Kent Test 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide: Schools, Papers and Dates

About the Kent Test

The Kent Test is the 11+ entrance assessment used by grammar schools across Kent, run by Kent County Council. Sometimes referred to as the Procedure for Entry to Secondary Education (PESE), it decides whether a child is given a ‘grammar’ classification, one of the routes onto the admissions list at any of the county’s 32 grammar schools.

Kent County Council manages registration, the test day and results, but the papers themselves are set and marked by GL Assessment, the same provider used by several other grammar school areas in England. Our GL Assessment guide covers how GL-set tests differ from one area to the next, if your child is also being tested elsewhere.

The Kent Test is open to any child due to start Year 7, whether or not they currently attend a Kent primary school and whether or not you live in Kent. A grammar classification is one route onto a school’s admissions list; each school then applies its own oversubscription criteria on top, such as distance or sibling links, so a grammar classification does not guarantee a place at any particular school.

Key information for 2027 entry to the Kent Test at 11 Plus (11+)

• Test provider: Kent County Council, with papers set by GL Assessment
• Used by: 32 grammar schools across Kent, from Dartford and Gravesend to Folkestone and Tunbridge Wells
• Subjects: English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, plus a separate writing task
• Format: two multiple-choice papers sat on the same day, plus an unmarked writing exercise
• Registration: usually opens in June 2026 and closes in early July 2026
• Exam dates: most children sit the test on a single day in September 2026, with results following in October 2026
• Alternative routes: Weald of Kent Grammar School, Dover Grammar School for Girls and Borden Grammar School each also run their own test set by Quest Assessments, alongside or instead of the Kent Test

Kent Test papers, subjects and timings

The Kent Test is sat across two multiple-choice papers, plus a separate writing task that is not part of either paper.

• Paper 1: English and maths – around an hour in total. Each subject has a five-minute practice section followed by 25 minutes of timed questions. The English section is built around a comprehension passage plus further questions testing literacy skills; maths is drawn from the Key Stage 2 curriculum. Both are multiple choice, with answers recorded on a separate answer sheet and marked by computer.
• Paper 2: reasoning – also around an hour, made up of a verbal reasoning section and a non-verbal reasoning section of roughly equal length, each with its own short practice questions first. Like Paper 1, this is multiple choice, with answers recorded on a separate sheet.
• Writing task – 40 minutes, including 10 minutes of planning time. Unlike the two multiple-choice papers, this is a handwritten piece of extended writing. It is not formally marked, but it can be drawn on later as part of the Head Teacher Assessment (see below), so it is still worth your child’s best effort.

All three parts are usually sat on the same day.

Registration, results and the Head Teacher Assessment

Registration for the Kent Test usually opens in June 2026 and closes in early July 2026, through Kent County Council’s own registration system. Most children sit the test on a single day in September 2026; children attending a primary school outside Kent are typically tested over the following weekend. If you miss the registration deadline, Kent County Council asks families to contact them directly rather than assume a place has been missed.

Each child receives three standardised scores, one each for English, maths and reasoning (which covers both the verbal and non-verbal sections), plus a total aggregate score. Scores are standardised and adjusted for age, so a summer-born child is not judged against the raw marks of older classmates in the same year group. The pass threshold is not fixed in advance; it is set each year once all children have been tested. In recent years it has worked out at an aggregate of around 332, with roughly 107 to 108 needed in each of the three areas, though the exact figures can move slightly from one year to the next.

Results are sent out in October 2026. Children who reach the threshold are given a grammar classification, one route onto a grammar school’s admissions list, alongside each school’s own oversubscription criteria. Children who do not reach the threshold on the day can still be considered through the Head Teacher Assessment: a panel of local head teachers may draw on the unmarked writing task from the Kent Test, alongside other information such as the child’s classwork and a case from their own head teacher, before deciding whether to award a grammar classification. If a grammar place still is not offered afterwards, the standard Kent school admissions appeal process is also available, as with any other Kent secondary school.

The Quest alternative routes within Kent

Most Kent grammar schools use the Kent Test as their only route in, but three schools also run their own test set by Quest Assessments, a different provider from GL Assessment. Our Quest 11 Plus guide covers Quest Assessments in full, including the schools outside Kent that use it; here is how the three Kent routes work.

