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The Kent Test for September 2028 entry

For parents of a child in Year 5 now. Your school, who can sit, the dates so far, a plan to September 2027 and the free first lesson, in that order.

Year 6 now? This page is about next year's test. Results come on Thursday 15 October 2026; the school application deadline is Monday 2 November 2026.Results and applications →

Two questions, then your child's route

1 The school you are aiming for

Aiming elsewhere? the Bucks 11+ route, or find which test your school uses.

2 Your child's school year now

Your child's school year now
Not sure? Work it out from a birthday

This page is for next year's test

Your child sat the Kent Test this September. There is no resit, so what matters now is the result and the school application. Everything for that is free.

Results
Thursday 15 October 2026
School application deadline
Monday 2 November 2026
Pass mark
Not published yet. KCC says it will be available in October 2026; results are due on Thursday 15 October 2026. For the 2025 test it was 332 or more, with no score below 108.

Kent residents apply on kent.gov.uk. If you live outside Kent, apply through your own council by its closing date. Official page

Your next steps

What the letter means, what to put on the application and what to do if the news is not what you hoped.

Open the Kent Test results guide

You are in the right place

Your child sits the Kent Test in September 2027 (expected: KCC has not published the date yet) and starts secondary school in September 2028: children born 1 September 2016 to 31 August 2017. Below: who can sit it, the dates published so far, what it takes, and a plan from now to test day.

Who can sit itThe planTry the free lesson

Plenty of time

Your child sits the test in September 2028 or later. A course bought today ends on 31 October 2027, before that test, so we do not suggest buying it yet. Reading widely, times tables and a puzzle now and then are the best start at this age.

Try lesson 1 freeFree practice

Keep Kent Test admissions news in one place

Leave your email and we keep it for Kent Test admissions updates. We may write if an official date or rule changes, but nothing is sent automatically, so save the dates yourself too.

Who can sit the September 2027 test

For children born 1 September 2016 to 31 August 2017. Each rule links to the council page it comes from.

  • Age Last cycle's rule

    Children born 1 September 2016 to 31 August 2017 start secondary school in September 2028. KCC has not published the test dates for this group yet; the last test was in September 2026, so expect September 2027. For this year's test it named Year 5 children born 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016, the same one-year band.

    Kent County Council: register for the Kent Test

  • Where you live Last cycle's rule

    For the 2026 test, KCC accepted children living in England, children of UK service personnel with a confirmed posting to the UK, and children of Crown servants returning from overseas to the UK. You do not have to live in Kent, but KCC asks families outside Kent to register only if they mean to apply to a Kent grammar school.

    Kent County Council: register for the Kent Test

  • Registering Last cycle's rule

    Every child is registered by a parent: it is not automatic. Last cycle registration ran from Monday 1 June to Wednesday 1 July 2026. Children at Kent primary schools sat the test there on a weekday; everyone else sat it at a weekend.

    Kent County Council: register for the Kent Test

  • Which schools it counts for Last cycle's rule

    Only Kent grammar schools. Medway and Bexley run their own tests. Being assessed suitable is not a place: each school then applies its own admission rules.

    Kent County Council: register for the Kent Test

  • Access arrangements Last cycle's rule

    If your child has a special educational need or disability that affects testing, the primary school's SENCO applies for arrangements, and last cycle KCC accepted no requests after registration closed.

    Kent County Council: register for the Kent Test

Summer-born or educated out of your child's normal year group? The school's admission authority decides. DfE guidance

Dates for September 2028 entry

Only what the council has published. Where a date is not out yet, last cycle's is shown beside it, labelled, so you know roughly when to look.

StepSeptember 2028 entrySource
RegistrationNot published yet1 June to 1 July 2026 last cycleregister for the Kent Test
Kent Test at Kent primary schoolsNot published yetThursday 10 September 2026 last cycleregister for the Kent Test
Kent Test for other childrenNot published yet12 or 13 September 2026 last cycleregister for the Kent Test
ResultsNot published yet15 October 2026 last cycleKent Test results
School application deadlineNot published yet2 November 2026 for Kent residents last cycleSecondary school places

What it takes, in official numbers

The pass rule and how many children sit and qualify. These are the councils' own figures, not our estimates.

