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

About the Quest 11 Plus (11+) test

Quest Assessments is an entrance test provider used by selective schools across England. Quest now writes entrance tests for state grammar schools as well as for independent schools.

Quest works with each school or group of schools to set a bespoke test, so there is no single national Quest paper. Two things change from one Quest school to the next, and both matter a great deal when you plan your preparation:

• Whether the test is a paper test sat in an exam room, or an online assessment taken on a computer
• Whether the test includes verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Some Quest schools test both, some test neither

It is important to note that being told your child is sitting a Quest test does not tell you what they will actually sit. Always check the admissions page for the specific school or area you are applying to.

Key information for 2027 entry to Quest schools at 11 Plus (11+)

• Test provider: Quest Assessments
• Paper tests for 2027 entry: the four Bexley grammar schools, the four Wirral grammar schools, the Plymouth grammar schools, Colyton Grammar School, and Tiffin School for its Stage 1 papers
• Alternative routes: Weald of Kent, Dover Grammar School for Girls and Borden Grammar School run a Quest test alongside the GL Assessment Kent Test
• Online assessment for 2027 entry: the thirteen schools of the London 11+ Consortium
• Reasoning: varies by school. Bexley and Wirral include verbal and non-verbal reasoning; Colyton, Tiffin and Plymouth do not
• Joining Quest for 2028 entry: the Dorset consortium, the Slough consortium and The Latymer School
• Exam dates: September and October 2026 for most Quest paper tests
• CAF deadline: 31 October 2026
• National Offer Day: 1 March 2027

Which schools use the Quest paper test?

These are the areas and schools sitting a Quest paper test for 2027 entry. The subjects differ in each one.

Bexley: four grammar schools

The Bexley Selection Test is run by the London Borough of Bexley for Beths Grammar School, Bexley Grammar School, Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School and Townley Grammar School, with around 800 places between them. The papers are provided by Quest Assessments.

• Two multiple-choice booklets, sat in a single session with a short break, around 50 minutes each
• Verbal ability and comprehension make up 50% of the marks, numerical reasoning 25% and non-verbal reasoning 25%
• All working is done in the test booklet, and rough paper is not provided
• Registration runs 1 to 31 March 2026. Tests are sat 7 to 10 September 2026 at grammar school centres, with results in early October 2026

For the full picture on these four schools, read our guide to the Bexley grammar schools.

Wirral: four grammar schools

The Wirral Admissions Test is shared by Wirral Grammar School for Girls, Wirral Grammar School for Boys, Calday Grange Grammar School and West Kirby Grammar School, and is provided by Quest Assessments.

• Verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematics
• There is no English paper in the Wirral test, which is unusual and worth planning around
• The test is sat on Tuesday 15 September 2026, with results around 21 October 2026. Registration closes on 1 June 2026

Plymouth

Devonport High School for Girls and Plymouth High School for Girls share a joint Quest test of English comprehension and maths, with 60 questions and around 40 minutes for each paper. The papers are sat on 12 and 19 September 2026, and registration closes at noon on 31 August 2026. There is no verbal or non-verbal reasoning.

Devonport High School for Boys also uses Quest for its English and maths papers, but runs its own separate process with an additional writing task, so it is not the same sitting as the girls’ schools. Registration closes on 31 August 2026.

Colyton Grammar School

Colyton in Devon moved from FSCE to Quest for 2027 entry. Three papers are sat on the same day with breaks in between:

• English – around 40 minutes, testing comprehension and use of language
• Maths – around 40 minutes, based on the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum
• Writing – 20 minutes, an extended writing task

There is no verbal or non-verbal reasoning. The test is held on Saturday 12 September 2026, and registration closes at midday on 31 July 2026. Our Colyton Grammar School guide covers the admissions process in full.

Tiffin School

Tiffin School works in partnership with Quest Assessments to set its entrance tests, and Quest now writes the Stage 1 papers. The school says a bespoke test is created with Quest each year and that it changes annually, so timings and question types can vary from year to year.

• Stage 1 – two multiple-choice papers, English and maths, sat in early October 2026 and marked by computer from a separate answer sheet
• Stage 2 – written English and maths papers in standard format, sat in November 2026 by children who pass Stage 1

Registration is through the Supplementary Information Form on the Tiffin School website and closes at noon on 1 September 2026. Read our guides to the Tiffin Stage One test and the Tiffin Stage Two test. Tiffin Girls’ School has not announced any change to who writes its papers.

Kent: Quest as an alternative to the Kent Test

The Kent Test itself is still set by GL Assessment. Three Kent schools additionally run a Quest test of their own, so some Kent families sit both:

• Weald of Kent Grammar School – a Quest test that is an equal alternative to the Kent Test, not a second attempt. Two papers, English and maths, one hour each, covering the Key Stage 2 curriculum to the end of Year 5. Registration runs 1 June to 10 July 2026 and the test is on 12 September 2026, the Saturday after the Kent Test
• Dover Grammar School for Girls – the Dover Test, set by Quest, which candidates may take instead of the Kent Test. It covers English and maths only
• Borden Grammar School – uses Quest for its own test, sat on 12 September 2026, with results in mid October 2026

Check the individual school’s admissions page for how its Quest test is used alongside the Kent Test, as the arrangements differ between the three.

Schools moving to Quest for 2028 entry

Three more groups have announced a move to Quest for entry in September 2028, with the test sat in September 2027. It is important to note that 2027 entry is unaffected at all of them, so if your child sits a test this year, the current provider still applies.

