Kent gives three scores and a total, and both parts of KCC's rule must be met. Enter the scores to see which part was met or missed and what you can do next, then see how each Kent grammar school gives its places. Free, no sign-up.
The line to reach: 108 in every paper and 332 in total.
KCC's 2025 rule. The September 2026 rule is due in October 2026 (results are emailed on Thursday 15 October 2026).
Your child gets a standardised score for English, maths and reasoning, each from 69 to 141, and a total out of 423. Standardising compares your child with everyone who sat the test and adjusts for age in months, so the youngest are not at a disadvantage.
Source: KCC: Kent Test resultsFor the September 2025 test, a child needed a total of 332 or more with no single score below 108. KCC says the rule for the September 2026 test will be available in October 2026 (results are emailed on Thursday 15 October 2026), so nobody can give the 2026 figure before then.
Source: KCC: Kent Test resultsBoth parts of the rule must be met, so one paper under 108 means a high school decision, however high the total. In 2025, about 1,390 children had a total of 332 or more but were assessed for high school. Before decisions go out, your child's primary school can refer them to a headteacher assessment panel, which looks at their work and the writing task.
Source: KCC: Report of Kent Test scores 2025 (XLSX)Also: KCC: Admission to secondary school in Kent 2027 (PDF)Yes. A headteacher assessment panel of local heads can change a decision if it is confident the child will be well placed in a grammar school. The primary school makes the referral, not parents. In 2025, about 370 children were assessed for grammar with a total under 332.
Source: KCC: Admission to secondary school in Kent 2027 (PDF)No. Passing means any Kent grammar school you name will consider your child. Popular schools get more qualified applicants than places, so each one ranks them by its own admission rules: some by Kent Test total, most by siblings, Pupil Premium and distance.
Source: KCC: Apply for a Kent grammar school placeOn their 2027 admission policies, Dartford Grammar School, Dartford Grammar School for Girls, Mayfield Grammar School, The Judd School, Tonbridge Grammar School rank most places by Kent Test total. Skinners', Cranbrook, Maidstone Grammar and Simon Langton Boys mix score and address. Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar and both Wilmington grammar schools rank mostly by priority groups and distance, but set aside a small number of places for top scores. The rest rank qualified children by priority groups and then distance.
Source: KCC: Admissions criteria 2027/28, secondary schoolsYes. You can name a grammar school on your application. It will refuse on offer day, 1 March 2027, and you can then appeal to an independent panel. You cannot appeal the Kent Test decision itself. Appeals should be lodged by 13 April 2027 to be heard before September.
Source: KCC: Admission to secondary school in Kent 2027 (PDF)Apply by Monday 2 November 2026, through the council where you live, even if the schools are in Kent. Kent residents can name up to four schools; other councils set their own number. Offers are emailed on Monday 1 March 2027.
Source: KCC: Admission to secondary school in Kent 2027 (PDF)They are KCC's offer-day figures for September 2026 entry. Applications count every preference, first to fourth, so they are not a success rate. Where offers are below the intake, the school had places left after offer day.
Source: KCC: Admission to secondary school in Kent 2027 (PDF)Source: KCC: Admission to secondary school in Kent 2027 (PDF)
Last checked 25 September 2026. Schools and KCC can change their rules; their own documents always win. Not published anywhere, so not shown here: the 2026 pass mark (due in October 2026) and any school's lowest score or furthest distance offered.