Medway Test (11+) 2027: guide for 2028 entry

For children in Year 5 now, who would sit the Medway Test in the autumn of Year 6 to start secondary school in September 2028. Dates and format are taken from Medway Council's own pages.

Try a free Medway Test-style practice (3 days, no card)

At a glance

Test date: Not yet published for 2028 entry. This year's main test days were Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 September 2026, with Saturday 19 or Sunday 20 September for children not at a Medway primary or junior school
Registration: Not yet published for 2028 entry. This year it opened on Monday 18 May 2026 and closed on Friday 12 June 2026
Set by: GL Assessment, written specifically for Medway Council
Papers: English (30 minutes), Mathematics (50 minutes) and Reasoning (45 minutes)
Scoring: Age-standardised. English and Mathematics each count double, Reasoning counts once
Resits: There is no resit and no re-marking

Key dates

For 2028 entry (test expected in September 2027, going by this year's pattern)

Medway Council has not published these dates yet. When we checked, its pages showed only the dates for the 2026 test.

Source: Medway Council: Medway Test dates

This year's dates (2026 test, 2027 entry), as a guide to the pattern

Monday 18 May 2026: Registration opened
Friday 12 June 2026: Registration closed
Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 September 2026: Medway Test for children at a Medway maintained primary or junior school, sat at their own school
Thursday 17 and Friday 18 September 2026: Alternative days for children testing with special arrangements
Saturday 19 or Sunday 20 September 2026: Medway Test at a test centre for children not at a Medway primary or junior school
Wednesday 14 October 2026: Results emailed after 10am
31 October 2026: Deadline for secondary school applications

Source: Medway Council: Medway Test dates

Get an email when Medway Test publishes new 11+ dates

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The three papers

English: 30 minutesComprehension, punctuation and grammar. There are 3 practice questions first, taking 5 minutes. The paper is not split into timed sections.

Mathematics: 50 minutesThere are 2 practice questions first, taking 2 minutes. The paper is not split into timed sections.

Reasoning: 45 minutesSpatial and non-verbal reasoning for 20 minutes, then verbal reasoning for 25 minutes. Each part has its own practice questions first.

English and maths count double

Medway Council says each raw score is standardised for the child's age. The total is then the English score times 2, plus the Mathematics score times 2, plus the Reasoning score times 1. So English and maths carry most of the weight.

The pass mark changes each year

The council says a minimum total weighted score is set every year. Children from Medway maintained schools are ranked, and the highest scorers, equivalent to 26% of the cohort, are assessed as grammar. Children from other schools who reach the same minimum score are also assessed as grammar. For 2026 admissions the minimum was 481 (25% of the cohort assessed as grammar), for 2025 it was 482 (25%) and for 2024 it was 492 (23%). The council sets the figure each year.

What counts as official practice material

Medway Council says that test materials found online or in shops, other than on the GL website, are not official and are not supported or endorsed by GL or the council. That includes ours: our questions are for building skills and pace.

Registration closes in June of Year 5

This year the council said that registrations after the closing date could not be accepted, with no exceptions. It also says it does not recommend the test for a child who is not working at or above the expected level for their age.

Five Medway Test-style sample questions

These are our own questions, written in the style of the test so you can see the level. They are not taken from any real paper. Tap a question to see the answer and the method.

1. A rectangle is 14 cm long and 9 cm wide. What is its perimeter, in centimetres?

A) 23
B) 46
C) 92
D) 126

Answer: B) 46. The perimeter is the distance all the way round. Add the length and width: 14 + 9 = 23. Double it for all four sides: 23 × 2 = 46.

2. Tickets for a school play cost £4 for an adult and £2.50 for a child. How many pounds do 3 adults and 4 children pay altogether?

A) 22
B) 24
C) 26
D) 29

Answer: A) 22. Adults: 3 × £4 = £12. Children: 4 × £2.50 = £10. Add them: £12 + £10 = £22.

3. Which of these is a complete sentence?

A) Running down the hill
B) Because it was late
C) After the long match
D) The gate creaked

Answer: D) The gate creaked. A complete sentence needs a subject and a verb and must make sense by itself. The gate creaked has a subject (the gate) and a verb (creaked). The others are only parts of sentences and leave you waiting for more.

