--- type: "Article" title: "Kent Test 11+ Explained: Papers, Scores, How to Prepare" description: "A parent guide to the Kent Test 11+: the GL-style papers and writing task, how the standardised score works, when it is sat, and how to prepare." resource: https://pip11plus.com/kent-test-11-plus-explained tags: ["11+", "pip"] timestamp: 2026-10-13T19:50:09Z image: https://pip11plus.com/info-hub-cards/regional-tests-pip.jpg --- 馃摑 Exam Types # Kent Test 11+ Explained ![Pip](https://pip11plus.com/media/pip-mark.png) **By the Pip team** Updated June 2026 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. **TL;DR** - 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**; for 2026 entry a child needed **332** or more in total **and** no paper below **108**. Both conditions apply. Format GL-style, multiple choice Tests English, Maths, Verbal, Non-verbal Sat in September of Year 6 Qualifying 332 total and 108 per paper ## 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. **Free Kent Test style practice papers.** We have written a full practice set to KCC's own familiarisation booklet format, including the insert-letter and double-meaning verbal reasoning types. [Download the free Kent Test practice papers](https://pip11plus.com/kent-test-11-plus-practice-papers). ## What is in the Kent Test Children sit two multiple-choice papers on the same morning, plus a writing task: _The Kent Test is two same-day multiple-choice papers plus a writing task, scored on a standardised, age-adjusted scale. Exact timings can vary by year._ - **Paper 1** splits into two 30-minute halves: **[English](https://pip11plus.com/english-questions)** (comprehension, grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary) and **[maths](https://pip11plus.com/maths-questions)** across the full KS2 curriculum. - **Paper 2** is reasoning: a **[verbal reasoning](https://pip11plus.com/verbal-reasoning-questions)** section and a **[non-verbal reasoning](https://pip11plus.com/non-verbal-reasoning-questions)** section of roughly equal length. Kent's non-verbal section includes [spatial reasoning](https://pip11plus.com/11-plus-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. - Our [Kent Head Teacher Assessment guide](https://pip11plus.com/kent-test-head-teacher-assessment) explains how that panel review works. [Pip 11+ Mock Tests: seven real exam formats including Kent, Buckinghamshire, CSSE, Medway, Sutton, ISEB and GL, with unlimited timed papers](https://apps.apple.com/app/pip-11-practice/id6775690698) Pip Mock Tests includes the **Kent Test** format, alongside the other six. Real timings, the real subject mix, and a fresh paper every single sitting. [Download Pip on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/pip-11-practice/id6775690698) [Get Pip on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pip11plus.app) [Available at Amazon Appstore](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0HKGJ4HTP) ## 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. For 2026 entry, a child needed a total of **332** or more **and** no single paper below **108** to be assessed as suitable for grammar school, with both conditions required rather than either one alone. The per-paper minimum is reset each year and does move: it was 106 for 2025 entry. 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](https://pip11plus.com/what-is-a-standardised-score-in-the-11-plus). ## 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](https://pip11plus.com/11-plus-exam-types-explained) and the full [GL Assessment guide](https://pip11plus.com/gl-assessment-11-plus-explained). ## 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](https://pip11plus.com/ks2-games-arcade/11-plus-vocabulary-games/) 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. English Maths Verbal Reasoning Non-Verbal Reasoning [Download Pip on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/pip-11-practice/id6775690698) [Get Pip on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pip11plus.app) [Available at Amazon Appstore](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0HKGJ4HTP) [Try free Kent Test questions and papers](https://pip11plus.com/kent-test-practice-papers-and-questions) iPhone & iPad 路 No ads 路 No sign-up 路 Free forever ## 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. For 2026 entry, a child needed a total standardised score of 332 or more **and** no single paper below 108 to be assessed as suitable for grammar school. Both conditions must be met: Kent's threshold statement is explicit that missing either the aggregate or the per-paper minimum results in a high school assessment, so a strong total does not rescue one weak paper. The per-paper minimum is set each year and does move, which is why the precise number matters. It was 106 for 2025 entry and 108 for 2026 entry, while the 332 aggregate held steady. Kent publishes the figures in October, 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. ![Pip](https://pip11plus.com/media/pip-mark.png) Written by **The Pip team** The Pip team builds Pip, the 11+ and KS2 practice app for children in years three to six. We write these guides from real exam formats and past papers. ## Keep reading [Top 10 Grammar Schools in Kent](https://pip11plus.com/top-10-grammar-schools-in-kent): School Choice The Kent grammars ranked, with each school's entry. 13 min read 路 School Choice [11+ Exam Types & Boards Explained](https://pip11plus.com/11-plus-exam-types-explained): Exam Types Every 11+ test type, mapped. 10 min read 路 Exam Types [GL Assessment 11+ Explained](https://pip11plus.com/gl-assessment-11-plus-explained): Exam Types The board behind the Kent Test, in full. 7 min read 路 Exam Types [What is a standardised score?](https://pip11plus.com/what-is-a-standardised-score-in-the-11-plus): Scores How age-adjusted 11+ scores work. 6 min read 路 Scores ## Sitting the Kent Test? Pip turns Kent Test practice into five calm minutes a day across English, maths and reasoning, with timing built in. [Download Pip on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/pip-11-practice/id6775690698) [Get Pip on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pip11plus.app) [Available at Amazon Appstore](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0HKGJ4HTP) [Free practice papers](https://pip11plus.com/11-plus-printables) Free forever 路 no sign-up