Highworth Grammar School for Girls

Highworth uses the Kent Test, which is different from the 11+ papers used in other regions. It has three sections — Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics, and English — all multiple choice. Importantly, there is no Non-Verbal Reasoning paper, so you won't need to prepare pattern and shape questions. The test is administered across Kent by GL Assessment, and the registration deadline is usually late June for the September sitting.

The Kent Test itself is broadly in line with standard difficulty, though Highworth is a popular and competitive school with a strong cohort of applicants. The main area where children tend to lose marks is vocabulary in the Verbal Reasoning paper — the test uses a wide range of words, and synonym and antonym questions can be trickier than typical practice papers. It's worth spending extra time on vocabulary building and working through past papers to get used to the style of questions.

The test is moderately time-pressured rather than severely rushed. Most children finish or nearly finish each section, though slower readers sometimes find the English comprehension section tight. Mathematics is straightforward and well-matched to standard GL practice papers. In English, the passages are age-appropriate, but inference and deduction questions — where you need to read between the lines — tend to be the trickiest part. Tutors in Kent recommend focusing specifically on these reasoning skills.

The qualifying score for the Kent Test varies from year to year and is not published in advance, so you won't know the exact pass mark until after the exam. Always check the school's own admissions pages and Kent County Council's guidance for the most up-to-date information about registration, the test format, and familiarisation materials.