Essex's consortium test sits on the first Saturday of November and uses a unique combined English-and-Maths format.
Year 5 spring
Confirm CSSE registration dates with the consortium. CSSE registration typically opens in August of Year 5 with closing in late August. The application is made directly to the CSSE consortium, separately from the local authority.
Begin CSSE-specific preparation. The format is unique (combined English and Maths in a single sitting) and generic 11+ practice is a poor proxy for it.
Year 5 summer
Topic work in English comprehension and Maths in parallel. Begin extended writing practice — twenty-minute pieces under prompt — as a regular weekly habit.
CSSE rewards strong written English alongside Maths. Many families under-invest in writing practice because their region's previous experience has been with reasoning-only tests.
Summer holidays
Sit baseline CSSE-format papers and identify priority areas. The CSSE consortium publishes sample papers — these are the gold-standard preparation material.
Substantial summer practice window. Six to eight full mocks in CSSE format, with detailed mark-scheme review of the writing component.
September–October
Run the dress-rehearsal weeks. CSSE's unique format means stamina across the combined paper is a real factor; practise the full sitting length under realistic conditions.
Wind down the final fortnight before the November sitting.
First Saturday of November — test
CSSE test day. Venue is usually one of the four consortium schools or a designated test centre. The combined paper runs roughly two hours.
Bring spare pencils, water and a layer of clothing. The test venue may be unfamiliar; arrive with substantial buffer time.
Early March — results
CSSE results are released in late February or early March, in time for the national offer day on 1 March. The combined score is reported with the qualifying threshold marked.
CSSE results inform the secondary preference allocation alongside the local authority preference list submitted by 31 October.