11+ Exam Requirements & Prerequisites
Everything you need to know before registering for the 11+ Exam, eligibility, cost, format, and what to expect on exam day.
Cost
Free-£150
Provider
GL/CEM/School-specific
Validity
1 year
Available
UK
Education
Check official exam requirements
Experience
1-3 years of hands-on experience recommended
Specific Requirements
- Age. SEAG's 2026 Entrance Assessment is open to children born between 2 July 2015 and 1 July 2016 who transfer to Year 8 in September 2027, plus a small number transferring a year earlier or later than normal.
- Registration within the published window. SEAG registration ran from 8am on 18 May 2026 to 11:59pm on 18 September 2026. Buckinghamshire registration ran from 1 May to 3pm on 2 June 2026. CSSE registration for 2027 entry closed before the 19 September 2026 test.
- Payment or a fee waiver where a fee applies. SEAG charges a non-refundable 20 pound administration fee, waived in full on production of current Education Authority evidence of Free School Meals Entitlement.
- Identification. SEAG requires a passport-style photograph plus a birth certificate, the ID page of a passport, or both sides of a residence permit, with a deed poll where the name differs.
- No academic prerequisite. There is no minimum school report, no prior qualification and no interview requirement to sit the test itself.
- An access arrangements application, if needed, submitted before the registration deadline with supporting documentation. Cambridge Select Insight supplies 25 per cent extra time versions for candidates with special educational needs.
- A separate school application to the local authority afterwards. Sitting the test does not apply for a place: Buckinghamshire families must submit a secondary school application to their home local authority by 31 October 2026, and in Northern Ireland the Education Authority runs the post-primary transfer application from about February 2027.
- In Northern Ireland, children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs do not sit the assessment at all, because a separate Year 8 admissions process applies and SEAG outcomes form no part of it.
Number of Questions
Varies by test. Each SEAG paper carries 56 scored questions, 28 English or Gaeilge and 28 maths, plus 10 unscored practice questions. Across both SEAG papers a candidate answers 56 English questions and 56 maths questions in total. Kent County Council does not publish a question count for the Kent Test. CSSE does not publish a question count.
Duration
Set regionally, not nationally. SEAG Northern Ireland: 60 scored minutes per paper across two papers sat about a week apart, plus an untimed practice section on each. Kent Test: an English and maths paper of 1 hour (each section a 5-minute practice exercise then a 25-minute test) and a reasoning paper of about 1 hour, plus a 40-minute writing exercise including 10 minutes of planning that is not marked. CSSE Essex: English 60 minutes with 10 minutes additional reading time, mathematics 60 minutes. Cambridge Select Insight: an average duration of 60 minutes.
Question Format
Multiple choice answered on a separate machine-marked answer sheet (Kent Test), Reading comprehension on an unseen passage, Spelling, punctuation, grammar and vocabulary questions, Mathematics covering number, measurement, shape and space, money, probability and data representation (SEAG specification), Verbal reasoning questions using words, letters and codes, Non-verbal reasoning questions using shapes, sequences and matrices, administered in short individually timed sections in the Kent Test, An extended writing task (Kent Test writing exercise, unmarked but available to a headteacher panel)
Passing Requirement
Set locally and published each year, with no national figure. Kent County Council's 2025 grammar school threshold was a total of 332 or more with no single score lower than 108, and the 2026 threshold is due in October 2026. Buckinghamshire Council treats a score of at least 121 as qualified for its 13 grammar schools, without guaranteeing a place. SEAG publishes no cut score at all: each member school's Board of Governors decides whether to use the Total Standardised Age Score, the Band, a combination or another method in its Year 8 admissions criteria.
How It Is Delivered
Paper-based with a separate answer sheet for the Kent Test, CSSE and SEAG. SEAG pupils sit at an assessment centre chosen by the parent from 63 available centres. Buckinghamshire pupils at a state-funded Buckinghamshire primary school or Partner School sit in their own school; everyone else sits at a grammar school test centre. Cambridge Select Insight is a computer assessment downloaded by the school to its local network.
