The Medway Test
Medway Council’s own test, separate from the Kent Test: three multiple-choice papers in English, maths and reasoning, with English and maths counting twice. The minimum total for a grammar school was 478 for 2027 entry.
At a glance
- The test
- The Medway Test
- Set by
- GL Assessment
- Subjects
- English, maths, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning
- Answers
- Multiple choice, on a separate answer sheet
- Who sits it
- No total found. For 2026 admissions, 2,379 children from outside Medway registered, 1,426 were assessed grammar and 184 were offered a Medway grammar place (Medway Council).
The papers
Three papers written for Medway Council, with at least a 20 minute break between them: English (30 minutes: comprehension, punctuation, grammar), mathematics (50 minutes) and reasoning (45 minutes: spatial and non-verbal reasoning in four timed sections totalling 20 minutes, then verbal reasoning for 25 minutes). All questions are multiple choice, answered in pencil on separate computer-marked answer sheets. Separate from the Kent Test.
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Dates, results and scores
When is the 11+ in Medway?
The 2027 test: not published yet. The 2026 test: Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 September 2026 in their own school for children at Medway primary and junior schools (Thursday 17 or Friday 18 September for some with special arrangements). Saturday 19 or Sunday 20 September 2026 (one day allocated) at Medway test centres for children not at a Medway primary school; St Andrew's School pupils on Saturday 19 September, King's School Rochester pupils on 19 or 20 September.
How do you register for the 11+ in Medway?
For the 2027 test (2028 entry): not published yet. For the 2026 test (2027 entry): Monday 18 May to Friday 12 June 2026, through Medway Council's parent portal; schools had to send special arrangements requests by Monday 22 June 2026. No late registrations.
When do 11+ results come out in Medway?
For the 2026 test: Emailed after 10am on Wednesday 14 October 2026 (by post if no email was given), with the total score, each paper's score and a grammar or non-grammar decision.
What score qualifies in Medway?
Total weighted score = standardised English x 2 + standardised maths x 2 + standardised reasoning x 1. Each year a minimum total weighted score is set so that the top 26% of children at Medway maintained schools are assessed as grammar; children from outside Medway or Medway independent schools at or above that score are also grammar. Minimum scores: 478 for 2027 admissions (the September 2026 test, 26% assessed grammar), 481 for 2026 (25%), 482 for 2025 (25%), 492 for 2024 (23%). There is no academic review and no re-mark: a child assessed non-grammar can still name grammar schools and appeal after offer day (Monday 1 March 2027). Chatham Grammar also accepts children assessed suitable through the Kent Test.
Not confirmed yet
- The total number of children who sat the Medway Test is not given on the council pages read.
- Dates for the September 2027 test (2028 entry) are not yet published.
- Medway's proposed 2027/28 coordinated scheme says the minimum score is set at the 25th percentile of the Medway cohort, while the council's marking page says 26% for 2027 admissions; the 478 figure is from the marking page.
Check these on the official page: medway.gov.uk/info/200137/schools_and_learning/1049/medway_test_11
Good to know
Late testing and moving to the area
Late registrations are never accepted and the test cannot be taken later. A child unable to sit through illness must give a medical certificate and may be offered another date, with no guarantee. Children must sit at a Medway Council venue in Medway; there is no testing abroad or elsewhere in the UK.
Who runs admissions
Medway Council runs the test and the coordinated admissions scheme; each grammar school applies its own oversubscription criteria, mostly distance.
Grammar schools in Medway
Schools with a page of their own have their places, qualifying scores and priority areas, from their admissions policies.
| School | Town | Takes |
|---|---|---|
| Chatham Grammar website | Chatham | Mixed |
| Fort Pitt Grammar School website | Chatham | Girls, mixed sixth form |
| Holcombe Grammar School website | Chatham | Boys |
| Rainham Mark Grammar School website | Gillingham | Mixed |
| Rochester Grammar School | Rochester | Girls, mixed sixth form |
| Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School website | Rochester | Boys |
More on the 11+
Sources
Every fact here comes from the official pages below. Dates and scores change from year to year, so check them there before you rely on them.
- medway.gov.uk/info/200137/schools_and_learning/1049/medway_test_11
- medway.gov.uk/info/200137/schools_and_learning/1049/medway_test_11/2
- medway.gov.uk/info/200137/schools_and_learning/1049/medway_test_11/4
- medway.gov.uk/info/200137/schools_and_learning/1049/medway_test_11/6
- medway.gov.uk/info/200137/schools_and_learning/1049/medway_test_11/7
- medway.gov.uk/info/200137/schools_and_learning/1049/medway_test_11/8
- medway.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/8176/medway_test_familiarisation_booklet.pdf
- democracy.medway.gov.uk/mgconvert2pdf.aspx?id=82480
Checked 2 November 2026.
Practice in the style of their test
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