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

About Dover Grammar School for Girls

Dover Grammar School for Girls is a girls’ state grammar school in Dover, Kent. The school’s Published Admission Number for Year 7 is 140, and the school is usually oversubscribed.

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

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

• School type: girls’ state grammar school
• Test provider: Kent Test (GL Assessment papers, administered by Kent County Council) or the school’s own Dover Test, run by Quest Assessments
• Kent Test registration opens – deadline: 1 June – 1 July 2026 (midnight)
• 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)
• Results date: Thursday 15 October 2026
• SCAF deadline: 31 October 2026
• National Offer Day: 1 March 2027
• Year 7 places available: 140
• Contact details: dggs.kent.sch.uk

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

Girls can become eligible for a place at Dover Grammar School for Girls 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.

The school also offers its own Dover Test, run by Quest Assessments, as a genuine choice alongside the Kent Test rather than a fallback after it. The school’s own admissions page is explicit: prospective pupils “have the choice of sitting either the Dover Test or the Kent Test at 11 Plus,” and your daughter must sit at least one of the two to be considered for a Year 7 place. The Dover Test covers English and maths only, unlike the Kent Test’s four subjects. For more on how Quest-run 11+ tests work, see our Quest Assessments guide.

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

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

You do not register with the school 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.

If you would like your daughter to sit the Dover Test instead of, or alongside, the Kent Test, registration is separate and completed directly with the school. Check the school’s admissions page for the current registration window and forms, as the exact dates are confirmed there each year.

The application process is:

• Decide whether your daughter will sit the Kent Test, the Dover Test, or both, remembering that at least one is required
• Register for whichever test(s) you have chosen, with Kent County Council for the Kent Test and directly with the school for the Dover Test, by the relevant deadlines
• Sit the chosen test(s) in September 2026
• Complete the Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF), naming Dover Grammar School for Girls, 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 Girls?

Girls applying to Dover Grammar School for Girls can be assessed through the county-wide Kent Test, the school’s own Dover 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 Test is narrower in scope: an English paper and a maths paper, with no verbal or non-verbal reasoning component. Check the school’s admissions page for the current timings and format, as these are set by Quest Assessments rather than Kent County Council.

A rough guide to the topics covered by the Kent Test:

• 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 Girls 11 Plus (11+) top tips for your child

• Keep English and maths as your priority. Both the Kent Test and the Dover Test lean on these two subjects, so strong comprehension and arithmetic skills carry you a long way whichever route you take.
• If you are sitting the Kent Test, don’t neglect verbal and non-verbal reasoning! They only appear there, not in the Dover Test, but the school accepts a pass in either test, so it’s worth deciding early which route suits you best.
• 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.
• 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 Girls exam

Whichever route you are aiming for, English and maths matter most, since both the Kent Test and the Dover Test test them. If your daughter is sitting the Kent Test, add verbal and non-verbal reasoning and the separate writing task into her preparation too.

The most useful way to prepare is to use practice tests that match this format, so your daughter gets used to working across the right subjects, transferring answers to a separate answer sheet where relevant, and keeping to time in each section. That familiarity is what stops the format itself being a surprise on the day.

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