Become A Partner
Associate Schools
In order to receive UKiset profiles from international applicants, schools have to request a UKiset report by contacting the UKiset team. When a candidate includes your school as one of their choices, their full report is sent to you automatically upon completion.
If you are a British curriculum school and interested in using UKiset as your pre-selection or school entrance test, please contact us.
We welcome all schools to join the UKiset network whether based in the UK or internationally. Schools using UKiset as part of their admissions process benefit from a rich bank of data that is being continuously updated, as well as support from the UKiset Team.
Schools Benefit
from Ukiset
Schools Benefit from Ukiset
Developed in partnership with Cambridge University Press & Assessment, UKiset has been designed as a valuable tool to help identify the most suitable candidates for your school. This allows schools to focus their time and resources on building relationships with students and families – instead of time spent marking and invigilating their own assessments.
UKiset provides valuable information schools need to make an informed appraisal of the strength and weaknesses of an international applicant. The UKiset School Report provides an accurate indicator of an applicant’s academic abilities and compares them directly against their British peers, both in the state and independent sectors.
UKiset can also be used in addition to your own baseline testing, as a way to have access to more information about the student’s potential.
Other benefits:
Eliminates time consuming paperwork and reduces the administration of international applicants.
Significantly speeds up the decision-making process.
The school
profile
includes:
The school profile includes:
1.
A full candidate profile, including a photo, ID checks and full contact details.
2.
Standardised scores in core cognitive processing skills: verbal, non-verbal and mathematical reasoning.
3.
Comparisons with the British state and independent sectors.
4.
Scores include National Percentile Ranking, Predicted future grades at GCSE and A-Level (where applicable).
5.
Scores include National Percentile Ranking, Predicted future grades at GCSE and A-Level (where applicable).
To see a sample profile and talk through the value of using UKiset, get in touch with our team by emailing enquires@ukiset.com.
N.B. We suggest that schools do not publish their UKiset score expectations as this may mislead families about the availability of a place. We kindly ask that schools respond to the applicant directly with their decision. Please note that the School Profile will only be sent by UKiset. Parents and candidates are not given access to the School Profile in line with our security protocols.
Frequently Asked Questions
for schools
Frequently Asked Questions for schools
1. About UKiset
What is UKiset?
UKiset is an assessment that many British independent schools ask overseas students to take. The results show how the candidate compares to students of the same age group in the British school system, and more specifically within the independent sector. *
The assessment tests candidates’ underlying learning skills through a vocabulary test, non-verbal and mathematical reasoning, as well as their English level in reading, listening, and writing.
*Please note that data used for comparison starts from Year 7/age 11.
How does it work?
Candidates register for UKiset via our website. The test can be arranged for the candidate to take either online or in a local test centre. Online invigilation has proved to be a particularly convenient way to invigilate tests securely, as the candidate is not required to leave their home.
Should the candidate decide to choose online invigilation, one of the members of the UKiset Team will guide them through the process. Alternatively, UKiset has a large network of test centres worldwide and will endeavour to find an appropriate centre local to the candidate if required.
The candidate can choose which schools they would like to send their results to. Within three working days of sitting the test, the UKiset profile report is sent to you and the family/academic agent. School choices can be made either before the test takes place or after the results have been generated.
How does it benefit our selection process?
UKiset is a single, comprehensive evaluation of a candidate’s academic potential and English skills. It provides a level playing field for students applying to your schools from anywhere in the world – regardless of their previous academic experience. By asking overseas applicants to sit UKiset, we will send student profiles (with results) directly to your admissions teams, fully marked, with standardised scores comparing the candidates against British students and British independent school students of the same age.
The reasoning tests (powered by Durham University’s CEM assessments) focus on learning potential rather than learned knowledge – helping you identify the most suitable candidates for your school. The Cambridge English assessment provides an internationally recognised language score with equivalent scores to the IELTS scale.
For more information, please contact enquiries@ukiset.com.
Does it benefit the families using it?
The main benefit is that UKiset is a single assessment that can be used to apply to multiple schools. Before UKiset, candidates would have to prepare for and take a test for each individual school they applied to.
UKiset can also be sent to schools prior to registering with them. This means that applying for competitive places at selective schools becomes much cheaper, as families only pay the registration fee to schools where their child has a chance of gaining a place.
Moreover, by using UKiset to assess an applicant’s learning potential and English level, you the school have an independent, internationally recognised evaluation to base your admissions decision on. You may wish to advise on additional English support or help the candidate choose more realistic school choices. UKiset provides the evidence to back up this decision and advice.
What is the cost?
UKiset is free for schools; no sign-up or service contract required. Use it once, or for every international applicant, how you use it is entirely up to you.
For the applicant, UKiset costs £295 (inclusive of all applicable taxes). This fee includes the registration, the test, the invigilation either online or at an accredited test centre, the UKiset profile report, and the school reports sent to up to five schools of your choice.
