Which test is your child taking?
The main UK tests for children aged about 7 to 13, side by side: who uses each one, when, what’s in it and what the result is for.
Grammar schools in your area: Kent, Buckinghamshire, West Midlands, Lincolnshire, Northern Ireland.
Last checked against each test’s official pages on .
The six tests side by side
Each cell is a short summary. The details for each test are further down the page.
| 11+ | CAT4 | ISEB Pre-Test | KS2 SATs | Common Entrance | 7+ and 8+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who uses it | Grammar schools, by area. Independent schools set their own. | Primary and secondary schools. Some use it for entry. | Independent senior schools, for 11+ and 13+ entry | State primary schools in England | Independent senior schools, at 11+ and 13+ | Independent prep and junior schools |
| When | Year 6. Grammar schools: September (Northern Ireland: November). Independent schools: November to January. | Any time the school chooses | Year 6 (sometimes Year 7), between September and May | May of Year 6 | 11+: November or January of Year 6. 13+: Year 8. | Year 2 (7+) or Year 3 (8+), between September and February |
| Subjects |
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| Format | Grammar schools: mostly paper and multiple choice. Independent schools: varies. | Paper or on screen. Multiple choice, strictly timed. | On screen. Multiple choice and adaptive. | Paper booklets, marked outside the school | Written papers, marked by the senior school | Each school’s own. Some add a second round or an interview. |
| How long | Varies. Often two papers of about an hour. | About 72 minutes of questions, in three sittings | 2 hours 15 minutes, in four tests | Six papers over four days, 15 to 60 minutes each | 11+: 3 hours 30 minutes over two days. 13+: more papers, across a week. | Varies by school |
| How it’s scored | Scores adjusted for age. Each area or school sets the bar. | Standard age scores (average 100). No pass mark. | Scores adjusted for age. No pass mark. Parents don’t see results. | Scaled scores from 80 to 120. 100 meets the expected standard. | Each senior school sets its own pass marks | Each school’s own. Pass marks aren’t published. |
| What the result is for | Qualifying for a grammar school, or an offer from an independent school | Helping teachers plan and set groups. Some schools use it for entry. | Shared with every senior school your child applies to | Measuring schools. Results go to the secondary school. | Entry to the independent senior schools that use it | An offer of a place, or not |
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11+Details ›
- Who uses it
- Grammar schools, by area. Independent schools set their own.
- When
- Year 6. Grammar schools: September (Northern Ireland: November). Independent schools: November to January.
- Subjects
- Verbal (some areas)
- NVR (some areas)
- Maths (some areas)
- English (some areas)
- Format
- Grammar schools: mostly paper and multiple choice. Independent schools: varies.
- How long
- Varies. Often two papers of about an hour.
- How it’s scored
- Scores adjusted for age. Each area or school sets the bar.
- What the result is for
- Qualifying for a grammar school, or an offer from an independent school
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CAT4Details ›
- Who uses it
- Primary and secondary schools. Some use it for entry.
- When
- Any time the school chooses
- Subjects
- Verbal
- NVR
- Format
- Paper or on screen. Multiple choice, strictly timed.
- How long
- About 72 minutes of questions, in three sittings
- How it’s scored
- Standard age scores (average 100). No pass mark.
- What the result is for
- Helping teachers plan and set groups. Some schools use it for entry.
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ISEB Pre-TestDetails ›
- Who uses it
- Independent senior schools, for 11+ and 13+ entry
- When
- Year 6 (sometimes Year 7), between September and May
- Subjects
- Verbal
- NVR
- Maths
- English
- Format
- On screen. Multiple choice and adaptive.
- How long
- 2 hours 15 minutes, in four tests
- How it’s scored
- Scores adjusted for age. No pass mark. Parents don’t see results.
- What the result is for
- Shared with every senior school your child applies to
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KS2 SATsDetails ›
- Who uses it
- State primary schools in England
- When
- May of Year 6
- Subjects
- Maths
- English
- Format
- Paper booklets, marked outside the school
- How long
- Six papers over four days, 15 to 60 minutes each
- How it’s scored
- Scaled scores from 80 to 120. 100 meets the expected standard.
- What the result is for
- Measuring schools. Results go to the secondary school.
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Common EntranceDetails ›
- Who uses it
- Independent senior schools, at 11+ and 13+
- When
- 11+: November or January of Year 6. 13+: Year 8.
- Subjects
- Maths
- English
- Format
- Written papers, marked by the senior school
- How long
- 11+: 3 hours 30 minutes over two days. 13+: more papers, across a week.
- How it’s scored
- Each senior school sets its own pass marks
- What the result is for
- Entry to the independent senior schools that use it
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7+ and 8+Details ›
- Who uses it
- Independent prep and junior schools
- When
- Year 2 (7+) or Year 3 (8+), between September and February
- Subjects
- Verbal (some schools)
- NVR (some schools)
- Maths
- English
- Format
- Each school’s own. Some add a second round or an interview.
- How long
- Varies by school
- How it’s scored
- Each school’s own. Pass marks aren’t published.
- What the result is for
- An offer of a place, or not
When each test happens
From Year 2 to Year 8, in England’s school years. Each step is a month, from September to August.
- 7+ and 8+Year 2 for the 7+, Year 3 for the 8+, between September and February
- Multiplication tables checkJune of Year 4, on screen. Part of the KS2 assessments.
- 11+ for grammar schoolsRegister in Year 5. The test is in September of Year 6 (November in Northern Ireland).
- 11+ for independent schoolsMostly November to January of Year 6
- ISEB Pre-TestOnce, between September and May of Year 6. Some sit it in Year 7.
- KS2 SATsOne week in May of Year 6
- Common Entrance11+ in November or January of Year 6. 13+ in November, January or May to June of Year 8.
- CAT4Any time the school chooses, for example at the start of Year 7
The 11+
The test for a place at a grammar school, and the name for independent schools’ own entrance exams at 11. There is no single national 11+.
- Who sets it
- For grammar schools, each area or group of schools commissions its own test, so the subjects, timings and scoring differ from place to place. GL Assessment sets most of them, including the tests in Buckinghamshire, the West Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northern Ireland. Bexley’s provider is Quest Assessments. Kent County Council points families to its own Kent Test familiarisation paper and to GL Assessment’s free materials. Reading School sets the FSCE test, and the Gloucestershire grammar schools switch to it for 2028 entry. FSCE changes its content each year and authorises no practice papers: its free familiarisation guides are the only official material.
- CEM no longer sets grammar school 11+ papers: its last were for September 2023 entry. Advice that compares “GL and CEM” papers is out of date.
- Who sits it
- Children applying to grammar schools in England and Northern Ireland, and to independent schools that set an 11+. In Buckinghamshire, children at the county’s state primary schools sit it automatically unless parents withdraw them.
- When
- Grammar schools: September of Year 6, with registration in Year 5 (as early as March in Bexley). Northern Ireland: November of P7, the last year of primary school. In England, results come in October, before the 31 October deadline to apply for secondary schools. Northern Ireland’s come in January.
- This is moving in some areas. Reading School already tests in July of Year 5. Gloucestershire’s grammar schools move their test to the summer term of Year 5 for 2028 entry, and Trafford does the same for 2029 entry.
- What’s in it
- Some mix of verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English, depending on the area. Lincolnshire sets only verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Northern Ireland sets only English and maths. Kent, Buckinghamshire and the West Midlands set all four.
- Format and length
- In Kent, Buckinghamshire, the West Midlands and Northern Ireland, the papers are multiple choice on paper, with answers marked on a separate answer sheet. Each has two main papers of about 45 minutes to an hour.
- Scoring
- Raw marks are turned into standardised scores that allow for a child’s age. Each area then sets the score that qualifies a child for its grammar schools.
Five areas compared
Each area’s name links to its official 11+ page, where registration happens. These are the tests sat in autumn 2026, for September 2027 entry. If your child is in Year 5 now, they’ll apply for September 2028 entry: the formats rarely change much, but check your own area’s pages for the new dates.
| Area | What’s tested | How | When | To qualify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KentThe Kent Test | An English and maths paper. A reasoning paper with verbal and non-verbal sections. A writing task that isn’t marked but may be used by a headteacher panel. | Multiple choice. About an hour for each paper, and 40 minutes for the writing. | September of Year 6. Register from 1 June to 1 July of Year 5 (the 2026 dates), which is also the deadline for access arrangements. | Last year, for 2026 entry: a total of 332 or more, with no single score below 108 |
| BuckinghamshireThe Secondary Transfer Test | One paper of comprehension, technical English and verbal reasoning. One paper of maths and non-verbal reasoning, including spatial reasoning. | Multiple choice, with instructions given by audio. About 45 minutes for each paper. | September of Year 6. Automatic for children at the county’s state primary schools. | 121 or more. Verbal counts for half the score, maths and non-verbal for a quarter each. |
| West MidlandsBirmingham, Warwickshire, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Shropshire | English comprehension, verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal reasoning, across two papers. No writing. | Multiple choice, in timed sections. About 60 minutes for each paper. | September of Year 6. Register in May or June of Year 5. | Birmingham’s grammar schools: 205. English and verbal count for half, maths and non-verbal for a quarter each. |
| Lincolnshire | A verbal reasoning paper and a non-verbal and spatial reasoning paper. No English or maths. | The two papers are sat on two Saturdays a week apart. | September of Year 6. Register from January to March of Year 5. | A total of 220 or more |
| Northern IrelandThe SEAG Entrance Assessment | English (or Irish) and maths. Each paper has 28 English and 28 maths questions. | Multiple choice. Two papers a week apart, 60 minutes each. | November of P7. Register by September. | No single mark. Each school uses the total score, a band from 1 to 6, or both. |
Other areas differ again. Medway, inside Kent, sets its own Medway Test, separate from the Kent Test. In Essex, the CSSE schools set one English test and one maths test. In Sutton, the first test (the SET) is multiple-choice English and maths with no reasoning. Children who pass sit a second stage, written rather than multiple choice: the boys’ schools set one, and Nonsuch and Wallington High School for Girls set their own, in English and maths.
Independent schools’ own 11+
Each independent school sets its own entrance process, mostly between November and January of Year 6, and some add an interview. Some examples for September 2027 entry:
| School | What happens |
|---|---|
| St Paul’s School | Every candidate takes the ISEB Pre-Test. Those who do well sit English and maths exams at the school in December, then have an interview. |
| The Manchester Grammar School | An entrance exam day in January, with two English and two arithmetic papers. |
| London 11+ Consortium13 girls’ schools | One online assessment, 100 minutes in all, taken at the child’s own school in late November or early December. Member schools then hold interviews in January. |
| Hampton School | An entrance assessment in November. Registration closes at the start of November. |
Things parents often get wrong
- Passing isn’t a place. Kent and Lincolnshire both say reaching the qualifying score doesn’t guarantee a place, and in the West Midlands places go by admission category.
- A higher score doesn’t always help. In Buckinghamshire, scoring above 121 gives no extra priority. Some Kent grammar schools and the King Edward VI schools in Birmingham do favour higher scores.
- Registering for the test isn’t applying. In England you still name schools on your council’s application form by 31 October.
- A result only counts in its own area. Kent’s test is only valid for Kent’s grammar schools.
How to prepare
Start with your area’s or school’s own pages. They say which subjects are tested and how, and that can change from year to year. Buckinghamshire also runs a practice test a few days before the real one.
Where Rush helps. Between them, 11+ papers test verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English against the clock. Rush’s games build speed with the basics they rely on. See the guides to verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English.
CAT4
The Cognitive Abilities Test from GL Assessment. It tests how a child reasons, not what they’ve learned in lessons.
- Who sets it
- GL Assessment. Only schools can buy it. Over three quarters of a million primary and secondary pupils take it each year, from age 6 upwards.
- Who sits it
- Pupils at schools that use it. GL says the results help teachers understand each child’s abilities and decide the right pace of learning. Some schools use them to put pupils into sets. Some use it for entry: Carre’s Grammar School, for example, uses it for places in years other than Year 7.
- When
- Any time of year the school chooses. Some secondary schools test all of Year 7 at the start of the year.
- What’s in it
- Four parts, each with two short tests (one each for the youngest children):
- Verbal: spotting what words have in common, and word analogies.
- Quantitative: number analogies and number series. This is spotting patterns in numbers, not school maths.
- Non-verbal: spotting what shapes have in common, and shape analogies.
- Spatial: folding and hole-punching paper in your head, and finding a shape hidden in a design.
- Format and length
- On paper or on screen (a computer or tablet). Every question is multiple choice with five options, and the tests are strictly timed. Each test starts with untimed examples and practice questions.
- From level A (Year 4) up, about 72 minutes of timed questions, given in three sittings of about 40 to 45 minutes. Levels X, Y and Pre-A, for Years 2 and 3, have two sittings of about 30 minutes. There are 10 levels, matched to year groups: level C is for Year 6, for example, though a school can choose another.
- Scoring
- A standard age score for each part and an overall score, where 100 is average for the child’s age (scores run from 59 to 141 at most levels). Also a stanine from 1 to 9, where 5 is average and 9 is the top 4%, and a national percentile rank. Reports can include a verbal and spatial learning profile and likely grades at KS2, GCSE, A level and IB. There is no pass mark.
Things parents often get wrong
- “It’s an IQ test.” GL says its scores shouldn’t be read as IQ scores.
- “There’s a pass mark.” There isn’t. Any cut-off is the school’s own.
- “We’ll get a report.” Each school decides whether to share results with parents.
How to prepare
CAT4 asks kinds of question most children have never seen at school: word and shape analogies, number series, folding paper in your head. Every test is strictly timed. A child who has met these question types before, and who knows the basics quickly, can show what they can do instead of spending the time working out what’s being asked.
Where Rush helps. Rush practises the same kinds of question, 100 seconds at a time: analogies, number sequences, shape patterns, fold and punch and hidden shapes. See the guides to verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.
The ISEB Pre-Test
Four online tests a wide range of independent senior schools accept. A child sits them once and the results go to every senior school they apply to.
- Who sets it
- The Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB). It’s now called the ISEB Pre-Tests. Older pages say the ISEB Common Pre-Tests.
- Who uses it
- Independent senior schools, for Year 7 (11+) entry. Some, such as Eton and Harrow, use it before Year 9 (13+) entry.
- When
- Most children sit it once, in Year 6. Some sit it in Year 7. In 2026–27 the window runs from September to late May. Your child’s test centre tells you the date. Parents register on ISEB’s Guardian Portal. It’s free for parents: the senior school pays.
- Where
- Usually at the child’s current school, which ISEB recommends, or at a senior school they’re applying to or an approved centre.
- What’s in it
- English (reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, punctuation and spelling), maths (the national curriculum up to the end of Year 5), verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning, including 3D shapes.
- Format and length
- On a computer, multiple choice and adaptive: each question depends on earlier answers, so children may see different numbers of questions. Every question must be answered, and there’s no going back. Rough paper is allowed.
- English 40 minutes, maths 40 minutes, non-verbal reasoning 30 minutes and verbal reasoning 25 minutes: 2 hours 15 minutes in all. Children with SEND can have 25% extra time, usually with supporting evidence.
- Scoring
- Age-standardised scores, compared with other children applying to independent schools, not with all children. There are no grades and no pass mark: each school decides what it’s looking for. Schools see results straight away. ISEB doesn’t release them to parents.
Things parents often get wrong
- “We’ll see the score.” ISEB doesn’t give results to parents. You can ask the senior school, but it doesn’t have to share them.
- “There’s a pass mark.” There isn’t. Each school decides.
- “They can retake it.” Only once in an academic year. If a child sits it twice, the first result stands.
- “It’s Common Entrance.” It’s a separate ISEB test. Common Entrance is written papers in subjects.
How to prepare
The Pre-Tests follow the national curriculum, but they’re on screen, adaptive and timed, which is new to most children, and the verbal and non-verbal reasoning parts aren’t taught at school. Try ISEB’s free Pre-Tests Walkthrough so the screen isn’t new on the day, and practise the reasoning question types well before.
Where Rush helps. Rush’s games build speed with the basics in all four areas. See the guides to verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English.
KS2 SATs
National tests at the end of primary school in England, set by the Standards and Testing Agency. They measure schools, and don’t decide secondary school places.
- Who sits them
- Every Year 6 pupil in state schools in England, including academies and special schools. Some independent schools take part too.
- When
- One week in May of Year 6. In 2026–27, Monday 10 to Thursday 13 May 2027.
- What’s in them
- English reading, English grammar, punctuation and spelling, and maths. Writing and science aren’t tested: teachers assess them. Science sampling tests in some schools ended after 2018.
- Format
- Paper test booklets, sent away to be marked.
- Scoring
- Each test gets a scaled score from 80 to 120. A score of 100 or more meets the expected standard. The raw marks needed for 100 change every year: in 2026 they were 34 out of 70 for grammar, punctuation and spelling, 25 out of 50 for reading and 56 out of 110 for maths. Nationally, 63% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2026.
- Results
- Schools get them in early July, and parents by the end of the summer term. The secondary school can see them too. They’re used to publish school performance data.
The six papers
| Paper | Time | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Grammar, punctuation and spelling paper 1: questions | 45 minutes | Monday |
| Grammar, punctuation and spelling paper 2: spelling | About 15 minutes, not strictly timed | Monday |
| Reading | 1 hour, for 3 texts and their questions | Tuesday |
| Maths paper 1: arithmetic | 30 minutes | Wednesday |
| Maths paper 2: reasoning | 40 minutes | Wednesday |
| Maths paper 3: reasoning | 40 minutes | Thursday |
The multiplication tables check in Year 4
An on-screen check every Year 4 pupil takes in June: 25 times tables questions up to 12 × 12, with 6 seconds for each. It takes about 5 minutes. There’s no pass mark, and the school tells parents the score by the end of the summer term.
Things parents often get wrong
- “SATs decide the secondary school.” You apply by 31 October and offers come on 1 March, before the tests in May.
- “There’s a science SAT.” There isn’t. Science is assessed by teachers.
- “110 is a grade.” It’s the government’s measure of a higher standard in its statistics. Your child gets a scaled score and whether they met the expected standard.
- “The pass mark is fixed.” The raw marks needed change every year with the tests.
How to prepare
The government is reviewing primary assessment, but nothing changes for 2026–27. Your child’s school will run the tests and can tell you how it prepares them.
Where Rush helps. The times tables check gives 6 seconds a question and the arithmetic paper lasts 30 minutes, so quick number facts help. Rush’s maths games practise them, and its English games practise grammar, punctuation and spelling.
Common Entrance
Written exams set by ISEB for entry to independent senior schools at 11+ and 13+. Each senior school marks its own candidates’ papers.
- Who uses it
- Independent senior schools that choose to. It isn’t used for state schools, and not every independent school uses it.
- At 11+
- Year 6, in November or January. In 2026–27: 2 to 3 November 2026, or 18 to 19 January 2027.
- English reading (45 minutes), English writing (45 minutes), maths (1 hour) and science (1 hour), over two days.
- At 13+
- Year 8, in November, January or May to June. In 2026–27 the summer written papers are 7 to 11 June 2027.
