← Back to all parent guidesparent guides
Kent Test results 2026: the 345 pass mark, what changed, and what to do now
Results emails land today (Thursday 15 October 2026, after 4pm) - and the threshold has moved. Here's the new pass mark, why it's higher than last year, and the calm, ordered list of what actually matters between now and 2 November.
Reviewed 15 October 2026 against kent.gov.uk
what happens next matters most
Results arrive on 15 October and the application deadline is 2 November. Read the step-by-step application guide next - and if you have a younger child preparing for a future test, the free assessment is there for them.
Today's headline numbers
345
2026 aggregate threshold (2025: 332)
111
minimum per subject (2025: 108)
423
maximum possible aggregate (unchanged)
To be assessed as suitable for grammar school this year, a child needs an aggregate of 345 or more with no single subject score below 111. Both parts of that are up on last year - the aggregate by 13 points and the subject floor by 3 - while the scoring scale itself (69 to 141 per subject) is unchanged.
Why the threshold moved
The pass mark isn't a fixed target - it's set each year against that year's papers and that year's cohort, using age-standardised scores. A higher threshold means this year's cohort, on the whole, performed more strongly against this year's papers: standardisation keeps the meaning of a score steady, so a move like this usually reflects a stronger year group or a slightly more accessible paper, not a harsher one.
The practical translation: reaching 345 typically means averaging about 115 per subject against a cohort average of 100 - a genuinely strong, balanced performance across English, maths and reasoning. The per-subject floor matters as much as ever: a huge maths score cannot rescue an English score below 111.
Put this into practice
The free assessment shows exactly where your child stands against the real scoring system - and builds a week-by-week plan from there.
Whatever the email says - your next three weeks
If your child was assessed as suitable
Celebrate tonight - then get practical. Passing is eligibility, not a place: oversubscribed grammars still rank by their own criteria, and super-selectives have needed 380+. Check last-offered distances, read each school's admissions policy, then submit your SCAF in true preference order by Monday 2 November.
If your child just missed
Ask your primary school about the headteacher assessment - heads can put borderline children forward, with school work and the test-day writing task, and a successful HTA counts as a full pass at all 32 Kent grammars. And still apply: naming a grammar school preserves your right to an admission appeal in the spring.
If the news was harder than that
Be kind to yourselves this evening - one test on one morning is not a verdict on your child. Name at least one non-selective school you'd genuinely be happy with on the SCAF, and remember the appeal and waiting-list routes stay open all the way into next summer.
The dates that now matter
October
Headteacher assessment window
Handled confidentially by primary schools - if you believe your child is borderline, talk to their head now, not next month.
2 Nov 2026
SCAF deadline (midnight)
Submit your secondary application listing up to four schools in honest preference order. Waiting for results was sensible; leaving the form to the final evening isn't.
1 Mar 2027
National Offer Day
Offers are emailed after 4pm. A grammar refusal is what unlocks the right to an independent appeal.
13 Apr 2027
On-time appeals deadline
Lodge by this date to be heard alongside the main batch, by June. Ask to join waiting lists in parallel - Kent's reallocation day is 27 April 2027.
For the detail behind any of these: our step-by-step application guide, appeals and HTA guide and pass mark explainer are all updated with today's figures.
Watching from Year 5 or below? One extra thing to know
Today's results are the last of their kind: from September 2027 the Kent Test moves to a new provider, Quest Assessment. The four subjects stay the same, and the skills your child is building now carry straight over - but the paper format may change. Our Quest switch explainer covers what's confirmed and what isn't, and we'll update it the day KCC publishes the new format.
Common questions
Is 345 harder to reach than last year's 332?+
Not in the way it feels. Because scores are age-standardised against this year's cohort, the threshold moves to keep the proportion of children assessed suitable broadly steady. A 345 this year represents roughly the same level of performance as 332 did last year - the number changed, the bar didn't.
My child scored 340 with every subject above 111 - is that really a fail?+
On the aggregate rule, yes - both conditions must be met: 345+ overall AND 111+ in each subject. But this is exactly the profile the headteacher assessment exists for, so speak to your primary school immediately, and name your grammar schools on the SCAF anyway to keep the appeal route open.
My child hit 350 but one subject was 108 - what now?+
The per-subject floor applies regardless of the aggregate, so this is also a not-suitable outcome - and again, a strong candidate for headteacher assessment. It happens every year to able children with one off morning; it's worth pursuing rather than accepting quietly.
We passed - is 345 enough for any Kent grammar?+
For most distance-based grammars, any pass puts you in the pool and where you live decides. For the super-selectives (Judd, Skinners', Tonbridge Grammar), offers have historically needed scores well above 380. Check each school's admissions policy and last-offered data before finalising your SCAF order.
Should I wait for the headteacher assessment before applying?+
No - don't wait on anything. The SCAF deadline is Monday 2 November regardless. List your genuine preferences now; an HTA success or an appeal later can only add options, never remove them.
Find our guides useful?
Add Kent Test Prep as a preferred source on Google and our guides will stand out in your search results and AI answers.
Add us on Google→Tap the button, confirm on Google, and you are done. It takes about 10 seconds and works across Search and AI answers.