Every UK 11+ Test, Compared

Every grammar school and selective test in the UK gets called "11+", but what's actually inside varies enormously from one region to the next. Some are pure multiple choice across three subjects. Others add non-verbal reasoning, a discrete spatial paper, or a scored writing task that counts towards the final mark. A handful barely resemble each other at all, despite sharing a name.

PrepStep is the free 11+ practice app for Maths, English and Verbal Reasoning, the three most widely tested sections in the UK's grammar school system, and this page is where we put the same research to work for you: a straight answer on what your own region's test actually contains. All 48 UK state-selective testing regions are here, sourced from each admissions authority's own published materials, never guessed from a provider's brand name. As far as we can tell, it's the most complete single-source comparison of UK 11+ test formats around, and it's free to use, whether you're preparing alone, with a tutor, or with us.

Last updated 2026-08-17.

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How We Built This Table

We worked from each admissions authority's own published materials for the 2027 entry cycle (tests sat in autumn 2026): council pages, school admissions criteria, and test providers' official familiarisation guides. A provider's name alone doesn't tell you what's inside a test, so every subject listed below comes from that authority's own description of its own test, never assumed from which company sets it.

Where we couldn't confirm something from an official source, we've marked it with a "?" rather than guess. 13 of the 48 regions below still have at least one unconfirmed detail, mostly small, single-school tests that don't publish much. We'd rather show you an honest gap than a made-up answer.

Formats change too: we've flagged the 8 regions where a provider switch or format change is already confirmed or under way, including Dorset/BCP, which stays on GL Assessment for 2027 entry and moves to Quest from 2028 entry. If your region shows a change flag, check the school's own admissions page for the exact year it takes effect before relying on this table alone.

All 48 UK 11+ Testing Regions

Sections tested come straight from each region's own admissions materials. "Yes" means confirmed tested, "No" means confirmed not tested, and "?" means we couldn't confirm it from an official source yet.

Finding a region, sorting and filtering below all need JavaScript. The full table of all 48 regions is here and fully readable either way.

Click Region, Provider or NVR to sort.

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Comparison of 48 UK 11+ testing regions by provider, sections tested and format, 2027 entry cycle, last updated 2026-08-17.
Maths English VR Spatial Writing
Bexley Selection Test Quest Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
Bishop Wordsworth's GL Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
Buckinghamshire (STT) GL Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
Chelmsford (CCHS) FSCE * Yes Yes No No No Yes
Clitheroe Grammar FSCE Yes Yes No No No ?
Colyton Grammar Probable: Quest Yes Yes No No No Yes
CSSE (Essex) CSSE Yes Yes No No No Yes
Dame Alice Owen's Part I: GL Assessment Yes Yes Yes No No Yes
Dorset / BCP GL * Yes Yes Yes No No No
Ermysted's Grammar FSCE Yes Yes No No No No
Gloucestershire GL * Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
Halifax Grammar FSCE Yes Yes No No No Yes
Heckmondwike Grammar FSCE Yes Yes No No No Yes
Kendrick School GL Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
Kent Test GL Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Lancaster LGGS FSCE Yes Yes No No No No
Lancaster RGS GL Yes Yes Yes No No No
Lincolnshire GL No No Yes Yes No No
Loreto Grammar GL ? ? ? ? ? ?
Medway Test GL Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Newstead Wood Probable GL No No Yes Yes ? No
Nonsuch & Wallington school-set Yes Yes No No No Yes
Plymouth Quest Yes Yes No No No No
QEGS Penrith FSCE * Yes Yes No No No ?
QE Boys (Barnet) GL Yes Yes No No No No
Reading School FSCE * Yes Yes No No No Yes
Redbridge GL Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
Ripon Grammar GL * Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
SEAG (Northern Ireland) GL Yes Yes No No No No
Skipton Girls' High FSCE Yes Yes No No No ?
Slough GL Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
South West Herts GL Assessment Yes No Yes No No No
South Wilts Grammar GL Yes Yes Yes No No No
St Joseph's College GL No No Yes Yes ? No
St Michael's Grammar GL Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
St Olave's Grammar ? Yes Yes Yes Yes ? Yes
Sutton Boys (Stage 2) school-set Yes Yes No No No Yes
Sutton (SET Stage 1) school-set Yes Yes No No No No
Henrietta Barnett GL for Round 1; school-set Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Latymer (Enfield) GL * Yes Yes Yes No No Yes
Liverpool Blue Coat CEM Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
Tiffin Girls' School school-set / own test Yes Yes No No No ?
Tiffin School school-set / own test Yes Yes No No No ?
Torbay GL Yes Yes No No No No
Trafford GL * Yes No Yes Yes No No
Weald of Kent Quest Yes Yes Yes Yes ? No
West Midlands GL Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
Wirral Quest Assessment Yes No Yes Yes No No
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All rows verified August 2026.