Weald of Kent Grammar School

Weald of Kent Grammar School in Tonbridge offers a Quest-set test as an equal alternative to the Kent Test, not a second attempt for children who do not reach the Kent Test threshold. Families can sit the Kent Test, the Weald test, or both, and both carry the same weight in admissions. The Weald test covers English and maths, one hour each, based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum up to the end of Year 5. Registration typically runs from 1 June to 10 July 2026, with the test usually held on the Saturday after the Kent Test in September 2026.

Dover Grammar School for Girls

Dover Grammar School for Girls offers the Dover Test, also set by Quest Assessments, as a choice instead of the Kent Test rather than an additional sitting. It covers English and maths only.

Borden Grammar School

Borden Grammar School in Sittingbourne also runs its own test set by Quest Assessments, alongside the Kent Test. We were not able to confirm from the school’s own admissions page exactly how the two tests fit together or which subjects the Borden test covers, so check Borden Grammar School’s current admissions page directly if this applies to your child.

Dover Grammar School for Boys has no Quest-set route and uses the Kent Test alone.

The 32 Kent grammar schools, by area

These are the grammar schools currently using the Kent Test, grouped by where they are in the county.

Dartford, Wilmington and Gravesend

Dartford Grammar School, Dartford Grammar School for Girls, Wilmington Grammar School for Boys and Wilmington Grammar School for Girls serve the Dartford area, with Gravesend Grammar School and Mayfield Grammar School a little further along the Thames estuary in Gravesend.

Maidstone and Sittingbourne

Maidstone is home to four grammar schools: Invicta Grammar School, Maidstone Grammar School, Maidstone Grammar School for Girls and Oakwood Park Grammar School. Borden Grammar School and Highsted Grammar School serve Sittingbourne.

Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells

The Judd School, Tonbridge Grammar School and Weald of Kent Grammar School are based in Tonbridge, with The Skinners’ School, Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School and Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys in neighbouring Tunbridge Wells.

Ashford and Cranbrook

Highworth Grammar School and The Norton Knatchbull School serve Ashford, with Cranbrook School a little further west in the Weald of Kent.

Canterbury and Faversham

Barton Court Grammar School, Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School and Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys are based in Canterbury, with Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School Faversham (not to be confused with Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet) a short distance away in Faversham.

The east Kent coast: Dover, Folkestone, Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Sandwich

Dover Grammar School for Boys and Dover Grammar School for Girls serve Dover, The Folkestone School for Girls and The Harvey Grammar School serve Folkestone, and Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School, Dane Court Grammar School and Sir Roger Manwood’s School cover Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Sandwich respectively.

Familiarisation materials for the Kent Test

GL Assessment, which sets the Kent Test papers, publishes free downloadable familiarisation material covering English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning on its 11+ site. These are useful for showing your child the exact instruction style, multiple-choice layout and answer sheet they will meet on the day, alongside your wider practice.

Kent Test top tips for your child

• Make sure you’re confident with the Key Stage 2 curriculum, especially in maths, since that’s what Paper 1 is built on.
• Practise verbal and non-verbal reasoning even if these feel unfamiliar at first. Almost nobody meets these question types at school, so a little practice makes a big difference!
• Read as widely as you can in the run-up to the test. It builds the vocabulary you need for both the English section and verbal reasoning.
• For the writing task, don’t skip the planning time. Ten minutes spent planning your ideas will make your writing clearer and easier to follow!
• Listen carefully to every instruction and check you’re filling in the right box on the answer sheet before you start each section.
• Keep an eye on the clock and move on if a question is taking too long. You can always come back to it later!
• Never leave an answer blank on the multiple-choice papers. It’s always worth a sensible guess.

How to prepare your child for the Kent Test

Start with GL Assessment’s own free familiarisation papers, so your child sees the exact instruction style and answer layout they will meet on the day for the English, maths and reasoning papers. From there, the most useful preparation is regular timed practice across all four subjects, since the Kent Test’s multiple-choice papers are sat against the clock.

Because the Kent Test also includes a writing task, it is worth adding some creative writing practice alongside your usual English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning preparation, even though the packs below are built around the multiple-choice subjects.

For Kent Test 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: