Advise your student's parent to set their child's target school. Once set, parents and children can access the correct mock test for their target school via the Test page. If you have any questions about which tests your student should be using, please email us at tutorsupport@atomlearning.co.uk and we'll be happy to help.