next to a provider means the format is confirmed changing in a future entry cycle (for example Dorset/BCP stays on GL Assessment for 2027 entry and moves to Quest from 2028 entry). Check the school's own admissions page for the exact year it takes effect.

Where PrepStep Fits Your Region's Test

Maths, English and Verbal Reasoning are the three sections tested most widely across the UK's 11+ regions, and they're exactly what PrepStep gives you free, unlimited practice in: over 8,000 original questions, with the method taught alongside every one. For 9 regions, including Dorset/BCP (our own home patch), Northern Ireland's SEAG assessment, Devon's Torbay consortium and Sutton's Stage 1 eligibility test, that's the whole test, covered, free, no sign-up needed.

In the 21 regions that also test non-verbal reasoning, including Kent, Medway, Buckinghamshire and Trafford, we cover Maths, English and Verbal Reasoning now, and non-verbal reasoning practice is coming. A smaller number of regions add a discrete spatial paper or a scored writing task; check your region's row in the table above for exactly what's tested, and use the free practice here alongside however else you're preparing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which UK 11+ tests include non-verbal reasoning?
21 of the 48 UK 11+ testing regions we've mapped include non-verbal reasoning (NVR), including Kent, Medway, Buckinghamshire, Slough, Trafford and Gloucestershire. Several well-known regions don't test NVR at all, including Dorset/BCP, Northern Ireland's SEAG assessment and the South West Herts consortium. Check the NVR column in the table above for your specific region.
Which UK 11+ regions still use GL Assessment?
GL Assessment is still the most common provider, setting the test for 22 of the 48 regions we've mapped, including Kent, Medway, Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Trafford and Ripon. Other providers include Quest (Bexley, Wirral, Plymouth), FSCE (a cluster of Yorkshire and Lancashire grammar schools including Halifax, Heckmondwike and Clitheroe), and a number of schools that write and mark their own papers in-house. See the Provider column above for your region.
Does the test provider (GL, Quest, FSCE) tell you what is actually in the test?
No, and this is the main thing this table corrects. A provider's name tells you who writes and marks the papers, not which subjects are tested. Two tests can share the same provider and look completely different: the South West Herts consortium's GL Assessment test has no English paper at all, while the Kent Test (also GL Assessment) covers English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning plus a writing task. Every row in this table comes from that authority's own description of its own test, never inferred from the provider's brand.
Which 11+ tests are entirely multiple choice?
21 of the 48 regions we've mapped are entirely multiple choice, with no written or open-ended component. Tests that aren't fully multiple choice usually include a scored writing or comprehension task marked by a person, most often at super-selective schools with a second admissions stage (Sutton, Nonsuch, Henrietta Barnett) and consortium tests like Kent and CSSE Essex. Check the "All multiple choice" column above.
Is the Kent Test the same as the Medway Test?
No, despite both being set by GL Assessment and both being Kent-area tests. The Kent Test includes a writing task that is not scored into the main result (it is only referred to a headteacher panel at the borderline or appeal stage), and its reasoning paper folds spatial items into the non-verbal reasoning section rather than testing them separately. The Medway Test has no writing task at all, and treats spatial reasoning as its own distinct section within the reasoning paper. Both cover Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, but the similarities largely end there.

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