Maidstone Grammar School for Girls 11+ Exam

Key Information about Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls is a selective grammar school in Kent.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls uses the Kent Test (Kent PESE) for Year 7 admission. There is no separate Maidstone entrance examination for normal Year 7 entry.

Passing the Kent Test does not guarantee a place. If more eligible children apply than there are places available, Maidstone Grammar School for Girls uses its published oversubscription criteria to determine which applicants are offered places.

Maidstone Grammar School at a glance

School: Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Address: Buckland Road, Maidstone ME16 0SF

Entry Age: 11+ / Year 7

School Website: www.mggs.org

Gender: Girls

Number of pupils: 1254

Number of Places in Year 7: 210

Admissions: Selective

Kent Test Date: 10 September 2026 (Kent Primary Schools)

12-13 September (Non-Kent Primary Schools)

Results: 15 October 2026

Kent Test Provider: GL Assessment

About Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls (MGGS) was founded in 1887 and opened in January 1888 with 18 pupils.

Maidstone Grammar School for GIRLS has a well established House system, where every student is a member of either Britons, Danes, Normans, Romans, Saxons or Vikings. Throughout the year, there are many House competitions including the annual House Arts event which involves Music, Drama and Dance.

Maidstone Grammar School for girls also has an extensive range of extra-curricular activities and clubs on offer from computer science, drama, food science, Spanish film club, choir, volleyball, astronomy and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls an accredited Advanced Thinking School which helps their students to become intellectually sharp, agile thinkers who can think creatively.

The school was judged as Outstanding in their most recent Ofsted inspection (March 2023).

Viee Maidstone Grammar School for Girls' Ofsted report here.

Preparing for Maidstone Grammar School for Girls 11+?

Preparing for the 11+ can feel overwhelming, especially with different exam formats and timelines to consider. If you’d like structured guidance and personalised support, you can find out more about our 11+ tuition services using the link below.

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The Kent 11+ Exam

Your child will need to develop the following skills:

English

Maths

Verbal Reasoning

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Writing Skills*

* A 40-minute writing exercise is also completed as part of the Kent Test. It is not marked and does not contribute to the final Kent Test score, but it may be considered by a local headteacher assessment panel where required.

Kent 11+ Exam Format

The tests are multiple-choice with a separate answer sheet. They are marked by an automated marking machine.

The first test will be an English and maths paper and will take 1 hour. Each section will involve a 5-minute practice exercise followed by a 25-minute test. The English section will involve a comprehension exercise as well as some additional questions drawn from a set designed to test literacy skills.

The second test will be a reasoning paper. It will take about 1 hour, including the practice sections and questions. It will contain a verbal reasoning section and a non-verbal reasoning section of roughly the same length. The non-verbal reasoning will be split into short sections, administered and timed individually.

There will also be a writing exercise which will not be marked but may be used by a local headteacher panel as part of the headteacher assessment stage of the process. 40 minutes will be allowed for the writing task, including 10 minutes planning time.

Kent 11+ Familiarisation Paper

This document explains the Kent Test papers for children who will take them.

Familiarisation Paper

Kent 11+ Application Process

In the first instance, parents must register their child to sit the Kent Test, which can be done online via Kent County Council. Once students have taken the test in September, parents will receive their results in October and must then submit their Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF) via the Kent local authority website.

Kent 11+ Standardised Scores

Your child will get 3 standardised scores, one for English, one for maths and one for reasoning, and a total (aggregate) score.

Standardisation is a statistical process which compares your child's performance with the average performance of other children in each test. A slight adjustment is made to take account of each child's age so that the youngest are not at a disadvantage.

The grammar school threshold for the test will not be published until the results have been sent out.

In order to calculate a standardised score the company producing and marking the tests will create a reference table – called a “look-up table” – for each test paper that is written, and the table is specific to that test paper, because it takes account of the difficulty of the paper. The minimum standardised score is derived from the look-up table and the actual number will vary depending on the average score of all those taking the test and the number of applicants.

Below is an example look-up table. The vertical axis is the “raw score”, i.e. the number (percentage) of actual questions that a child gets right on a paper. The horizontal axis represents the age of the child at the time of taking the exam, shown as years + months.

