Kent 11 Plus Guide: Schools, Test and Papers

Kent is one of the best-known selective areas in England, and its grammar school process can feel unfamiliar if you are new to it. This guide explains the steps from registration to a school place, and then points you to the Kent grammar schools we cover and the practice papers that help children prepare for the entrance exam.

How the Kent 11 plus works

Register your child for the Kent Test. Registration takes place in the summer term of Year 5. For the 2026 test it ran from 1 June to 1 July 2026.
Your child sits the test in early September, at the start of Year 6. For 2026 this was Thursday 10 September at Kent primary schools, with other children tested on the weekend of 12 and 13 September.
Results arrive in October. For 2026 they are sent on Thursday 15 October. Your child receives scores for English, Maths and reasoning, plus a total score. Kent County Council publishes the grammar school threshold for the year in October.
Name your preferences. Parents applying through Kent County Council can name up to 4 secondary school preferences, and other councils may allow a different number. A Kent grammar school can only consider your child if you have named it and your child has been assessed as suitable.
Offers are made on 1 March for the following September. If a school is oversubscribed, it uses its admissions criteria to rank applicants.

Being assessed as suitable for grammar school does not guarantee a place. If a child was not tested or was not assessed as suitable, you can still apply to a Kent grammar school, but the application will be refused when places are offered, and you then have the right to appeal.

For a closer look at the papers themselves, see our guide to Kent Test practice papers.

Medway and Bexley have their own tests

The Kent Test is only valid for Kent grammar schools. Medway Council has its own Medway Test, and the London Borough of Bexley has its own Bexley selection test. If you live near these areas, check which test your preferred schools use before you register.

Kent grammar schools we cover

Each school's guide gives entry information and the Maths and English papers we offer for that school. Every school sets its own admissions criteria, and some use priority rules or additional tests, so read the criteria for the year of entry on the Kent County Council website.

Kent has other grammar schools too, and we will cover more over time. Please refer to the Kent County Council website, linked under Official information below, for the full list of Kent grammar schools.

How to prepare for the Kent Test

Begin with Maths and English fundamentals in Year 4 and the start of Year 5.
Use short topic papers first, then full mixed papers in Year 5.
Include reasoning practice too: the test has verbal and non-verbal reasoning sections.
Go through the answers together, and revisit any topics that cause mistakes.

Browse our practice papers, which come with answers and, where needed, full worked solutions.

Official Kent County Council information

For the latest dates, rules and the official familiarisation paper, see the Kent County Council pages:

Kent 11 plus FAQs

Is the Kent Test the Kent 11 plus? Yes. The Kent Test is the selection test for Kent grammar schools.

When should my child start preparing? Many families begin gently in Year 4 and build up through Year 5, ahead of the test in early September of Year 6.

Do I register for each grammar school? No. You register once for the Kent Test. You name your school preferences later on your application.

What if my child narrowly misses the threshold? A headteacher panel can consider children's cases as part of the assessment process, and you have the right to appeal if an application is refused. Kent County Council explains the current process on its website.

Does Meritfy cover every Kent grammar school? We cover the schools listed above, and we add more over time.