When families start applying to schools in Dubai, one of the first questions is usually about the test. Will there be an exam, how hard is it, and should the children be preparing?

The honest answer is that it depends on your child’s age, the school and the curriculum. For most children the assessment is one part of a wider picture, alongside their school reports and a conversation with the family.

The youngest children

In the early years, placement in Dubai is mainly by age. KHDA’s Student Placement Guidelines set out which year group a child joins according to their date of birth, and schools are expected to follow them.

Some schools still like to meet young children before offering a place, often through a short, play-based session. It is less a test than a chance for the school to see how a child plays, listens and copes with something new.

Older children

From the primary years upwards, schools generally want a fuller picture. That might include:

  • recent school reports, and sometimes a reference from the current school;
  • an assessment of reading, writing and mathematics, or a standardised reasoning test, often taken online;
  • for children whose first language isn’t English, an assessment of their English;
  • a conversation with the child, and with the parents.

Schools are usually looking for two things: whether the child will be able to access the curriculum in that year group, and what support they might need to do well. For children joining in exam years, they will also look closely at which subjects and courses can continue.

Children with additional needs

Dubai’s inclusive education framework expects private schools to welcome students of determination and not to turn a child away simply because of their needs. In practice, schools will want to understand those needs well, so that they can plan the right support.

It is almost always better to share reports and assessments openly at the start. A school that understands your child from the outset is in a far better position to support them, and it is much better to find out early if a school cannot.

Helping your child prepare

  • Ask each school what its assessment involves, how long it takes and whether it can be done from abroad.
  • Gather recent reports, any standardised test results and any specialist reports before you apply. Some take time to obtain.
  • Keep it low-key with your child. A calm child who shows what they can do is more useful to a school than one who has been heavily coached.
  • Remember that an assessment is only one factor. Availability in the year group often matters just as much, which is why it is worth checking places before arranging assessments.

If you are comparing several schools with different processes, When to begin applying to Dubai schools sets out how the timing usually fits together.