Transfer to Secondary School 2025 – Kent Grammar School Tests

Applications for the Kent Grammar School Tests for transfer to Secondary School in September 2026 has not yet opened.  

The Kent Test:

• The tests are multiple-choice with a separate answer sheet. They are marked by an automated marking machine.
• The first test will be an English and Maths paper and will take 1 hour. Each section will involve a 5-minute practice exercise followed by a 25-minute test. The English section will involve a comprehension exercise as well as some additional questions drawn from a set designed to test literacy skills.
• The second test will be a reasoning paper. It will take about 1 hour, including the practice sections and questions. It will contain a verbal reasoning section and a non-verbal reasoning section of roughly the same length. The non-verbal reasoning will be split into short sections, administered and timed individually.
• There will also be a writing exercise which will not be marked but may be used by a local headteacher panel as part of the headteacher assessment stage of the process. 40 minutes will be allowed for the writing task, including 10 minutes' planning time.
• The Kent Test familiarisation booklet (PDF, 967.4 KB) gives a description of the different parts of the test and advice on approaching the types of questions asked.

If you need further advice, please email the secondary admissions team at kent.admissions@kent.gov.uk, quoting your child's Pupil ID for security purposes.

CAT Tests

Children in Year 5 sit CAT tests each year. We use the results from these as an indication of how well a child may do in the Kent Tests. As soon as we have the results for your child, we will send these home with an explanatory letter and will offer one evening after school when you may book an appointment to discuss these with your child’s class teacher. 

Please do not hesitate to contact us if there is anything we can do to assist you in this process.