parent guides

What's in the Kent Test? Papers, timing and format explained

The Kent Test explained paper by paper: the English & maths paper, the reasoning paper and the unmarked writing exercise - plus what the new 2027 test provider, Quest Assessments, means for Year 5 parents.

Reviewed 2 November 2026 against kent.gov.uk

If your child is in Year 5, the Kent Test is now your horizon - registration opens next summer and the test itself lands in early September 2027. And this year there's an extra question parents are asking, because Kent County Council announced in October 2026 that the test is getting a new provider from 2027.

First, the news: a new test provider from September 2027

On 16 October 2026, KCC confirmed that Quest Assessments (Atom Learning Ltd) will take over the Kent Test when its current contract with GL Assessment ends. The first test under the new arrangements will be sat in September 2027, for children starting secondary school in September 2028 - in other words, the current Year 5.

Here's what KCC has explicitly confirmed:

• Nothing changes for this year's Year 6. Children who sat the test in September 2026 and received results on 15 October are entirely unaffected.
• The test keeps the same purpose, structure and timing. It will still identify children in roughly the top 25% of the ability range, and Quest Assessments will work to the same specification as GL Assessment.
• The admissions process, eligibility criteria, access arrangements and Headteacher Assessments are all unchanged.
• Familiarisation materials will still be provided ahead of the test, as usual. New materials for the Quest papers are on the way; in the meantime, KCC's existing familiarisation booklet remains on its website.
• Testing stays in early September - the specific 2027 date will be confirmed in KCC's 2028 Determined Scheme.
• Any significant change in future would require a formal public consultation at least a year before the test takes place. So a surprise overhaul is, by KCC's own rules, off the table.

There may be minor differences in how questions look and are presented - that's normal when a test-setter changes - but parents should not expect major changes. The practical takeaway: preparation work your child has already done still counts. Reading comprehension, maths fluency and reasoning skills transfer, whoever prints the paper.

The Kent Test at a glance

The test is sat on a single day in early September - in school for Kent primary pupils, at a test centre the following weekend for out-of-county and home-educated children. It has three parts:

Both papers are multiple choice, answered on a separate answer sheet and marked by computer - so neat, accurate answer-sheet technique is a genuine skill worth practising, not an admin detail.

Paper 1: English and maths (1 hour)

The first paper is split into two timed halves, each with a 5-minute practice exercise before the 25-minute test begins.

The English section is built around a reading comprehension exercise, plus additional questions designed to test literacy skills - think spelling, punctuation, grammar and vocabulary in context. This is curriculum-aligned English, not obscure verbal puzzles: a child who reads widely and writes accurately is building the right muscle.

The maths section covers Key Stage 2 maths at the level an able child should have reached by the start of Year 6 - number, arithmetic, fractions, measures, geometry and data handling. The challenge is rarely the topic list; it's working quickly and accurately under time pressure, with no calculator.

Twenty-five minutes per section goes fast. Pace is a big part of what the paper measures.

Paper 2: Reasoning (about 1 hour)

The second paper contains a verbal reasoning section and a non-verbal reasoning section of roughly the same length, plus practice questions. The whole paper takes about an hour, and the non-verbal reasoning is broken into short sections that are administered and timed individually - children get used to starting, stopping and resetting several times.

Verbal reasoning tests how a child works with words, letters and language logic: spotting relationships between words, completing letter sequences, cracking simple codes, finding words hidden inside other words. KCC's familiarisation booklet gives a flavour - for example, choosing the letter that completes two partial words at once (dis[?] urt and muc[?] ole - answer: h, giving dish/hurt and much/hole).

Non-verbal and spatial reasoning works with shapes and patterns instead of words: completing series, finding the odd one out, folding and rotating figures, spotting hidden shapes. These are the sections children have usually never seen before - they're not taught at school - which is why familiarisation matters so much here.

The writing exercise: the paper that "doesn't count" (until it does)

The third part is a 40-minute writing exercise, including 10 minutes of planning time. Here's the crucial detail that surprises parents: it is not marked and it does not contribute to your child's score.

So why does it exist? Because if your child narrowly misses the threshold and their primary school puts their case forward for headteacher assessment, the headteacher panel can look at the writing task alongside their schoolwork and academic record. A strong, well-structured piece of writing can support a borderline case; a blank page cannot.

The lesson for your child: take it seriously, even though nobody's scoring it. The lesson for you: don't burn valuable preparation time drilling creative writing at the expense of the marked papers - but don't skip it entirely either.

How the Kent Test is marked

Three numbers arrive on results day:

• A standardised score for English
• A standardised score for maths
• A standardised score for reasoning

...plus a total (aggregate) score, which is the three added together.

Standardisation is a statistical process that compares your child's performance with the average performance of other children taking each test, with an adjustment for age - so a child born in August isn't disadvantaged against classmates almost a year older. Scores on each paper run from 69 to 141, making the highest possible total 423.

To be assessed as suitable for grammar school in the 2026 test, a child needed a total score of 345 or more, with no single score below 111. Both hurdles matter: a brilliant 140 in maths can't rescue a 109 in English. The threshold is set each year, so treat 345/111 as the most recent benchmark, not a permanent fixture - our pass mark guide explains the scoring in detail.

What the scores don't do

Worth repeating, because it trips families up every year: passing the Kent Test does not guarantee a grammar school place. It makes your child eligible to apply. The actual offer depends on each school's admissions criteria - distance, siblings and, at the super-selectives, the score itself. That's a separate stage with its own deadlines, covered in our application guide.

Who sits the test, and when to register

The Kent Test is for children who will transfer to secondary school the following September - so the September 2027 test is for children born between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2017 (the current Year 5), applying for September 2028 entry.

Registration is free and done online at kent.gov.uk. In recent cycles it has opened on 1 June and closed on 1 July, with no late registrations accepted - the 2027 dates will be confirmed on the council's Kent Test pages, so check there when spring arrives. Two things to know early:

• Access arrangements (extra time and other adjustments for children with SEND) are requested through your child's primary school SENCO during the registration window - raise it at the start of Year 6, not the week before the test. Children with severe visual impairments who cannot access the papers can instead be assessed by a headteacher panel on their classwork and achievement.
• Out-of-county children can register, but should only do so if you genuinely intend to apply for a Kent grammar place; they'll sit the same test at a test centre on the weekend after the main sitting.

Kent grammars are looking at roughly the top 25% of the ability range, so if your child is working comfortably above expectations in Year 5, the test is a sensible option; if you're unsure, their teacher's view is the best first opinion.

How to prepare, given everything above

1. Start with the official familiarisation booklet on kent.gov.uk - it shows the real question styles. New materials for the Quest Assessments papers will follow, but the format and specification are confirmed as staying the same.
2. Build the underlying skills daily: reading stamina and vocabulary for English, fluent arithmetic for maths, and puzzle-habits for reasoning.
3. Practise the mechanics: timed sections, and filling in a separate answer sheet accurately under pressure.
4. Practise full papers closer to the test - our practice papers guide is honest about what helps and what's overkill, and when to start preparing maps out a sensible timeline.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line: whoever sets the paper, the Kent Test rewards the same things it always has - strong reading, secure Key Stage 2 maths, flexible reasoning, and a child who can keep their head under a time limit. The provider letterhead changes in 2027; the preparation doesn't.

Sources: kent.gov.uk Kent Test, Prepare for the Kent Test, Register for the Kent Test and Kent Test results pages; KCC news release "New provider appointed for Kent Test" (16 October 2026); KCC Kent Test familiarisation booklet - all checked 2 November 2026.