Kent 11+ Grammar School Assessment Threshold

In 2025, the Kent Test grammar-school assessment threshold was 332, with no individual score below 108. Being assessed as suitable for grammar school does not guarantee a place at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls. Test scores ranged from 69 to 141. The highest possible total score is 423.

Kent 11+ Appeals

If your child does not reach the Kent Test grammar-school assessment threshold, their case may be considered through the local Head Teacher Assessment Panel process. The panel can consider evidence such as your child's achievement at school, examples of their work and the writing exercise completed during the Kent Test before making a decision on grammar-school suitability.

If your child is not assessed as suitable for grammar school, or a review is unsuccessful, you still have the right to appeal after school places have been allocated. Appeals are heard by an Independent Appeals Panel.

Still unsure about next steps?

Our 11+ admissions consultations help parents think through school choice, entrance pathways and preparation priorities before committing to preparation.

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In-Year Admissions at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Students can test once each year for a place at the school. If a student is unsuccessful following testing for a place into Year 7, then that student has the opportunity to test the following year for a place into Year 8. This applies to all year groups up to Year 11.

The In-Year tests consist of verbal, non-verbal and quantitative reasoning papers in a multiple-choice format.

FAQs: Maidstone Grammar School for Girls Admissions Process

The questions below address the issues parents most commonly misunderstand when considering this school.

How hard is it to gain admission to Maidstone Grammar School for Girls?

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls is academically selective, and your child must meet the required standard in the Kent Test to be considered for a place. However, in recent years, admission has been less competitive than at some other Kent grammar schools.

What is actually tested in the entrance exam for Maidstone Grammar School for Girls?

Pupils looking to join Maidstone Grammar school will need to sit the Kent 11+. The Kent Test assesses English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. There is also a 40-minute writing exercise, but this is not marked as part of the standardised Kent Test score.

What does oversubscription to a school mean exactly?

Oversubscription means that more children apply for a school than there are places available.

When the school is oversubscribed, how does the school decide which children are given priority admission?

Before oversubscription criteria are applied, children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that names the school will be offered a place.

If the number of applications exceeds the number of places available, places will be allocated in the following order of priority:

Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children
Children who are currently in care or who were previously in care.
Children previously in Care outside of England
Pupil Premium
Children who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.
Governor Places
Top 30 students ranked in order of the total aggregate score for the Kent 11+.
Current Family Association
Children who have a sibling attending the school at the time of entry.
Distance from home to school.

Do I have to live in Kent to apply to Maidstone Grammar School for Girls?

No — you do not have to live in Kent to apply to Maidstone Grammar School for Girls.

Families living outside Kent are welcome to apply and register for the entrance assessments. However, if the school is oversubscribed, distance from home to school is one of the factors used in the oversubscription criteria, which can make it more competitive for applicants who live further away.

What is the admissions process for this school?

Register for the Kent Test (11+)
Parents must register their child for the Kent Test through Kent County Council by the published deadline.

Receive test results
You will be informed whether your child has met the grammar school standard.

Submit the Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF)
Parents must complete the SCAF through Kent County Council, ranking schools in order of preference.

Submit the Supplementary Information Form

If your child has been registered for free school meals in the last 6 years, complete this form.

Offers are made
School places are offered on National Offer Day - If more eligible children apply than there are places, oversubscription criteria are used to decide who is offered a place.

Waiting list or appeal (if needed)
If a place is not offered, parents can choose to join the waiting list and/or submit an appeal.

My child has a learning difficulty - will the entrance exam be adjusted to meet their needs?

If your child has a disability or special educational needs which will affect their access to testing, you need to discuss this with their primary school's special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) before you register them for the test as the school will need to apply for any necessary access arrangements.

Does my child need to do 11-plus preparation prior to the exam?

It is helpful for pupils to practise the types of questions they may be asked, particularly verbal and non-verbal reasoning, as these question styles are often unfamiliar to many children. It is also beneficial to become familiar with exam techniques, such as working to time, understanding instructions and managing pressure on the day. Preparation can help identify and bridge any gaps in knowledge and support from an experienced tutor can guide pupils through all of these areas, building confidence and ensuring they are able to show their true ability in the test environment.

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