The Rochester Grammar School has its own admissions pattern, and the right preparation follows it. Because entry here is decided entirely by the Medway Test, the smartest plan is one built around exactly how that test looks, times and marks itself — not a generic "11+ course". This guide covers the school, the exact test it uses, what to practise, a realistic timeline from Year 4 onward, and calm advice for the day itself. Everything you need to practise for it on Quest Arena is free, with no account required.
About The Rochester Grammar School
Rochester Grammar is one of the country's leading state girls' schools, with a strong record in STEM and a long academic history. Founded in 1888, it is a selective academy grammar in the Medway towns, and places are decided by performance in the Medway Test rather than by interview or portfolio. Because it is heavily oversubscribed, a qualifying result is only the first step — distance and the school's published admissions criteria then decide who is offered a place, so it is worth reading this year's policy carefully.
- Location: Rochester, Medway
- Intake: Girls (Mixed Sixth Form)
- Founded: 1888
- Type: Academy Grammar
- Admissions test: Medway Test (GL Assessment)
You can see a summary alongside the wider region on our full school profile, and the school's own official website is the authority for this year's registration dates, open evenings and admissions policy. Always confirm deadlines there before you rely on any third-party page. The Rochester Grammar School sits within the Medway selective system, which is separate from the neighbouring Kent Test, so make sure you are preparing for the right one.
How selection works at The Rochester Grammar School
Selection is by the Medway Test, which is set by GL Assessment and sat in early September of Year 6. Medway runs its own test — distinct from Kent — and children who wish to be considered for any of the six Medway grammar schools, including Rochester Grammar, take the same set of papers through a single registration with Medway Council. The Medway Test is made up of three papers:
- English — comprehension and language skills, in GL's tightly-timed style.
- Maths — Key Stage 2 arithmetic and problem solving, no calculator.
- Extended Writing and Reasoning — a written composition task combined with reasoning (verbal and non-verbal) elements.
GL papers are largely multiple-choice, answered on a separate sheet, and run at roughly a question a minute, so accuracy under time pressure matters as much as knowledge. The extended writing task is the part that surprises families used to purely multiple-choice boards: your daughter will need to plan and write a short, well-structured piece by hand. Results are norm-referenced — the test identifies roughly the top quarter of candidates as suitable for grammar school — and the exact score needed shifts slightly each year, so we will not quote a fixed pass mark. There is also a review or appeal route for children who narrowly miss but whose school evidence suggests grammar suitability. For the wider picture of how Medway and other regions differ, see our directory of UK grammar schools and our 11+ process guide.
What to practise for this test
Because the Medway Test spans English, Maths, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and a written composition, preparation should cover all five strands rather than drilling one in isolation. GL's question types are published and stable, so systematic, type-by-type practice pays off directly. A sensible order of attack:
- Reading and comprehension — the single biggest driver of English marks. Wide daily reading builds the vocabulary that verbal reasoning and comprehension both reward.
- Verbal reasoning — work through GL's named types (codes, letter sequences, hidden words, analogies, odd-one-out, closest meaning and opposites, compound words, move-a-letter and number series) until each is automatic. Our GL Assessment practice papers are matched to this format.
- Non-verbal reasoning — series, matrices, analogies, odd-one-out, reflections and rotations. These fall outside the normal school curriculum, so familiarity is everything.
- Maths — secure times tables to 12×12, fractions, percentages and multi-step word problems, all at speed and without a calculator.
- Extended writing — practise planning and writing a clear short composition to a time limit; marks reward structure, vocabulary and accurate punctuation, not length.
Build the underlying skills with our free worksheet library, then prove them under timed conditions with full mock papers. As the test approaches, switch to centre-specific mocks so the paper layout, timings and answer sheet feel familiar before the real thing.
A realistic preparation timeline
Steady, little-and-often practice beats last-minute cramming every time. There is no need to start formal papers early — the foundations laid in Year 4 matter more.
- Year 4: daily reading for pleasure across fiction and non-fiction, and times tables to 12×12 until instant. No formal 11+ papers yet — you are building fluency, not test technique.
- Year 5 autumn: introduce 15–20 minutes of daily topic practice with our free worksheets, rotating through English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning so nothing is neglected.
- Year 5 spring and summer: keep an eye on registration. Medway's application window and test date are published on the council's site each year — check the school's official website and our key dates page so you never miss a deadline.
- Summer before Year 6: begin one full timed mock paper a week, and start short weekly writing practice. Review the errors far more carefully than the score — the mistakes are the syllabus.
- September of Year 6 (test time) and the final weeks: move to centre-specific papers in the Medway format, taper the intensity, and prioritise sleep and confidence over new material.
On the day and after
By test day the preparation is done; your job is to protect your daughter's composure. A child who has sat ten timed mocks at the kitchen table treats the real hall as the eleventh. A few practical points that genuinely help:
- Rehearse the morning routine — a proper breakfast, arriving early, and a calm car or walk in — so nothing on the day is unfamiliar.
- Remind her of the pacing habit built in practice: answer what you know, mark and move past anything sticky, and come back if time allows. On a multiple-choice GL paper, never leave a blank.
- For the writing paper, spend the first minute planning; a short, well-organised piece scores better than a long, rushed one.
- Afterwards, avoid a question-by-question post-mortem. Results arrive on Medway's published timeline in the autumn, and offers follow the national secondary offer date in March.
If the result is a near miss, check the review and appeal route on the council's site — it exists precisely for borderline cases. Keep the revision hub handy for topping up any weak areas throughout.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Rochester Grammar entrance test the Kent Test or the Medway Test?
It is the Medway Test. Rochester lies in Medway, which runs its own selective test separate from the Kent Test, even though both are set by GL Assessment and both are sat in early September of Year 6.
Does the Medway Test include a writing task?
Yes. Alongside English and Maths papers, there is an Extended Writing and Reasoning paper that includes a handwritten composition, so written technique needs practising as well as multiple-choice reasoning.
What score does my daughter need to pass?
The Medway Test is norm-referenced to identify roughly the top quarter of candidates, and the exact qualifying score shifts each year, so we do not quote a fixed number. Even with a qualifying result, distance and the school's admissions criteria then decide places — confirm the current details on the school's official website.