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What is the Kent Test?
The Kent Test is the 11+ exam used by all grammar schools within the Kent County Council area. Your child only needs to take it once, even if you're applying to multiple Kent grammar schools.
The test takes place in September of Year 6. Children born between 1st September 2015 and 31st August 2016 will sit the test in September 2026 for entry to Year 7 in September 2027.
If your child attends a Kent primary school, they will likely sit the test at their own school on a weekday. If your child attends a primary school outside Kent, they may be invited to sit the test at a Kent grammar school over the weekend of 12th–13th September 2026.
The test is designed to assess a child's academic ability. Grammar schools in Kent are competitive and frequently oversubscribed, so performance in the test plays a significant role in the admissions process.
What's in the Kent Test?
The Kent Test is made up of two multiple-choice papers and a short writing task. It's designed to assess your child's skills in English, maths and reasoning and to help grammar schools identify potential.
Each paper lasts around an hour, and your child will mark their answers on a separate answer sheet which gets marked electronically.
Here's what to expect:
Paper 1: English and maths
This paper is split into two 30-minute sections — one testing English and one testing maths. Each section includes a short 5-minute practice activity followed by a 25-minute test. The practice section isn't marked; it just helps your child get familiar with the questions.
What's in the English section?
The English section is mainly made up of a reading comprehension task. There are also questions that check your child's grammar, punctuation and vocabulary. These might include:
- Choosing the best word to complete a sentence
- Spotting spelling or grammar mistakes
- Finding synonyms or antonyms
What's in the maths section?
Your child will be tested on what they've learned in school in maths up to the start of Year 6. They should feel confident with:
- Times tables
- The four operations (adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing)
- Fractions, decimals and percentages
- Ratio
- Area, perimeter and measurements
Some of the questions might feel more challenging than usual. This is so your child can show how they use their knowledge to solve new types of problems.
Paper 2: Reasoning
This paper focuses on verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning and lasts around an hour, including the practice sections.
These topics aren't usually taught in school. They're included in the test to measure your child's potential, not just what they've learned so far.
Verbal reasoning
This checks how well your child can solve problems using words, letters and numbers. For example, they might be asked to spot patterns in sequences or choose words with similar meanings.
Non-verbal reasoning
This section uses shapes, diagrams and patterns. Your child will need to spot similarities and differences, complete sequences, and identify how shapes relate to each other. The non-verbal reasoning section is split into shorter sections, each timed and administered individually.
Both the verbal and non-verbal reasoning sections are roughly the same length.
Creative writing task
All children also complete a short creative writing exercise. This isn't marked as part of the main test, but it might be used if your child's results are reviewed by a headteacher panel. 40 minutes is allowed for the writing task, including 10 minutes for planning.
