Dover Grammar School for Boys 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About Dover Grammar School for Boys

Dover Grammar School for Boys is a boys’ state grammar school in Dover, Kent. The school’s Published Admission Number for Year 7 is 150, and the school is usually oversubscribed.

Entry into Year 7 is by the Kent Test or the school’s own Dover Boys Test, both sat in September of Year 6.

Key information for 2027 entry to Dover Grammar School for Boys at 11 Plus (11+)

• School type: boys’ state grammar school
• Test provider: Kent Test (GL Assessment papers, administered by Kent County Council) or the school’s own Dover Boys Test
• Kent Test registration deadline: Wednesday 1 July 2026
• Dover Boys Test registration deadline: Friday 3 July 2026
• Kent Test date: Thursday 10 September 2026 (Kent primary schools) or the weekend of 12-13 September 2026 (out-of-county and home-educated children)
• Dover Boys Test date: the Saturday immediately following the Kent Test, where possible
• SCAF deadline: 31 October 2026
• National Offer Day: 1 March 2027
• Year 7 places available: 150
• Contact details: dgsb.co.uk

Admissions information for 2027 entry to Dover Grammar School for Boys at 11 Plus (11+)

Boys can become eligible for a place at DGSB through the county-wide Kent Test, set by GL Assessment and run by Kent County Council. For a general explanation of how the Kent Test works, see our full Kent Test guide.

DGSB also runs its own additional assessment, the Dover Boys Test, entirely independently of the Kent Test’s usual provider: “entrance to DGSB is through successful completion of either the Kent Test or our own Dover Grammar School for Boys entrance test,” in the school’s own words. Your son needs to register for and sit only one of the two to be eligible, though many families choose to enter him for both.

Registration for the Kent Test is completed directly with Kent County Council, not with DGSB, by 1 July 2026. You must separately name Dover Grammar School for Boys on your Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF) by 31 October 2026. Registering for either test and applying for a school place are different steps, and both are required.

When the school is oversubscribed, priority is given first to looked after and previously looked after children, then to children in receipt of Pupil Premium, then to siblings already at the school, then to health and special access reasons, then to children of staff, and finally by straight-line distance from home to school. Make sure you check the school’s current admission arrangements for the full ordered list, as it is reviewed each year.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exams at Dover Grammar School for Boys?

You do not register with DGSB for the Kent Test itself. Registration for the Kent Test is completed on the Kent County Council website, and Kent does not accept late entries.

To register for the Dover Boys Test, complete the school’s own online registration form, available from the admissions section of the school’s website. This is a hard deadline with no late submissions accepted.

Make sure you check the Kent County Council website and the school’s own admissions page for the current registration links, as the exact process is confirmed there each year.

The application process is:

• Register your son for the Kent Test with Kent County Council by 1 July 2026
• If you also want him to sit the Dover Boys Test, register separately with the school by 3 July 2026
• Sit the Kent Test in September 2026, either at his Kent primary school or, for out-of-county and home-educated children, at a test centre, and/or sit the Dover Boys Test at the school on the Saturday immediately following
• Complete the Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF), naming Dover Grammar School for Boys, by 31 October 2026
• Receive your offer on National Offer Day, 1 March 2027

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for Dover Grammar School for Boys?

Boys applying to DGSB can be assessed through the county-wide Kent Test, the school’s own Dover Boys Test, or both.

The Kent Test is made up of two multiple-choice papers plus a separate writing task:

• Paper 1 (English and maths) – about an hour, in two sections. Each section starts with a short practice exercise before a timed 25-minute test.
• Paper 2 (verbal and non-verbal reasoning) – about an hour, split into a verbal reasoning section and a non-verbal reasoning section of roughly equal length.

There is also a writing task of 40 minutes, including about 10 minutes for planning. This is not scored as part of the Kent Test result; it is kept on file and only looked at by a headteacher panel if a child is referred for a closer look. Multiple-choice answers go on a separate answer sheet that is read by a machine, not written in the question booklet itself.

The Dover Boys Test, set by the school itself, covers the same ground from a different angle: verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests, plus tests set to the National Curriculum Key Stage 2 targets in English and maths.

A rough guide to topics covered across both tests:

• Maths – arithmetic, fractions, decimals and percentages, measurement, geometry, statistics and word problems
• English – comprehension, spelling, punctuation and sentence completion
• Verbal reasoning – word and logic puzzles such as letter sequences, codes and hidden words
• Non-verbal reasoning – patterns, sequences, rotations and odd-one-out questions with shapes

Dover Grammar School for Boys 11 Plus (11+) top tips for your child

• Get comfortable with all four areas: English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Both the Kent Test and the Dover Boys Test draw on this same core knowledge, so keep everything ticking over rather than focusing on just one subject.
• Use the short practice exercise at the start of each Kent Test section properly! It is there to show you exactly what to do, so listen carefully and ask yourself if you understand before the timed section begins.
• Practise on a separate answer sheet. Getting used to finding the right box and shading it in properly means one less thing to think about on the day.
• If you’re sitting both tests, pace yourself in the run-up! They fall close together, so a steady routine in the weeks before beats a last-minute cram before either one.
• Plan before you write. In the Kent Test writing task, a few minutes spent thinking of a beginning, middle and end will make your writing clearer.
• Don’t panic about one hard question! Move on, keep your pace steady, and come back to anything you have skipped if there is time left.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) Dover Grammar School for Boys exam

Because both the Kent Test and the Dover Boys Test draw on the same four subject areas, preparing for DGSB means covering English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning either way.

The most useful way to prepare is to use practice tests that match this format, so your son gets used to working across all four subjects, transferring answers to a separate answer sheet, and keeping to time in each section. That familiarity is what stops the format itself being a surprise on the day, whichever of the two tests he ends up sitting.

For Dover Grammar School for Boys 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: