If you live in Kent and you're thinking about a grammar-school place, the test you need to know about is the Kent Test — Kent County Council's selective-school exam, sat in early September of Year 6. It's the gateway to all 32 Kent grammar schools.
What the Kent Test covers
The Kent Test is built and delivered by GL Assessment. Children sit two papers across one morning: an English-and-maths paper, followed by a reasoning paper that mixes verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Each paper is multiple-choice and tightly timed.
The breakdown:
- Paper 1 (≈ 60 min) — English (comprehension, spelling, punctuation) + arithmetic and short maths problems.
- Paper 2 (≈ 60 min) — Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, blended.
- Writing exercise (≈ 40 min) — a short piece of written work, only used in borderline appeals.
When and where it sits
The Kent Test is taken in school for most pupils. Out-of-county applicants and home-schooled children sit at a designated test centre. Registration opens in late May for the September sitting; the deadline is typically the last working day of June.
How the scoring works
Marks across all three papers are weighted and standardised against the cohort. The pass threshold for the most popular Kent grammars sits around 320 total, with strong scores in all three papers required. You'll receive the result in mid-October, before the secondary-school application deadline.
How to prepare your child
Most successful Kent candidates have been practising consistently from Year 5. The two best uses of time:
- Daily 15-minute timed sessions on each subject (mixed, not blocked).
- Weekly full mock papers from late spring onwards.
Quest Arena's free mock library includes 30 GL-style mock papers. Many parents pair it with our topic worksheets to drill weak areas between mocks.
If you're considering an appeal
If your child narrowly misses the threshold (within roughly 5 points), the head can ask for a head-teacher's assessment. The writing exercise from the test day becomes important here, alongside school evidence.