Medway Test 11 Plus Registration 2026: Dates and How to Apply

The Medway 11 plus, also called the Medway Test, is the entrance exam used by all six grammar schools in the Medway Council area. It takes place in September of Year 6 and has three papers: English, maths, and reasoning. Your child only needs to sit it once, no matter how many Medway grammar schools you are applying to. The pass mark is set by percentile and changes slightly each year. 

If you are thinking about applying to a grammar school in Medway, this guide covers everything you need to know about the Medway 11 plus, which schools use it, how the Medway Test works, the 2026 registration dates, how scoring works, what the pass mark is, and how to prepare your child with confidence.

Key facts at a glance

Exam name: The Medway Test (11 plus) 

Areas covered: Medway Council (separate from Kent County Council)

Number of grammar schools: Six

Papers: English, maths, and reasoning (three papers total)

Exam season: September, Year 6

Cost to register: Free

Which schools use the Medway Test?

All six grammar schools within the Medway Council authority area use the Medway Test for 11 plus entry. This is great news for parents, your child sits just one exam to be eligible for any or all of these schools.

Important update from September 2026: Chatham Grammar School, Fort Pitt Grammar School, and Holcombe Grammar School were previously single-sex schools. From September 2026, all three will be fully co-educational. This means boys and girls can apply to all six Medway grammar schools from the 2025 admissions round onwards.

• Chatham Grammar School (Chatham, Medway)

• Fort Pitt Grammar School (Rochester, Medway)

• Holcombe Grammar School (Chatham, Medway)

• Rainham Mark Grammar School (Rainham, Medway)

• Rochester Grammar School (Rochester, Medway)

• Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School (Rochester, Medway)

Medway 11 plus registration 2026 and key dates

18th May 2026: Medway 11 plus registration opens on the Medway Council website 

12th June 2026: Medway 11 plus registration closes. Do not miss this deadline

15th – 16th September 2026: test day for children attending Medway maintained primary or junior schools 

19th – 20th September 2026: test day for children not attending a Medway primary or junior school 

14th October 2026: parents receive test results 

31st October 2026: secondary school common application deadline 

1st March 2027: National School Offers Day

Where will your child sit the test?

If your child attends a Medway primary school, they will sit the Medway Test at their own school during the school week in September. If your child attends a school outside Medway, they will be allocated a place at one of the official test centres and will sit the exam over the following weekend. 

What is on the Medway Test?

The Medway 11 plus exam consists of three separate papers: English, maths and reasoning. Here is what each one involves.

English

The English paper tests skills developed through the Key Stage 2 national curriculum. Your child will read an unseen passage, fiction or non-fiction, and answer questions to show how well they understand it. This includes retrieval (finding specific information), inference (reading between the lines), vocabulary in context, and understanding the writer's intent and choices.

The paper may also include questions on spelling, punctuation and grammar. Children who read regularly and widely across different genres build the vocabulary, comprehension skills and analytical thinking that this paper rewards directly.

Maths

The maths paper tests the content your child will have covered in KS2 maths lessons. The questions include all four operations, fractions and decimals, percentages and ratios, geometry and measurements. Crucially, the questions are often written in ways that require children to apply what they know to new types of problems, not just recall facts they have memorised. Strong times table knowledge is essential.

Reasoning

Reasoning is included in the Medway Test because it tests potential and logical thinking rather than learned knowledge. It is split into two types: verbal reasoning tests how children think with words, letters and symbols; non-verbal reasoning tests how children work with shapes, patterns and visual information.

Because reasoning subjects are not taught at primary school, most children encounter these question types for the first time during preparation. This is exactly why starting early and practising every reasoning question type thoroughly makes such a significant difference to scores.

How is the Medway Test scored?

The Medway Test uses a three-step scoring process that is different from many other 11 plus exams. Understanding how it works helps you set the right preparation targets for your child.

Step 1: Raw score

Each paper is marked to produce a raw score, the total number of marks your child earns from correct answers across that paper.