Who accepts UKiset?
About 300 UK independent schools have received UKiset profiles since its launch. This number includes a wide range of school types and different ways of using UKiset. Some (around 30%) insist that all overseas pupils provide a UKiset profile, others (around 40%) use it as part of their admissions process, or for specific parts of the world.
UKiset does not specify how you use the information, but can support schools in extracting the most from profiles, and alleviate some assessment strain on admissions teams.
2. Applying with UKiset
How do interested families apply to our school with UKiset?
Candidates can be registered online by their parent or guardian, or by an academic agent through our website: www.ukiset.com. Please note details of the candidate’s passport are required at registration.
School choices can be made during registration or after the test results have been made available. If they select your school prior to the test taking place, the result will be sent automatically upon completion of the assessment.
If the applicant has already taken UKiset, simply ask the family to email enquiries@ukiset.com and request that the school profile package is sent to you.
How do families register to take UKiset locally?
When a candidate is registered online, the UKiset team will arrange online invigilation or contact a suitable local test centre to schedule the test. UKiset will then coordinate with the candidate to confirm a convenient date to sit the test. We provide online invigilation in-house during the week and on weekends. We also work closely with the British Council and Cambridge English to provide test centres globally.
Where can candidates take the test?
Given the difficulties candidates have had to face over the last couple of years, we are happy to offer online invigilation to all candidates who require it. Students can sit the test in the comfort of their own home, invigilated by a member of the UKiset team who will guide them through the different parts of the test.
If you would rather the test was sat in an accredited test centre, please send us an email and we will be happy to discuss what options are available. Sometimes it is possible to arrange for the candidate to sit the test at their current school if there are no other test centres available locally.
How quickly do we receive the results?
Results are normally available within 3 business days of the test being sat. During busy periods this may take a little longer; it is also dependent on the test centre promptly sending the candidate’s English essay through to UKiset HQ.
3. The UKiset school profile package
What information is included in the school profile package?
The UKiset profile consists of four key pieces of information:
a) The UKiset Profile – this document provides a full overview of the candidate. This includes their personal details and identification information (this is required to verify the candidate’s identity at the test centre). It also provides complete contact details for you to respond to the family/agent.
b) The Reasoning score – this assessment looks at the candidate’s learning potential in quantitative, non-verbal and verbal reasoning. The candidate’s score is standardised for their age and is compared to British students in the same year group.
Please note: We are aware that the vocabulary test will be more challenging for those candidates who speak English as their second language, compared to a native speaker. Therefore, UKiset provides two averages: one overall average, and one excluding the verbal score. This allows schools to see the candidate’s potential without factoring their English skills in.
The assessment also provides predictive analysis on what the candidate might go on to achieve at GCSE and (if appropriate) A-level/IB. This information is extremely valuable if your school is already using baseline assessments like GL’s CAT4, or CEM’s MidYIS/YelIS/AlIS. This information is not provided to the families as part of the UKiset Profile they receive as this information can be misconstrued.
c) The Cambridge English Placement Test (CEPT) – This test provides the candidate’s English level by assessing their reading and listening skills. The CEFR level refers directly to the IELTS scale and helps schools to assess how easily the candidate would be able to access the UK curriculum. For a rough guide on what schools might expect at different age groups please email enquiries@ukiset.com.
d) The candidate’s English essay – this piece of expressive writing is on an expository topic, and given to the candidate on the day of the test. The topic is age appropriate and we provide it in its raw form (unmarked) as a demonstration of their opinion and ability to express themselves in English.
What is the next step after receiving the candidate’s UKiset result?
Please contact the candidate (their parent/guardian or agent) directly with your decision on whether you wish for them to register with you, or arrange a video interview, or some subject-specific testing. Alternatively, you may wish to inform the candidate that they may wish to pursue other school choices at this time.
4. Additional support
Do you offer training for schools on how to use UKiset?
Yes, and it’s free. Please contact the UKiset team and we will arrange a training session for your admissions team on how to extract the most from the profiles.
How do I find out about global trends and new UKiset schools?
UKiset regularly produce reports on how UKiset is being used globally and which schools are joining the network.
Simply email enquiries@ukiset.com and ask to join this mailing list.
Can you explain the relationship between UKiset and Gabbitas?
Certainly. UKiset was designed and developed by Gabbitas Educational Consultants, and the system has been continuously developed and redesigned since it was first devised in January 2013. During the pilot scheme in early 2014, it became clear that for UKiset to become a wider success, it needed to be adopted by a wide range of academic consultants, agents, schools and other institutions.
Please note that we would not jeopardise our integrity as an independent assessment tool. Whilst we endorse the Gabbitas UKiset Prep service, they are not permitted access to private resources, sample papers, or any other materials that are not public to any other party interested in UKiset services.