4. Which word is an adverb in this sentence? The old cat crept silently along the wall.

A) old
B) crept
C) silently
D) along

Answer: C) silently. An adverb tells you how something is done. Silently tells you how the cat crept. Old is an adjective, crept is a verb and along is a preposition.

5. Which word is most opposite in meaning to ancient?

A) old
B) modern
C) huge
D) broken

Answer: B) modern. Ancient means very old. Modern means new or of the present time, so it is the opposite. Old is close in meaning to ancient, not opposite.

What a Year 5 parent can do now

Put a reminder in your diary for May 2027. This year registration ran from 18 May to 12 June 2026 and the council did not accept late registrations.
Start short, regular practice now, with most of it on English and maths, and add timed papers over the summer before Year 6.
Check Medway Council's Medway Test pages in the spring of 2027 for the 2028 entry dates.

Free Year 5 baseline check: 20 questions in 15 minutes

How to prepare

Put most effort into English and maths, as each counts double in the total score.
Practise comprehension, punctuation and grammar in 30-minute sessions.
Build up to working on maths for 50 minutes without a break.
Practise non-verbal and spatial reasoning for 20 minutes, then verbal reasoning for 25 minutes, in one sitting.
Look at the materials on the GL Assessment website, which are the only ones the council treats as official.

Try a free Medway Test-style mock

Set out like the papers the school or area describes, with your child's score at the end and, where the school sets a writing task, their writing marked from a photo. Where a timing is not published, ours is an estimate. Free 3-day trial, no card needed.

Start my Medway Test-style mock

Or get a free Medway Test-style practice paper (PDF)

Our mocks follow the published format where there is one. The timings we estimate and the questions are our own, not real past papers.

The other 32 school and area guides

Blackheath High 11+ guide · Eltham College 11+ guide · Dulwich College 11+ guide · Alleyn's 11+ guide · Kent Test guide · Bexley 11+ guide · Colfe's 11+ guide · St Olave's 11+ guide · Tiffin 11+ guide · Sutton SET guide · ISEB Pre-Test guide · London 11+ Consortium guide · Latymer Upper 11+ guide · Henrietta Barnett 11+ guide · Dame Alice Owen's 11+ guide · QE Barnet 11+ guide · Redbridge 11+ guide · Buckinghamshire Transfer Test guide · Essex CSSE 11+ guide · Slough Consortium 11+ guide · Kendrick School 11+ guide · Bournemouth and Poole 11+ guide · South Wilts Grammar 11+ guide · Bishop Wordsworth's 11+ guide · Torbay grammar schools 11+ guide · Plymouth grammar schools 11+ guide · Lincolnshire 11+ guide · West Midlands grammar schools 11+ guide · Wirral 11+ guide · Ripon Grammar School 11+ guide · Lancaster Royal Grammar 11+ guide · Northern Ireland SEAG Transfer Test guide

More free practice: Free 11+ Maths practice questions → · Free 11+ Verbal Reasoning practice → · Free 11+ Fractions questions → · Free 11+ Vocabulary questions →

Quick answers

When is the Medway Test?

Not yet published for 2028 entry. This year's main test days were Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 September 2026, with Saturday 19 or Sunday 20 September for children not at a Medway primary or junior school.

What is in the Medway Test?

English: 30 minutes. Comprehension, punctuation and grammar. There are 3 practice questions first, taking 5 minutes. The paper is not split into timed sections. Mathematics: 50 minutes. There are 2 practice questions first, taking 2 minutes. The paper is not split into timed sections. Reasoning: 45 minutes. Spatial and non-verbal reasoning for 20 minutes, then verbal reasoning for 25 minutes. Each part has its own practice questions first.

When do I need to register for the Medway Test?

Not yet published for 2028 entry. This year it opened on Monday 18 May 2026 and closed on Friday 12 June 2026.

How can my child practise for the Medway Test?

Put most effort into English and maths, as each counts double in the total score.

Sources

Checked 7 October 2026. Schools change their tests, so always confirm dates and details on the official pages below.

Eleven Plus Academy is independent. It is not affiliated with Medway Council, GL Assessment or any school.