332

KCC sets the rule each year, after the test. For the 2025 test it was a total of 332 or more, with no single score below 108. KCC says the rule for the 2026 test will be available in October 2026. The rule for your child's test is set after that test is sat; KCC has not said when it will publish it. Source

Children who sat the 2025 Kent Test
16,876Source
Kent residents tested
11,248Source
Kent residents assessed suitable
5,035Source
Grammar places KCC expected for September 2026 (its October 2025 estimate)
5,819Source

KCC's own figures for the 2025 test; the places figure was KCC's estimate at results time. Assessed suitable is not a place: popular schools have more suitable applicants than places. Pick a school in step 1 to see what decided its places last year.

A plan from now to test day

Our suggested plan for a September 2027 test: short sessions, most weeks. It is our advice, not an official timetable; the official steps are marked.

  1. October to December 2026

    Find the starting point

    A short starting check shows which question types are secure and which are new. Then two or three short sessions a week on the weakest area. No timing yet.

    Free starting check →free

  2. January to March 2027

    Learn every question type

    Work through the lessons for English, maths and the reasoning paper (verbal, non-verbal and spatial). Each lesson teaches one question type, then asks fresh questions until your child can do it unaided.

    The lessons →lesson 1 free, the rest with the course

  3. April to June 2027

    Register, then practise against the clock

    Timed practice sets on a separate answer sheet, the way the real test is marked. Mistakes go back to the lesson that fixes them.

    Official step: Register with KCC when it opens. Not published yet; last cycle it ran 1 June to 1 July.

    Timed practice →four free sets, the full bank with the course

  4. July and August 2027

    Full mocks, then repair

    Full-length mocks with the real timings, on screen or printed. After each one, redo only what went wrong. Keep it light in the last week.

    Full mocks →with the course

  5. September 2027

    Test day

    Sleep, breakfast, a pencil and a calm start. Nothing new the week before.

    Official step: The Kent Test, expected in September. Date not published yet; last cycle it was 10 September at Kent primaries and 12 or 13 September for everyone else.

  6. October 2027

    Results and the school application

    Read the result, then name schools in your true order of preference on your council's application. The course ends on 31 October 2027.

    Official step: Results. Date not published yet; last cycle 15 October.

Try the first lesson, then decide

Lesson 1 is free, with no account. It teaches one question type from the real test, then checks your child can do it alone.

Start Kent Test lesson 1 freeFree starting check

No account and no card. Sit beside your child for the first one if you like.

What the course covers

  • One child, preparing for the Kent Test.
  • Every lesson, the full practice bank and every full mock for this test.
  • Mia, the tutor, on every step, and a parent view of progress in the same account. There is no separate parent purchase.
  • Access until 31 October 2027, which covers a September 2027 test. One payment; nothing renews.

What it does not

  • A school place. No course can promise one: schools decide offers by their own rules.
  • Registration. You register with the council yourself, and testing is free.
  • The Medway or Bexley tests. Each is a different test.
  • Live lessons with a person.

For parents

Kent Test course

Standard price £349 from 1 November 2026Introductory price: £249£100 off until 31 October

One payment. Access until 31 October 2027.

  • 73 lessons, lesson 1 free with no account
  • 1,780 practice questions, every answer explained
  • 10 full timed mocks, included with the course, on screen or printed
  • Mia, your child's tutor, on every step, and a parent view of progress

A Kent grammar pass, or your money back. Reach 100% guarantee progress before the test. Claim within 30 days of your result.

Buying today? The guarantee covers a test on or after 6 November 2026; an earlier one is too soon for the study plan.

Check your child's test date

Try lesson 1 freeSee the course

Official sources

Read on 27 September 2026. ElevenPlusGenius is independent of the councils and schools; always check the official page before you act.