Quest Assessment for Bexley Grammar Schools: What Parents Need to Know

Families whose child is in Year 5 in the 2026/27 school year will sit the Bexley Selection Test at the beginning of Year 6 (Year 7 entry in September 2028), so the format is worth knowing before planning preparation: the Bexley Selection Test is a paper-based test of two non-adaptive papers, with the papers provided by Quest Assessments.

This guide explains the Bexley grammar school selection process: which schools participate, what the test format looks like, what happens after the results, and how to approach preparation. For specialist preparation, visit our Quest Assessment tuition page.

The Key Fact: The Bexley Test Is a Paper Test Provided by Quest Assessments

The London Borough of Bexley's selection test page says the Bexley Selection Test papers are provided by Quest Assessments. The paper-based format is confirmed by Quest Assessments' Bexley page, which describes a paper test in which all questions are multiple choice.

What this means in practice: the Bexley test is administered on paper at a supervised test venue (not at home, not on a computer). Children are given a question booklet and a separate answer sheet for each subject, and show their answers on an OMR (optical mark recognition) answer sheet by drawing a horizontal line through the box next to their chosen answer. The test is non-adaptive: Quest Assessments' Bexley page describes it as two non-adaptive paper assessments. The test consists of two papers, each approximately 50 minutes, administered in a single session on one day.

Children sit two papers of approximately 50 minutes each, so about 100 minutes of testing, in a supervised paper exam. Paper-based timed practice must be central to any Bexley preparation programme.

The Bexley Grammar Schools

The Bexley Selection Test, commonly known as the 11 Plus, is used for entry to the four grammar schools in the London Borough of Bexley. The schools are as follows.

The four grammar schools (Beths, Bexley Grammar, Chislehurst and Sidcup, Townley) are academically selective: a child must meet the selective standard to be considered, and most places are then offered based on the distance between home and school. Always check the Bexley Council website for the current arrangements.

Who Provides the Test and How It Is Scored

Parents cannot ask Quest Assessments about the test: the council says all enquiries go to the School Admissions Team at selectiontests@bexley.gov.uk.

The council's page points families to the Quest website for familiarisation exercises and information on preparation for the test.

The council says a child's result is based on the total weighted age-standardised score: 50% from the verbal ability score, 25% from the numerical ability score and 25% from the non-verbal ability score, and the test papers are marked externally. All children who take the test are ranked in order of their total age-standardised score, and the council, in conjunction with the four grammar schools, determines the selective score. In 2025, 5,866 children sat the test, 2,070 achieved the selective standard and 800 grammar school places were available. The top 180 children with the highest scores are placed in one of the highest priority groups for their preferred grammar school; other selective pupils are not guaranteed a place, as offers depend on each school's admissions criteria, such as distance and sibling priority.

Test Format: Two Papers, Each Approximately 50 Minutes

The Bexley Selection Test consists of two multiple-choice papers, each running for approximately 50 minutes. Paper One covers verbal ability and English comprehension and Paper Two covers numerical reasoning and non-verbal reasoning; the council says numerical reasoning content does not exceed what children are expected to learn by the end of Year 5. All questions are multiple choice, usually with five options (A, B, C, D or E). Children mark answers on a separate OMR answer sheet by drawing a clear, solid horizontal line through the chosen box, one answer per question unless the question says otherwise. Working out must be done in the test booklet, as rough paper is not provided.

The two papers are approximately 50 minutes each, plus additional time for instructions, with a short break between them; the council says each test session lasts from two and a half to three hours in total. Managing concentration and accuracy across this full duration is a distinct challenge. Building stamina through timed full-length mock tests is essential.

Each paper is divided into sections with a set time allocated to each, and the invigilator tells children when to move to the next section. Quest Assessments advises children to read each question carefully and to move on if they are stuck, so practising to a set time per section is valuable.

Registration: Dates, Process, and Critical Deadlines

Registration for the Bexley Selection Test is managed by the London Borough of Bexley Council, not by individual schools.