• The Dorset consortium (Bournemouth School, Bournemouth School for Girls, Parkstone Grammar School and Poole Grammar School) – three papers of maths, English and verbal reasoning, multiple choice and computer marked, around 40 minutes each. There is no non-verbal reasoning. The current cycle stays with GL Assessment
• The Slough consortium (Herschel Grammar School, Langley Grammar School, St Bernard’s Catholic Grammar School and Upton Court Grammar School) – two papers of around 50 minutes, the first covering English and verbal reasoning, the second non-verbal reasoning and maths. The current cycle stays with GL Assessment
• The Latymer School in Edmonton – mathematics, English comprehension and English writing, computer marked. There is no verbal or non-verbal reasoning

If your child is in Year 4 now, they are in the first cohort to sit the new test at these schools.

The online Quest assessment: the London 11+ Consortium

Not every Quest test is on paper. The London 11+ Consortium, a group of thirteen independent schools, uses an online assessment designed with Quest Assessments. It has run since 2023 entry and continues for 2027 entry.

• One sitting of 100 minutes, taken on a computer
• Six sections: maths, non-verbal reasoning, English, verbal reasoning, problem solving and creative comprehension, with a break part way through
• Both verbal and non-verbal reasoning are included
• The test is taken at your child’s own school wherever possible, with Consortium schools available as a venue if not. It is not a test sat at home
• For September 2027 entry the assessment is held on one of three dates in late November or early December 2026, with registration closing in early November 2026

Some Consortium schools also interview candidates in addition to the shared assessment, so check each school’s own admissions page.

Exam format for the Quest 11 plus (11+) entrance exam

Because Quest sets each test with the school, the format varies. The single most important thing to establish is whether your child’s test includes reasoning, because that decides which practice material they need.

Which Quest tests include reasoning

• Verbal and non-verbal reasoning: Bexley, Wirral, the London 11+ Consortium, and the Slough consortium from 2028
• Verbal reasoning only: the Dorset consortium from 2028
• Neither: Colyton, Tiffin, the Plymouth schools, and The Latymer School from 2028

There is no need to panic about that list. It simply means you should confirm your school’s subjects before buying anything, rather than assuming that all Quest tests look alike.

Common threads

Across the Quest paper tests sat in exam rooms:

• Questions are drawn from the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum
• Multiple-choice papers are marked by computer, so answers must be marked clearly and in the right place
• Papers are timed tightly, commonly around 40 to 60 minutes each
• Written work, where a school sets it, is done on paper in the test itself
• Scores are standardised and age-weighted, so a summer-born child is not judged against the raw marks of older classmates

Mathematics and English

A rough guide to topics covered:

• Maths – arithmetic and BIDMAS, fractions, decimals and percentages, measurement and unit conversions, algebra, geometry, statistics and graphs, word questions
• English – reading comprehension, inference, vocabulary in context, spelling, punctuation and grammar

Quest familiarisation materials

Quest publishes free familiarisation guides for parents and for children, along with sample questions, on its parent guidance page, with separate material for grammar school and independent school assessments.

Checking your own school’s test provider

Schools change test provider more often than they used to, and there is rarely a big announcement when they do. Colyton moved from FSCE to Quest, Bexley and Wirral moved from GL Assessment to Quest, and Dorset, Slough and The Latymer School are moving for 2028. Some school websites are slow to update, so the local authority or consortium page is often more current than the school’s own.

Make sure you check the current test specification before you plan your preparation. If your target school uses a different provider, our FSCE guide covers the other provider that several grammar schools have recently adopted.

Quest 11 Plus (11+) top tips for your child

• Make sure you are familiar and confident with the KS2 syllabus, as this is what the questions are based on. You will need to apply what you know to unfamiliar situations.
• Read as much as possible in the run-up to the exam. This builds your vocabulary and gives you practice at working out the meaning of unfamiliar words.
• Listen to and read all instructions carefully. Do not turn over any pages or start a new section before you are told to.
• For multiple-choice papers, check your answer sheet as you go. Make sure the number on the answer sheet matches the number of the question you are answering.
• Read the questions carefully! Multiple choice does not mean easy, and there is often an option designed to look right. Be careful not to fall for red herrings.
• For written papers, show your workings in maths. Even if you do not reach the right answer, you may pick up marks for the correct method.
• Pay attention to the time! Move on if you are stuck, and come back to the question later if there is time left.
• Don’t leave any blanks! It is always worth filling in an answer even if you are unsure or have to make a guess.

How to prepare your child for the Quest 11 Plus (11+) exam

Start with the free familiarisation guides and sample questions on Quest’s parent guidance page, and with anything your school or local authority publishes, such as Tiffin School’s example answer sheet. These show your child the layout they will meet on the day.

Beyond that, the most useful way to prepare is to use practice tests to familiarise your child with the exam content and format. Working to a clock, transferring answers accurately to a separate answer sheet, and writing to a time limit are all skills that improve quickly with practice. Wide reading and a strong vocabulary help everywhere, since almost every Quest test includes English.

Match the packs to your school’s subjects. Children sitting the Bexley or Wirral tests need verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning practice alongside maths and English, and Wirral families should note there is no English paper in their test. Children sitting Colyton, Tiffin or the Plymouth tests need multiple-choice and standard format English and maths instead, with creative writing practice where an extended writing task is set.

For Quest 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: