For Year 5 parents
Kent Test 2027: the year ahead.
This year’s Year 6 get their Kent Test results on Thursday 15 October 2026. If your child is in Year 5, it’s their turn next September — for a secondary school place in September 2028. Here is the year at a glance, and how to use it well.
The year at a glance.
Thursday 15 October 2026
Results for this year’s Year 6. A good moment to find your child’s starting point.
Autumn and winter 2026
Foundations: reading, vocabulary, times tables and a short, regular practice session.
Spring 2027
Every question type the test uses, with the method behind each one.
June – early July 2027expected
Register for the Kent Test on Kent County Council’s website.
Summer 2027
Timed papers at exam pace, so the clock holds no surprises.
Early September 2027expected
The Kent Test: two multiple-choice papers and a writing task.
Mid-October 2027expected
Results, emailed by the council.
31 October 2027
Secondary school applications close (the national deadline).
1 March 2028
National Offer Day: secondary school places are offered.
Kent County Council confirms the exact dates in spring 2027. We’ll update this page when it does.
What’s in the test.
Two multiple-choice papers — Reasoning (verbal, non-verbal and spatial), and English and Maths — and a writing task. For the detail, read the Kent Test, explained, or try a whole paper with our free practice papers.
Using the year well.
Autumn: find the starting point.
Before planning anything, see where your child is in each subject. Then keep it small and regular: 20 to 30 minutes a week beats a long session once a month.
Spring: every question type.
The test uses a known set of question types. Meet each one, learn the method, and practise it. Keep reading widely — vocabulary carries through every paper.
Summer: exam pace.
Timed practice papers, so working against the clock feels normal. Go back over the mistakes together; that is where most of the progress is.
September: the test.
Light practice only in the last weeks. A rested child does better than a crammed one.
Gramora sets this out as one short mission a week, from the first foundations to the September sitting — see the 52-week plan.
Registering.
Children don’t sit the Kent Test automatically — a parent registers them online, in the summer before the test (expected June – early July 2027). The council publishes the dates and the form on its Kent Test page.
Questions parents ask.
- Is Year 5 too late to start?
- No — most families start in Year 5. Eleven months is enough for steady work: a short session each week, building through every question type, then timed practice in the summer.
- Is Year 4 too early?
- Not if it stays light: reading, times tables, vocabulary and puzzles build the foundations. Test-style practice can wait until Year 5.
- How much time each week?
- Little and often works better than long sessions: 20 to 30 minutes of focused practice a week, plus reading, through the autumn and spring, and more timed practice in the summer before the test.
- Do we need a tutor?
- Not necessarily. Many children prepare at home with a clear plan and practice papers. A tutor can help with a specific subject a child finds hard.
- Is the writing task marked?
- No. It is not scored. It is kept for the headteacher panel, which looks at it if a child’s result is borderline or appealed.
- What score does my child need?
- Kent sets the score each year and publishes it with the results. For the 2025 test it was a total of 332 or more, with no single score below 108.
- When do we register?
- In the summer before the test — expected June – early July 2027 — on Kent County Council’s website. The council confirms the exact dates in spring 2027.
Free · no account needed
See where your child stands.
A 20-minute diagnostic across Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with an estimated standardised score for each and where to start.
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