Step 2: Age-standardisation

Each raw score is then age-standardised based on your child's exact age in years and months on the day of the test. This is to ensure that younger children in the year group are not disadvantaged compared to older classmates. Your child will receive three separate standardised scores, one for English, one for maths and one for reasoning.

Step 3: Weighted total score

The three standardised scores are combined into a single total weighted score using a specific formula. This is what makes the Medway Test scoring unique, and it is important to understand because it affects where you focus your preparation time.

What is the pass mark for the Medway 11 plus?

The Medway 11 plus pass mark is not a fixed number. It is set each year after all the tests have been marked and the weighted scores ranked. The pass mark is defined by percentile, meaning the top percentage of children who sat the test are considered eligible for a Medway grammar school place.

For September 2026 entry, the minimum score threshold was set at the 26th percentile, meaning children whose total weighted score placed them in the top 26% of all children who sat the test were considered eligible.

Here is how the minimum weighted scores have looked in recent years:

How to apply for a Medway grammar school

The Medway grammar school application process happens in three stages. Here is what to do and when.

1. Register for the Medway Test (May to June each year)

Registration is free and takes place on the Medway Council website. Registration opens in mid-May and closes in mid-June. You will receive a test invitation by the end of August confirming your child's test date and location. Late registrations are not accepted. 

2. Sit the Medway Test (September, Year 6)

Children at Medway primary schools sit the test at their school on a weekday in mid-September. Children outside Medway are allocated a test centre and sit the exam the following weekend. Your child's invitation will confirm their exact date and location. 

3. Receive results and complete your application (October)

Results are sent in mid-October. Use your child's results to decide which schools to include on your secondary school common application form. Submit the form to your local authority by 31st October. Check each school's admissions policy before listing. The National Offer Day is 1st March 2026.

How to prepare your child for the Medway 11 plus

The Medway Test is competitive and challenging. But with the right preparation, the right support and enough time, it is absolutely achievable. Here is how to give your child the best possible chance.

Start early and build daily habits

Begin preparation in Year 5, at least 12 months before the September exam. Short daily sessions of 20 to 30 minutes work far better than long, infrequent sessions. Our 11 plus tuition programmes are structured around this gradual, confidence-building approach from the very beginning.

Prioritise English and maths

Because English and maths each carry double weighting in the Medway Test formula, these two subjects need the most preparation time. Make sure your child's KS2 English and maths foundations are solid before moving on to reasoning practice.

Read widely every day

Regular reading is the most effective preparation for the English paper. Aim for at least 15 to 20 minutes every day across different genres, fiction, non-fiction and poetry all help. Discuss what your child reads to build the analytical skills the comprehension questions reward.

Practise reasoning question types

Neither verbal nor non-verbal reasoning is taught at primary school, so most children need deliberate, systematic practice to become comfortable with the question types. Use our free 11 plus practice papers to work through every reasoning question type methodically.

Use realistic mock exams

Once your child has built solid foundations, introduce timed mock exams to develop exam technique and build confidence. Our 11 plus mock exams mirror the Medway Test format closely and come with a detailed breakdown of results, so you always know what to focus on next.

Make the most of the summer

With the Medway Test taking place in September, the summer before Year 6 is a critical preparation window. Our 11 plus intensive summer course gives your child a structured, expert-led boost in the weeks immediately before the exam, combining content revision, exam technique and timed practice in one well-designed programme.

For personalised, expert support specific to the Medway Test format, our 11 plus tutors prepare children for all three papers and know exactly what the Medway Test requires. A good tutor will start with a diagnostic assessment, identify your child's specific gaps and build a targeted plan from there. 

Final thoughts

The Medway 11 plus is one of the most straightforward grammar school admissions processes in South East England, one test, one registration, six grammar schools. But straightforward does not mean easy. All six schools are popular, the registration window is short, and the test itself is designed to be genuinely challenging.

At Pass 11 Plus Grammar, we help families prepare for the Medway Test and grammar school entry across the region. Whether your child is in Year 4 and just getting started, or in Year 6 and needs a focused final push, we have a programme built around exactly where they are right now.