Although Medway is geographically inside Kent, it operates its own admissions system and has its own 11+ test — the Medway Test. It's used to admit children to Medway's six grammar schools, including the Rochester Grammar School and Sir Joseph Williamson's.
Test structure
The Medway Test consists of three papers, all sat in one morning in September of Year 6:
- Mathematics (≈ 50 min) — number, problem solving, geometry.
- Verbal Reasoning (≈ 50 min) — comprehension, vocabulary, word logic.
- Extended writing (≈ 60 min, including planning) — one piece of creative or persuasive writing.
Unlike Kent, Medway does not include a separate Non-Verbal Reasoning paper. The writing exercise is marked and contributes directly to the overall score.
Scoring
Each paper is standardised, then combined into a total score out of around 600. The qualifying threshold sits roughly at 485, varying year by year.
The writing paper matters
This is where Medway differs most from Kent. The writing exercise carries equal weight to the other two papers, so a strong English-only candidate can outscore a stronger reasoner. Practice tips:
- Spend at least 5 minutes planning before writing.
- Aim for 1.5 to 2 sides of clear, structured prose.
- Use varied sentence openings and at least one piece of figurative language.
Recommended practice
Children should spend more time on extended writing than typical 11+ preparation suggests. Pair that with weekly timed maths and verbal-reasoning mocks. Quest Arena's mock library has 20 mocks in the Medway style under the "Kent & Medway" tag.