Languages Offered
English, Gaeilge (Irish medium version of the SEAG Entrance Assessment, invigilated in Irish at 12 centres in 2025)
Visit the official GL/CEM/School-specific certification page
Create an account and select your exam
Choose a test center or online proctoring option
Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
Score Scale
Standardised age scores, not raw marks. SEAG reports an English or Gaeilge Standardised Age Score and a Maths Standardised Age Score, each running from 69 to 141 with a mean of 100, and sums them into a Total Standardised Age Score running 138 to 282 with a mean of 200, plus a Band from 1 to 6 and a Cohort Percentile Ranking. The Kent Test reports three standardised scores, English, maths and reasoning, on the same 69 to 141 range, giving a maximum total of 423. Buckinghamshire reports a single Secondary Transfer Test score.
Score You Need
Set locally and published each year, with no national figure. Kent County Council's 2025 grammar school threshold was a total of 332 or more with no single score lower than 108, and the 2026 threshold is due in October 2026. Buckinghamshire Council treats a score of at least 121 as qualified for its 13 grammar schools, without guaranteeing a place. SEAG publishes no cut score at all: each member school's Board of Governors decides whether to use the Total Standardised Age Score, the Band, a combination or another method in its Year 8 admissions criteria.
How It Is Calculated
Raw marks are converted by age standardisation. SEAG states its outcomes are standardised for the pupil's age at the time of the assessment, the number of correct answers and the degree of difficulty of the assessment, so a child born in June is not compared on raw marks with a child born the previous September. Kent County Council describes the same process as comparing performance against the average for other children with a slight adjustment for age. No major 11 plus test deducts marks for wrong answers, so guessing costs nothing. Kent applies a conjunctive rule as well as a compensatory one: the total must clear the threshold and no single score may fall below the published floor.
When You Get Results
There is no unofficial result and no same-day score. Buckinghamshire releases Secondary Transfer Test results on 9 October 2026 for pupils whose papers reached the Admissions Team by 18 September, three weeks before the 31 October national school application deadline; papers received between 19 September and 16 October produce a result by 31 October, and anything later may miss the deadline altogether. Kent emails or posts Kent Test results on Thursday 15 October 2026, and children can ask their primary school for the scores the day after results go out if nothing arrives. CSSE emailed its 2026 entry results on 13 October 2025. SEAG plans to release Statements of Outcomes online on Saturday 23 January 2027, roughly nine weeks after the second paper.
In raw terms: None of Kent County Council, SEAG or CSSE publishes a raw-mark equivalent for its threshold, because the age adjustment means the raw mark needed differs by date of birth and by year. SEAG does report to parents how many questions their child answered correctly in English or Gaeilge and in maths, and how the child performed in Paper 1 and in Paper 2, alongside the standardised outcomes.
- Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo)
- Appointment confirmation email
- For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet
What are the prerequisites for the 11+ Exam?
Age. SEAG's 2026 Entrance Assessment is open to children born between 2 July 2015 and 1 July 2016 who transfer to Year 8 in September 2027, plus a small number transferring a year earlier or later than normal.. Registration within the published window. SEAG registration ran from 8am on 18 May 2026 to 11:59pm on 18 September 2026. Buckinghamshire registration ran from 1 May to 3pm on 2 June 2026. CSSE registration for 2027 entry closed before the 19 September 2026 test.. Payment or a fee waiver where a fee applies. SEAG charges a non-refundable 20 pound administration fee, waived in full on production of current Education Authority evidence of Free School Meals Entitlement.. Identification. SEAG requires a passport-style photograph plus a birth certificate, the ID page of a passport, or both sides of a residence permit, with a deed poll where the name differs.. No academic prerequisite. There is no minimum school report, no prior qualification and no interview requirement to sit the test itself.. An access arrangements application, if needed, submitted before the registration deadline with supporting documentation. Cambridge Select Insight supplies 25 per cent extra time versions for candidates with special educational needs.. A separate school application to the local authority afterwards. Sitting the test does not apply for a place: Buckinghamshire families must submit a secondary school application to their home local authority by 31 October 2026, and in Northern Ireland the Education Authority runs the post-primary transfer application from about February 2027.. In Northern Ireland, children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs do not sit the assessment at all, because a separate Year 8 admissions process applies and SEAG outcomes form no part of it..
How much does the 11+ Exam cost?
The 11+ Exam exam costs Free-£150. This includes the exam fee only, study materials are additional.
How do I register for the 11+ Exam?
Visit the official GL/CEM/School-specific certification page → Create an account and select your exam → Choose a test center or online proctoring option → Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
What should I bring to the 11+ Exam?
Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo). Appointment confirmation email. For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet.
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