The Kent Test 2026: Dates, format and pass mark explained

The Kent Test is the selective entry test run by Kent County Council for the county's grammar schools. If your child is hoping to go to a Kent grammar in Year 7, they'll almost certainly need to sit it. Around 32 grammar schools across the county use the test result as part of their admissions process.

It's a paper-based test made up of two short papers and a writing exercise, all sat in one morning. The papers are supplied by GL Assessment and marked centrally. This guide covers what's on the papers, how the scoring works, the key dates for the 2026 round (entry to Year 7 in September 2027), and what useful preparation looks like for a Year 5 child.

The Kent Test calendar is set by Kent County Council, and the dates below apply to the 2026/27 admissions round (children entering Year 7 in September 2027). Always cross-check on the council's own admissions page closer to the time, because dates can shift slightly year to year.

Children must have been born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016 to sit the test for September 2027 entry. Children attending a Kent primary school usually sit the test at their own school. Children at primary schools outside Kent (including independent schools and schools in neighbouring counties) sit at a designated Kent test centre at the weekend.

The Kent Test is made up of two timed papers plus a writing task. The papers themselves are multiple-choice and split into shorter timed sections, with a practice page before each section so children understand the question style before the timed part begins.

Paper 1 covers English and maths. It's split into two sections of around 30 minutes each, with practice questions before each section. The maths section relies on KS2 content: Arithmetic, fractions, percentages, basic shape and measure. The English section focuses on comprehension, vocabulary, and short-form reasoning with text.

Paper 2 covers verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. It runs to roughly an hour of timed sections, again with practice questions before each. Verbal reasoning tests how a child works with words and language patterns. Non-verbal reasoning tests pattern recognition with shapes and visual sequences.

The writing task is around 40 minutes of extended writing on a prompt the child sees on the day. This piece is held in reserve. It's used only if a child's overall score sits close to the qualifying threshold and their case goes to a headteacher assessment panel.

The Kent Test uses age-standardised scoring, which adjusts each child's raw mark for their age in years and months on the day of the test. A child born in September of Year 5 has nearly a year's worth of development over a child born the following August in the same year group. Age standardisation removes that gap so the score reflects ability rather than the lottery of birth month.

Each child gets three age-standardised scores (English, maths, and reasoning) plus an aggregate score that adds the three together. The most recent published threshold (for 2024) was an aggregate of 332 or more, with no single score lower than 106. Kent County Council resets the threshold each year and confirms the figure when results are released in October, so treat 332 / 106 as the most recent published reference rather than a fixed rule for future years.

The individual subject scores typically range from 69 to 141. The maximum possible aggregate is 423. The aggregate / minimum-component threshold is the route many children take into a Kent grammar. Children whose results sit just below this threshold can still be considered through the headteacher assessment panel.

If a child's score is below the qualifying threshold but the parent or the child's primary school believes they should still be considered, the case can go to a headteacher assessment panel. The panel looks at additional evidence: The writing task from the test day, school reports, samples of classwork, and a recommendation from the head of the primary school.

Not every below-threshold case goes to panel. The child's primary school or the parent has to actively request it, and a strong case needs more than just a borderline score. The panel is most likely to support a child whose classwork is consistently strong but who had a difficult test day, or a child whose first language is not English and who's been progressing rapidly.

If the panel agrees the child is suitable for grammar school, they're assessed as eligible alongside children who passed on score. From that point, the same oversubscription criteria apply when schools allocate places.

Preparation should start gradually in Year 5 and ramp up modestly through the summer term and the holidays before the September test. The trap parents fall into is treating it as a year-long endurance event, which tends to produce tired children and inflated scores that don't reflect the child's typical performance.

The most useful preparation has three strands. The first is steady reading: 10 to 15 minutes a day of any text that stretches the child a little, mixed between fiction and non-fiction. Reading builds the vocabulary and inference skills that drive the English and verbal reasoning sections, and it's hard to substitute with workbook practice. The second strand is core KS2 maths confidence, especially mental arithmetic and word problems. The third is familiarity with the question types, particularly verbal and non-verbal reasoning, because the formats can feel alien on first sight.

A small number of timed practice papers in the final weeks helps with timing, stamina, and the experience of working through unfamiliar questions without panicking. Beyond that, more practice tends to produce diminishing returns. Children who do well on the day usually have a calm test morning, not a marathon revision schedule the night before.

Most Kent children sit the test at their own primary school on the Thursday morning. Children at primary schools outside Kent (including independent and out-of-county schools) sit at a designated Kent test centre on the weekend that follows. You'll be told which centre and time slot in the weeks before.

A normal pencil case is all that's needed: A couple of HB pencils, an eraser, and a sharpener. Calculators aren't allowed. Children are expected to be in school uniform if testing at their own school, or in comfortable clothes if testing at a weekend centre.

If your child is anxious in the morning, it usually helps to keep the routine as normal as possible. Avoid big breakfasts of unfamiliar food. A short walk to the school or test centre, with light conversation about something other than the test, tends to settle nerves better than last-minute revision.