Although Medway sits geographically inside Kent, it runs its own admissions system and its own 11+ exam — the Medway Test (sometimes called the Medway Test of Reasoning). If your child is aiming for one of Medway's six selective grammar schools, this is the exam that decides their qualifying score, and it is built differently from the neighbouring Kent Test. This guide sets out the current 2026 structure, the papers, how scores are combined, and a realistic preparation plan that reflects where the marks actually sit.
Current state, 2026: what the Medway Test is (and isn't)
The Medway Test is used to admit pupils to Medway's grammar schools, including The Rochester Grammar School, Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School (the "Math"), Chatham Grammar, Rainham Mark Grammar, Fort Pitt Grammar and Holcombe Grammar. It is sat in September of Year 6, not Year 5. One point trips up a lot of parents: because Medway borders Kent and both areas select at 11+, families assume the two tests are interchangeable. They are not. Kent uses a GL-style test that includes a separate Non-Verbal Reasoning paper; Medway does not test NVR in the same standalone way and instead gives real weight to a marked piece of writing. Sitting one test does not automatically enter your child for the other — you register separately with each local authority, and many families sit both.
Test structure: three papers in one morning
The Medway Test is made up of three papers, taken together on a single test morning:
- Mathematics (around 50 minutes) — arithmetic, number, problem solving, fractions, measures and geometry drawn from the Key Stage 2 curriculum up to Year 5 level.
- Verbal Reasoning (around 50 minutes) — comprehension, vocabulary, word logic, codes and the language-based question types familiar from GL-style papers.
- Extended Writing (around 50 minutes including planning time) — one substantial piece of creative or persuasive writing produced under timed conditions.
The absence of a separate multiple-choice Non-Verbal Reasoning paper is the headline difference from Kent. Instead, the extended writing task is genuinely assessed and feeds into the child's total. That single design choice changes how you should prepare, because a strong writer can gain ground that a pure reasoner cannot.
How scoring works
Each paper is age-standardised before the marks are combined, and the results are used to select roughly the top quarter of the cohort for grammar places. Age standardisation matters: a summer-born child who scores the same raw mark as an autumn-born classmate receives a small uplift, because the test adjusts for how many months younger they are. This is why two children can leave the same exam with the same number of correct answers and end up with different standardised scores.
Medway publishes the exact combining formula and the qualifying outcome each year, and the pass position moves slightly with the cohort. Because the threshold and weightings are set annually by the local authority, we deliberately avoid quoting a fixed "pass mark" here — always confirm the current figures on Medway Council's admissions pages. What is stable is the principle: all three papers count, and no single paper can be ignored.
| Feature | Medway Test | Kent Test (for contrast) |
|---|---|---|
| Maths | Yes (~50 min) | Yes (within reasoning papers) |
| Verbal Reasoning | Yes (~50 min) | Yes |
| Non-Verbal Reasoning | No standalone paper | Yes |
| Extended writing | Yes, marked and counted | Assessed only in some appeal routes |
| Answer style | Mix, incl. written composition | Multiple-choice answer sheet |
| Test month | September, Year 6 | September, Year 6 |
Why the writing paper is where families win or lose marks
This is the part of Medway preparation most commonly under-cooked. Because the extended writing carries real weight alongside maths and verbal reasoning, a confident, well-organised writer can outscore a stronger reasoner who treats writing as an afterthought. Yet writing is often the least-practised skill in a typical 11+ plan. Give it proper time. Practical technique that examiners reward:
- Spend at least 5 minutes planning before writing a single sentence — a quick beginning, middle and end beats a rushed, shapeless story.
- Aim for roughly 1.5 to 2 sides of clear, controlled prose rather than a sprawling piece that loses its thread.
- Vary sentence openings, use paragraphs deliberately, and include at least one piece of figurative language (a simile or metaphor) used well, not scattered everywhere.
- Leave two minutes at the end to check spelling, capital letters and full stops — easy marks that tired children throw away.
Persuasive and descriptive tasks both appear, so practise both registers. A child who can plan quickly and write neatly under pressure has a real advantage in Medway that they would not get in a purely multiple-choice system.
A balanced preparation plan
Because all three papers count, split practice roughly evenly and resist the temptation to drill only what your child already enjoys. A sensible weekly rhythm looks like this:
- Maths: short, timed topic sets plus one full timed paper a week to build speed and accuracy. Explore our free worksheets to target weak topics.
- Verbal Reasoning: steady vocabulary building plus question-type drilling (codes, closest-meaning, word logic). Our revision hub and GL-style practice papers match these question types closely.
- Extended writing: one timed piece a week, planned then marked against a simple checklist — structure, vocabulary, punctuation, handwriting.
Pair this with regular full-length mocks so test-morning stamina is not a shock. Quest Arena's mock library includes practice in the Medway style under the "Kent & Medway" tag, and everything is free to use with no account needed to start. If you are still deciding which schools to enter, our grammar school directory lists the Medway grammars and their catchment notes, while the key dates page covers registration windows and results timelines.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Medway Test the same as the Kent Test?
No. They are separate exams run by separate local authorities. The Kent Test includes Non-Verbal Reasoning and is multiple-choice throughout; the Medway Test has no standalone NVR paper and includes a marked extended-writing task. You register with each authority separately, and many families sit both.
Does the Medway Test include Non-Verbal Reasoning?
Not as a separate multiple-choice paper like Kent's. Medway assesses maths, verbal reasoning and a piece of extended writing. If your child is also sitting Kent or a GL region, you should still practise NVR question types for those, using our free worksheets.
How much does the writing paper count?
The extended writing is genuinely marked and standardised alongside the other two papers, so it carries real weight in the total. Treat it as a third of your preparation, not a throwaway — strong writers gain marks here that pure reasoners miss.