How Prince George Feels About His Milestone School Exams

Death and taxes might be the only certainties in life for adults (if you ask Benjamin Franklin, anyway), but for kids, this certainty comes in the form of standardized testing. Indeed, little can be done to stop the onslaught of study guides and quizzing we face as children — and as Prince George of Wales is quickly discovering, that applies even if you're royal. 

Royalty or not, the eldest son of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, will be facing his Independent Schools Examination Board Pre-Test ahead of Year 7, which is akin to sixth grade in the United States. The ISEB Pre-Test is a precursory assessment of a pupil's academic standing ahead of their Common Entrance or Scholarship exams that is often used by highly competitive senior schools like Eton College, where Prince George's father and uncle attended. 

While visiting a school in Cardiff, Wales, Kate revealed how George really felt about reaching the age where these milestone exams begin. In a video posted on TikTok by Matt Wilkinson, an editor at The Sun, the princess says to a group of students: "George is just at the beginning of being tested. He says, 'Mummy, I keep getting tested all the time.' But when it gets to A-levels, you feel like you're on it."

The ISEB Pre-Test Prince George of Wales has to take ahead of Year 7 covers verbal and non-verbal reasoning, English, and mathematics. With so much to study, his mom, Catherine, Princess of Wales, plans on staying close to home to help George prepare. The Daily Mail confirmed that Kate would not be joining her husband, William, Prince of Wales, on a November 2023 trip to Singapore, instead opting to support her son as he studies for his exams.

Kate's hands-on approach to George's schooling is one of many ways Prince George isn't being raised like previous monarchs, primarily by nannies and governesses. "Coming from a different background, she appreciates the importance of having family time," a source close to the royal family told People. "She wasn't brought up in that aristocratic setting where you see the children for a short time each day."

As George prepares for his ISEB exams, part of Kate's job as an involved mom includes helping her young son study mathematics. "I've been helping George prepare for his exams coming up, so I know how hard maths can be," the Princess of Wales revealed during her trip to Cardiff, per the Mirror. According to the ISEB syllabus, skills George will be tested on include multi-digit multiplication and division, fractions, algebra, geometry, statistics, and measurement.

William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, took Prince George of Wales on a visit to his father's alma mater, Eton College, in June, suggesting the possibility of a new royal family tradition. Although George has been attending Lambrook School since 2022, the Berkshire school only teaches pupils up to 13 years old — meaning George will have to decide his next stage of schooling following his 13th birthday in July 2026. 

Currently, Eton College seems like a highly viable option. His father, Prince William, and his uncle, Harry, Duke of Sussex, attended Eton College after passing their Common Entrance Exams in 1995 and 1998, respectively. To follow in their footsteps, George's current headteacher must submit an academic and character report to Eton College. George will also take a second test at the college that includes an interview and an educational potential assessment.

Good Schools Guide's Melanie Sanderson discussed George's academic prospects on an episode of "A Right Royal Podcast," saying, "Eton has a proven track record on security. They can handle royals. The family understands the school, which is really important for any family to really know what you're getting into." But whether George opts to attend Eton College or his mother's alma mater, Marlborough College, one thing remains certain: he'll have to get those pesky standardized tests out of the way first.