Bexley Selection Test
The Bexley Selection Test is the council-run 11+ for the four Bexley grammars — Beths, Bexley Grammar, Chislehurst & Sidcup and Townley. Quest Assessments produces and marks the papers. About 35% of test-takers are deemed selective each year to fill the ≈800 grammar places, but only the TOP 180 highest scorers are effectively guaranteed a place at their preferred Bexley grammar — everyone else competes by distance.
Exam board
Quest Assessments
Test duration
60 min
Papers
2
Year 7 places
840
Across consortium
Applicants per place
6.0×
Typical competition
Test format
Three multiple-choice papers administered by GL Assessment. Same format as Kent Test (3 × 50 min). Bexley applies its own qualifying score threshold.
Selection method used
Subjects tested
- English
- Mathematics
- Reasoning
Competition (latest)
4,729 applicants chasing 840 places · 6.0× per place
Paper-by-paper breakdown
Paper 1
≈ 50 minutes (plus instructions time)Multiple-choice questions across three skill areas: verbal ability / English comprehension, numerical reasoning (mathematical problem-solving capped at end-of-Year-5 KS2 content), and non-verbal reasoning. Produced by Quest Assessments.
Paper 2
≈ 50 minutes (plus instructions time)Second multiple-choice booklet, same skill mix as Paper 1 (verbal, numerical, non-verbal reasoning). Both papers are sat in a single session.
Annual timeline
Confirm exact dates each year on the council pageRegistration opens
1 March
Registration deadline
Midnight, 31 March
Test window
Early–mid September (Year 6 start)
Results release
Early October
How to prepare
- Both papers are multiple-choice — Quest publishes pupil and parent familiarisation booklets each year; work through them in timed conditions.
- Bexley's papers are produced by Quest Assessments, NOT GL — material aimed only at GL or CEM tests doesn't reflect the question style.
- There is no negative marking — encourage your child to answer every question.
- Practise pacing across the combined verbal / numerical / non-verbal mix; the session is back-to-back with limited break.
- Aim high, not just for the selective mark. In a year with 800 places and 2,000+ selective qualifiers, only the top ~9% of test-sitters (180 children) get a guaranteed place at their first-preference school — everyone else competes on distance.
Important to know
- Maths IS tested, but as 'Numerical Reasoning' rather than a standalone Maths paper. Bexley's own wording: 'numerical reasoning measures the ability to solve mathematical problems, with content not exceeding what children are expected to learn by the end of Year 5'. So prep should cover Year 5 KS2 maths fluency alongside verbal and non-verbal reasoning — but you can stop short of Year 6 stretch content.
- Top 180 rule: the 180 children with the highest total age-standardised scores across the cohort are placed in one of the highest priority groups for their preferred grammar — effectively a guaranteed place at the school named first on their CAF. Bexley's own wording: "the top 180 children with the highest total age-standardised scores are placed in one of the highest priority groups for their preferred grammar school".
- Outside the top 180: being deemed selective is NOT a guarantee. Remaining places are filled by each school's oversubscription criteria, which for most Bexley grammars is primarily HOME-TO-SCHOOL DISTANCE. A high score with a long commute will lose out to a lower selective score that lives nearer the school.
- 2025 cohort numbers (for scale): 5,866 children sat the test, 2,070 were deemed selective, 800 grammar places available — so even though ~35% qualify, only ~9% of test-sitters land in the top-180 priority group.
- If grammar places remain after the initial round, Bexley adds children scoring 1 mark below the selective standard (ranked by each school's oversubscription criteria), then 2 marks below, and so on.
- Registration is online via Bexley Council between 1 and 31 March only. Late registrations are not accepted and there is no appeal process for missing the deadline.
- The test is open to all eligible children regardless of where they live — out-of-borough candidates use the same registration form, but distance-based allocation means out-of-borough applicants outside the top 180 rarely succeed.
- Scores are reported as an age-standardised weighted score with an average of about 200; two-thirds of children score between 170 and 230. The selective mark each year is set to fill the ≈800 places, so the threshold itself moves year-on-year.
- The four grammars are Beths Grammar (boys), Bexley Grammar (mixed), Chislehurst & Sidcup Grammar (mixed) and Townley Grammar (girls). Each names the four schools on the same CAF — your first preference determines where the top-180 priority group is applied.
- Children sit the test at their own primary if it is acting as a centre, or at one of the four grammar-school test centres between 7 and 10 September.
- Separate Review Process in late September for children who narrowly missed the selective mark but have evidence (illness, SEND etc.) that affected their performance.
Official links
Sources used on this page
- bexley.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/selection-tests/about-test
- bexley.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/selection-tests/register-secondary-selection-test
- bexley.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/selection-tests/september-review-process
- Quest Assessments — Pupil & Parent Information Booklet
Where to go next
- Each school sets its own qualifying score and oversubscription rules — open a school page above for the per-school detail.
- Use the Chances Calculator with your postcode to see your likelihood at every school in this consortium.
- Council and school admissions pages are the authoritative source for registration deadlines and test dates.