- English, maths and science are compulsory, with a choice of level: Foundation or Core in English and maths (plus an Additional maths paper), and Foundation or three Core science papers. The prep school and the senior school agree which level. Optional subjects include French, German, Spanish, Latin, Classical Greek, geography, history, and theology, philosophy and religion. Senior schools say which they need. Languages also have listening and speaking exams.
- Format
- Written papers set by ISEB. The papers go to the senior school on the day of the exam, and it marks them.
- Scoring
- There’s no national pass mark. Each senior school sets its own grade boundaries as percentages. St Paul’s, for example, may ask some 13+ candidates for at least 70% in set subjects.
- Results
- At 11+, by the Friday of the week after the exams. At 13+, the Thursday of the following week (Friday for the summer session).
- What’s changing
- In May 2026 ISEB said it would consult schools about the future of Common Entrance. No outcome has been published yet. It is also reviewing its exam timetables during 2026–27, and plans a new creative writing assessment for 11+ admissions.
Things parents often get wrong
- “It’s one national pass or fail.” Each senior school marks its own candidates and sets its own boundaries.
- “It’s the same as the Pre-Test.” The ISEB Pre-Test is online, multiple choice and adaptive. Common Entrance is written papers in subjects.
- “Every offer depends on it.” It varies. St Paul’s offers can depend on it. Westminster’s 13+ offers don’t.
- “13+ is only in June.” There are November and January sittings too.
The 7+ and 8+
Assessments independent prep and junior schools set for entry to Year 3 (7+) or Year 4 (8+). There’s no national test: each school sets its own.
- When
- In Year 2 for the 7+ and Year 3 for the 8+, between September and February. Registration can open very early: Westminster Under School opens it on 1 September two years before entry.
- What’s in it
- Usually English and maths. Some schools add verbal and non-verbal reasoning.
- Format
- Each school’s own. Some test on paper, some on screen, and some invite children back for a second round or an interview.
- Scoring
- Each school’s own. None of these schools publishes a pass mark. The result is an offer of a place, or not.
How five schools do it
For September 2027 entry.
| School | What’s tested | How |
|---|---|---|
| St Paul’s7+ entry, November | English (a dictation), maths and reasoning | Boys who do well come back for a half-day group assessment. No past papers are published. |
| Westminster Under School7+, mid-October | Maths, English (writing and reading), verbal and non-verbal reasoning | About 120 children are invited back in November for classroom activities and an interview. |
| Exeter School7+ and 8+, January | English (writing, an online reading test and spelling) and maths | The teacher reads the maths paper aloud. There’s also a timed mental maths paper. |
| Eltham College8+, February | All aspects of maths and English | All on a tablet, in groups of 6 to 8, about two hours. |
| The Manchester Grammar School, Junior SchoolAssessment days from September | Short tests on what the boys have just learned, plus reading and writing tasks | Lessons and activities on things they won’t have studied before. |
Things parents often get wrong
- “Every school has an 8+.” St Paul’s admissions pages for 2027 list 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ entry, but no 8+.
- “A junior place leads straight on.” It depends. Westminster Under pupils are assessed again at 11+. Manchester Grammar’s junior pupils get automatic entry to the senior school.
The four subjects
Most of these tests set some mix of these four. Each guide covers the question types and how to practise them.
- Verbal reasoningWord puzzles: words that mean the same or the opposite, how words are linked, and words hidden inside others.
- Non-verbal reasoningShape puzzles: spotting the rule, and picturing shapes turned, mirrored or folded.
- MathsNumber facts, fractions, shape, money and time, done quickly without a calculator.
- EnglishReading comprehension, spelling, punctuation, grammar and vocabulary.
Rush: 11+ Practice & KS2 SATsPractise the 11+ in Rush.
- 41 games across verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal reasoning, 100 seconds each
- Every miss kept with the right answer and why
- Free to start, with a new family game every day
On the App Store for iPhone and iPad