For the test held in September 2026 (Year 7 entry in September 2027): registration opened on 1 March 2026 and closed at midnight on 31 March 2026. No late registrations were accepted. There is no appeals process for missed deadlines. The 2026 test was held between Monday 7 and Thursday 10 September 2026 at the four grammar school test centres and between Wednesday 2 and Thursday 10 September 2026 at primary schools acting as test centres, and the council emailed results from 4pm on Friday 2 October 2026.

For the next test, Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School says families register with the council in March when the child is in Year 5. Check bexley.gov.uk for the official opening date. Do not rely on third-party websites for registration dates.

Both resident and non-resident families (living outside the London Borough of Bexley) can apply, subject to the same registration deadline. After the test, families who receive a qualifying result can name Bexley grammar schools on their secondary school application through the normal Local Authority admissions round.

The Bexley Selection Test at a Glance

Preparation Strategy for Bexley Paper-Based Quest

The most important principle: build a strong grounding in what your child is already learning at school, combined with wide reading, as Quest Assessments advises, and add paper-based practice so the format feels familiar.

Use the Quest familiarisation materials. Quest Assessments' Bexley page offers free familiarisation booklets with sample questions and a practice OMR answer sheet, a guide written for children, recommended reading lists and a vocabulary list.

Build English comprehension depth. Practise multiple-choice comprehension questions in timed conditions. Focus particularly on inference and deduction questions (not just factual retrieval). Quest Assessments advises encouraging your child to read widely and for pleasure, and the council says verbal ability assesses vocabulary, comprehension and verbal reasoning skills.

Develop Maths problem-solving fluency. Cover the KS2 maths content children are expected to learn by the end of Year 5, which the council says is the limit of the numerical reasoning content. Numerical reasoning measures the ability to solve mathematical problems, so practise multi-step word problems and set out working in the booklet. Timed maths practice is essential.

Practise full-length timed papers monthly. In the months before the September test, children should sit full two-paper mock tests under exam conditions: approximately 50 minutes per paper, in a quiet supervised environment, completing an OMR answer sheet with a pencil. Review every incorrect answer after each mock — analysis is more valuable than volume.

Practise answer sheet technique. Marking an OMR answer sheet accurately is a specific skill. Children draw a clear, solid horizontal line through the chosen box, mark one answer per question unless told otherwise, and rub out fully with a clean eraser if they make a mistake. The familiarisation booklets on Quest Assessments' Bexley page include a sample OMR answer sheet, so begin practising with answer sheets early, not just question booklets.

Start early. A sensible start point is September of Year 5 (12 months before tests in September Year 6). The test is held in early September, at the beginning of Year 6, so the summer term of Year 5 is the last full term before it. Children starting only in the summer term of Year 5 have a short run-up to a test held in early September, which is not long for children who need to develop new skills in NVR or VR.

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Results, Review and Application Deadline for the 2026 Test

The London Borough of Bexley emailed results from 4pm on Friday 2 October 2026 to the email address used to register the child. Families who still have not received the email can email the School Admissions Team on Monday 5 October 2026.

• Head-teacher review requests: only head teachers can ask for a review, after discussing the process with parents. The council says a non-selective decision can be reviewed where there is evidence that a child's score does not properly reflect their ability and there were exceptional circumstances that may have affected their test performance. Requests must reach the Bexley School Admissions Team between Monday 5 October 2026 and Friday 16 October 2026, and later requests will not be considered.
• Secondary application deadline: Saturday 31 October 2026. Quest Assessments' Bexley page says this deadline cannot be extended and that families should not wait for a review outcome before applying.
• Review panel: the Head Teachers Review Panel considers requests in early November 2026, after the application deadline. School Admissions emails the head teacher the outcome of the review by Tuesday 24 November 2026.
• Grammar school preference: where a head teacher requests a review, parents should include at least one Bexley grammar school preference on the secondary application, so the application can be considered if the panel decides the child should be deemed selective.
• National Offer Day: 1st March 2027 (Quest Assessments' Bexley page).

Reviewed October 2026: dates, figures and rules checked against the London Borough of Bexley's selection-test pages (about the test, register, September review process), Quest Assessments' Bexley Selection Test page and the Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School admissions page.

Frequently Asked Questions