Families targeting Tonbridge Grammar School ask the same first question: what exactly should we practise? The honest, school-specific answer is that your preparation should mirror precisely how this school selects its intake — the Kent Test, set by GL Assessment and sat in early September of Year 6. Get the format right and every hour of practice counts double. This guide sets out what the test contains, when to register, and how to build readiness using Quest Arena's free worksheets and mocks.
About Tonbridge Grammar School
Tonbridge Grammar offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma rather than A-Levels in the sixth form, which makes it distinctive among Kent's grammars. The girls' intake is selected by the Kent Test, with a mixed sixth form welcoming boys from across the area. It is a long-established academy grammar with a strong academic reputation, and because it draws applicants from a wide catchment, the competition for places is real — which is exactly why targeted, format-matched practice matters.
- Location: Tonbridge, Kent
- Intake: Girls (Mixed Sixth Form)
- Founded: 1905
- Type: Academy Grammar
- Admissions test: Kent Test (GL Assessment)
You can read the full school profile on Quest Arena, and always confirm this year's admissions policy, catchment rules and open-day dates on the school's own site: tgs.kent.sch.uk. Tonbridge Grammar appears in our wider grammar school directory alongside the other 32 Kent grammars.
How selection works at Tonbridge Grammar School
Entry is decided by the Kent Test, the county-wide assessment used across Kent's selective system — England's largest fully-selective set of state grammars, with 33 schools. The Kent Test is produced by GL Assessment and taken in early September of Year 6, so the papers are actually sat at the very start of the autumn term, only weeks after the summer holiday. This makes the final stretch of Year 5 and the summer break before Year 6 the most important preparation window.
The Kent Test is made up of separate, tightly-timed papers covering three areas:
- English — comprehension and language skills, with a writing element used as part of the assessment.
- Maths — Key Stage 2 arithmetic and problem-solving, no calculator.
- Reasoning — combining verbal reasoning (VR) and non-verbal reasoning (NVR).
GL papers are almost entirely multiple-choice: children mark answers A–E on a separate answer sheet, and each section is separately timed at roughly a minute per question. Scores are age-standardised, meaning a child's raw mark is adjusted for their exact age in months so that a summer-born pupil is not disadvantaged against an autumn-born classmate. Kent uses an aggregate threshold across the papers with a minimum required in each area, but exact qualifying scores are set by the county and can shift year to year, so we will not quote a specific pass mark here — always take the current figures from the official Kent County Council admissions guidance linked from the school site.
What to practise for this test
Because the Kent Test is a GL paper, it is the most learnable of the boards: the question types are published and stable, so systematic type-by-type practice pays off directly. Build competence area by area:
- Verbal reasoning: drill the named GL question 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. Vocabulary breadth is the single best predictor of VR and comprehension scores, so daily reading is non-negotiable.
- Non-verbal reasoning: practise series, matrices, analogies, odd-one-out, reflections, rotations and spatial patterns. These sit outside the national curriculum, so children only improve through exposure.
- Maths: secure times tables to 12×12 and mental arithmetic speed, then move to worded problem-solving under time pressure.
- English: comprehension technique — locating evidence, inference, and vocabulary in context — plus clear, structured writing.
Start with our free GL Assessment practice papers and the worksheet library, then use full-length timed mock papers to see how the pieces come together under exam conditions. In the final weeks, switch to Kent-format centre-specific mocks so the layout, timing and answer sheet feel familiar. Everything is free and no account is needed to start practising.
A realistic preparation timeline
You do not need years of tutoring — you need steady, well-sequenced practice. A sensible build-up looks like this:
- Year 4: daily reading for pleasure, times tables to 12×12, and light exposure to puzzle-style reasoning. No formal papers yet — the goal is confidence and vocabulary.
- Year 5 autumn: begin 15–20 minutes of daily topic practice with our free worksheets, rotating through English, Maths, VR and NVR.
- Year 5 spring: introduce individual question types formally and start short timed sections. Watch the registration window — Kent Test registration typically opens in the spring/early summer of Year 5, so check the official school and council sites and our key dates page.
- Year 5 summer holiday: the crucial run-in. Sit one full timed mock a week and review mistakes far more carefully than scores.
- Early September, Year 6: test week. Keep practice light, rested and calm in the final days.
On the day and after
By test day the work is done; the job is to help your daughter perform the readiness she already has. A child who has sat ten timed mocks at the kitchen table treats the real hall as the eleventh. Practical tips:
- Rehearse the mechanics — reading a question, marking the correct bubble on a separate answer sheet, and moving on — so nothing on the day is unfamiliar.
- Teach the skip-and-return habit: if a question stalls, mark a sensible answer, move on, and come back if time allows. On multiple-choice papers, never leave a blank.
- The night before, pack early, get proper sleep and keep the morning ordinary. Calm parents make calm children.
- Afterwards, results usually arrive in October. Whatever the outcome, remind her that one test on one morning does not define her ability.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Tonbridge Grammar exam GL or CEM?
It is the Kent Test, set by GL Assessment. CEM's separate paper 11+ tests were phased out around 2022–2023, and Kent uses GL, so prepare for the GL multiple-choice format.
What subjects does the Kent Test cover?
English, Maths and Reasoning, where Reasoning blends verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Practising all four skill strands — English, Maths, VR and NVR — covers everything the papers assess.
When is the Kent Test taken?
In early September of Year 6, right at the start of the autumn term. Registration usually opens the previous spring or early summer, so diarise the deadline well in advance and confirm exact dates on the school's official website.