If you live in Kent and are aiming for a grammar school, the test your child sits is the Kent Test. Run by Kent County Council and known officially as the Procedure for Entry to Secondary Education, it uses GL-style multiple-choice papers to decide who is assessed as suitable for a grammar place. It is sat right at the start of Year 6, in September, so preparation happens earlier than many parents expect. This guide explains exactly what the Kent Test includes, how its standardised score works, the key dates, and how to prepare. The Kent Test is run by Kent County Council, and Pip is not affiliated with it.
- The Kent Test is the GL-style 11+ for Kent's grammar schools, run by Kent County Council.
- Two multiple-choice papers on the same day: Paper 1 English and Maths, Paper 2 Reasoning (verbal and non-verbal).
- A 40-minute writing task is set too, but it only counts in borderline or appeal cases.
- Scores are standardised and age-adjusted; recent years needed around 332 in total, with no paper below 106.
What is the Kent Test?
The Kent Test is the entrance test for Kent's grammar schools, administered by Kent County Council. Its formal name is the Procedure for Entry to Secondary Education (PESE), but almost everyone calls it the Kent Test. The content is GL-style: multiple choice, computer-marked, and drawn from the same four skills as most other 11+ tests. What sets it apart is the way it is packaged into two same-day papers plus a separate writing task, and the standardised, age-adjusted way it is scored.
What is in the Kent Test
Children sit two multiple-choice papers on the same morning, plus a writing task:
- Paper 1 splits into two 30-minute halves: English (comprehension, grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary) and maths across the full KS2 curriculum.
- Paper 2 is reasoning: a verbal reasoning section and a non-verbal reasoning section of roughly equal length. Kent's non-verbal section includes spatial reasoning question types such as nets, rotations and plan views.
- The writing task (40 minutes, with planning time) is not marked in the main score. A head teacher panel only looks at it in borderline or appeal cases.
How the Kent Test is scored
Each child receives standardised scores for English, maths and reasoning, plus a total. Standardisation compares performance against other children and makes a small adjustment for age, so a summer-born child is not disadvantaged against an autumn-born one. In recent years, a total of around 332, with no single paper below 106, has been needed to be assessed as suitable for grammar school, though the threshold is set each year. Kent's super-selective grammars, such as The Judd School and Tonbridge Grammar School, then set their own, higher cut-off scores on top of the county mark. For more on this scale, see our guide to standardised scores.
Key dates and where it is used
The Kent Test is sat in September, right at the start of Year 6, for entry to Year 7 the following September. Families register over the summer beforehand, and results are usually emailed in mid-October. It is used across Kent's grammar schools, although the neighbouring Medway authority runs its own separate Medway Test. Because details can change year to year, always confirm dates and arrangements on the Kent County Council admissions pages. For how Kent fits the wider picture, see our guide to every 11+ exam type and the full GL Assessment guide.
How to prepare for the Kent Test
Because the Kent Test is GL-style and covers all four skills, balanced preparation works best: keep English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning all ticking over. Two things matter especially. The test is multiple choice and timed, so practise working accurately at a steady pace, and start early, since the exam comes in the September of Year 6 rather than later in the year. A daily reading and vocabulary habit underpins both the English paper and the verbal reasoning section.
Practise every Kent Test skill, free
Pip generates unlimited questions across English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, with timing built in, so the two Kent papers feel familiar long before September.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Kent Test?+
The Kent Test, officially the Procedure for Entry to Secondary Education (PESE), is the 11+ used by Kent's grammar schools and run by Kent County Council. It uses GL-style, multiple-choice papers covering English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, and decides which children are assessed as suitable for a grammar place.
What is in the Kent Test?+
Two multiple-choice papers, sat on the same day. Paper 1 covers English and maths in two 30-minute sections. Paper 2 is reasoning, with a verbal and a non-verbal section. Children also do a 40-minute writing task that is not marked in the main score and is used only by a head teacher panel in borderline or appeal cases.
What score do you need to pass the Kent Test?+
Scores are standardised and adjusted for age. In recent years a total standardised score of around 332, with no single paper below 106, has been needed to be assessed as suitable for grammar school. Thresholds are set each year, and super-selective schools set their own higher cut-offs on top.
When is the Kent Test sat?+
In September at the start of Year 6, for entry to Year 7 the following September. Families register over the summer before, and results are usually emailed in mid-October.
Arielle handles SEO and AEO growth at Pip, with over 10 years in the digital marketing space working with brands and founding her own projects.