Kent 11 Plus: The Kent Test Parent Guide (2027 Entry)
Kent has more grammar schools than any other county — around 32 — and one shared route into almost all of them: the Kent Test, sat in September of Year 6. This guide walks a parent through the whole process for September 2027 entry: when to register, when and where your child sits it, what's on the papers, how the score decides whether a child is "assessed as suitable", the headteacher panel route if the score falls short, and why suitability still doesn't guarantee a place.
Quick summary — Kent Test, 2027 entry
If you do nothing else this week:
- Register at kent.gov.uk/kenttest before midnight on 1 July 2026 — there is no late window, and access-arrangement requests close the same day.
- If you live outside Kent, plan how your child would realistically travel to a Kent grammar school before you register.
- Read the oversubscription criteria for each school you're considering — "assessed as suitable" is only step one.
What is the Kent Test?
The Kent Test is Kent County Council's selection test for entry to a Kent grammar school — sometimes called the Kent 11+ or PESE (Procedure for Entrance to Secondary Education). It is set by GL Assessment and taken in September of Year 6. One test result is used by every Kent grammar school you name on your application, so children sit it once, not school by school.
Kent has around 32 grammar schools. Schools in Medway, Bexley and Bromley are separate local authorities with their own arrangements — the Kent Test does not cover them.
The Kent Test papers
The assessment is two multiple-choice papers plus a short writing task, covering English, maths and reasoning:
- English — comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar, answered on a multiple-choice sheet.
- Maths — Key Stage 2 content, multiple choice.
- Verbal reasoning — word- and letter-based logic questions, multiple choice.
- Writing task — a short piece of extended writing. It is not routinely marked as part of the score, but is used if a child's result is reviewed by a local headteacher panel.
Children mark answers on a separate sheet that is scanned and marked electronically. Practice against the exact multiple-choice format matters, because it rewards different habits from written-answer tests such as Essex's CSSE.
The suitability threshold
There is no fixed, permanently published pass mark. Kent County Council confirms the threshold in October each year, once every paper has been scored against the full cohort.
The widely reported working benchmark in recent years has been an aggregate standardised score of around 332, with no single paper below roughly 106–108 — both conditions have to be met, so a very weak paper can't be rescued by two strong ones. Treat those numbers as "about where the bar has sat lately," not a guarantee, and check kent.gov.uk for the confirmed figure for your year.
Kent Test key dates for 2027 entry
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 June 2026 | Registration opens at kent.gov.uk/kenttest |
| Midnight 1 July 2026 | Registration closes; access-arrangement requests also close |
| By end of August 2026 | Out-of-Kent families emailed their allocated test centre |
| Thursday 10 September 2026 | Children at Kent primary schools sit the test in their own school |
| 12 / 13 September 2026 | Children at out-of-Kent or home-education settings sit at a test centre |
| Thursday 15 October 2026 | "Kent Test Decisions" emailed after 4pm |
| 31 October 2026 | Secondary Common Application Form deadline |
| 1 March 2027 | National offer day |
Registration for 2027 entry has now closed. For a younger child, the pattern repeats roughly a year later — Kent typically opens registration on 1 June and tests in the second week of September of Year 6.
Suitable ≠ a place
This is the point Kent's own leaflet is most blunt about: being assessed as suitable does not guarantee a grammar school place. Popular schools are oversubscribed, so after suitability they rank applicants by their own admission criteria — typically looked-after children, then distance or a designated area, with straight-line distance as the tie-breaker.
A grammar school can only consider your child if you have named it as a preference on your local authority's secondary application form (due 31 October 2026) and your child has been tested and assessed suitable. If a place isn't offered, you can appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel and ask to join the school's waiting list, which is ranked by the admission criteria, not by application date.
How to prepare
Match the format. The Kent Test is multiple choice across English, maths and verbal reasoning. Build fluency in all three, and practise on separate answer sheets so the mechanics are second nature.
Don't ignore the writing task. It only counts if your child goes to panel — but that's exactly the situation where it matters most, so a child who can plan and write a controlled short piece has a real safety net.
Verbal reasoning is learnable. Its question types are finite; teaching a child to name the rule before answering lifts both speed and accuracy. See our verbal reasoning guide and non-verbal reasoning guide.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Kent Test for 2027 entry?
Children at Kent primary schools sit it on Thursday 10 September 2026 in their own school. Children at schools outside Kent or in home education sit it at an allocated test centre on Saturday 12 or Sunday 13 September 2026. Registration is open from 1 June 2026 to midnight on 1 July 2026 at kent.gov.uk/kenttest, and results are emailed after 4pm on Thursday 15 October 2026.
What is on the Kent Test?
Two multiple-choice papers covering English (comprehension and grammar), maths and verbal reasoning, plus a short writing task. Raw marks are converted to age-standardised scores and combined into an aggregate across English, maths and verbal reasoning. The writing task is not routinely marked but is used if a child's result goes to a headteacher panel.
What score do you need to pass the Kent Test?
There is no fixed published pass mark; Kent County Council confirms the suitability threshold each October. In recent years the reported working benchmark has been an aggregate standardised score of around 332 with no single paper below roughly 106–108, and both conditions must be met. Check kent.gov.uk for the confirmed figure for your admissions year.
What is the headteacher assessment for the Kent Test?
A child who does not meet the test threshold can be referred by their primary head teacher to a local panel. The panel reviews the writing task and a portfolio of school work alongside the test scores and can still assess the child as suitable for a grammar school place. It depends on the head teacher choosing to refer, so raise it with the school early if your child may be borderline.
Does being assessed as suitable guarantee a Kent grammar school place?
No. Kent grammar schools are often oversubscribed, so after suitability they rank applicants using their own admission criteria — usually looked-after children first, then a designated area or distance, with straight-line distance as the tie-breaker. You must name the school on your local authority application form, and if a place isn't offered you can appeal and join the waiting list.
Is the Kent Test the same as the Medway Test?
No. Medway is a separate local authority with its own Medway Test — also set by GL Assessment but with a different paper structure (English, maths and a combined reasoning paper) and its own registration dates and qualifying score. Bexley and Bromley grammar schools are separate again.
Related SharpY Mind resources
Practise the three skills the Kent Test scores
English, maths and verbal reasoning fluency — plus a controlled writing task for the panel route. SharpY Mind builds all of it in short daily sessions.
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