How hard is the 11+?

Why is there no single answer?

The 11+ is a name for many different selection tests. Each area or school chooses its own test, sets its own standard and decides how places are given afterwards. GL Assessment, which writes many of these tests, says 11+ tests vary from area to area, so a local test’s timings, topics and number of questions may differ from GL’s own materialsSource for GL Assessment: tests vary by areaGL Assessment: tests vary by areaCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School.The source says: 11+ tests vary from area to area so please be aware that the exact timings, the combination of topics covered (for example, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, Maths and English) and the number of questions in your local 11+ test may differ from those in our familiarisation and practice materials.View the official source.

It also helps to separate two questions that often get mixed together:

1. How hard is it to reach the standard? This is about the test and the score needed.
2. How hard is it to get a place? This is about how many children reach the standard compared with the number of places, and the admission rules the school then uses.

A child can find the first part manageable and still not be offered a place, because of the second. Grammar schools can also leave places empty: only designated grammar schools may select all their pupils by ability, and they can leave places emptySource for Which schools may select every pupil by abilityWhich schools may select every pupil by abilityCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Department for Education (GOV.UK).The source says: Only designated grammar schools are permitted to select their entire ... intake on the basis of high academic ability . They do not have to fill all of their places if applicants have not reached the required standard.View the official source. So "hard" can mean quite different things in different places.

What share of children reach the standard?

Official figures from a few areas show the range. Most of these figures count only the children who chose to sit the test, which is a self-selected group, not every child in the year group.

Two things stand out. First, in these areas most children who sit the test do not reach the standard, and that is expected by design: the tests are built to identify a minority. Second, the shares are broadly similar across these examples, yet families in each area can have very different experiences, because of what happens next.

Don't compare one area's figure directly with another's. Some include children from outside the area, some count only local children, and each uses a different test and scale.

How hard is it to get a place once a child qualifies?

This is where areas differ most. Compare the number of children who reach the standard with the number of places:

• In Bexley, the published 2026 figures list grammar school places available (four schools): 800Source for Bexley 2026 entry: OtherBexley 2026 entry: OtherCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against London Borough of Bexley.The source says: in 2025, a total of 5,866 children sat the test, and 2,070 achieved the selective standard, with 800 grammar school places availableView the official source, against the 2,070Source for Bexley 2026 entry: QualifiedBexley 2026 entry: QualifiedCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against London Borough of Bexley.The source says: in 2025, a total of 5,866 children sat the test, and 2,070 achieved the selective standard, with 800 grammar school places availableView the official source children who reached the selective standard. So not every child who reaches the standard can be offered a Bexley grammar place, and the admission rules decide who is.
• In Slough, the published allocation figures use this definition: A school named anywhere on the CAF counts as an application irrespective of score.Source for Slough 2026 entry: Applications definitionSlough 2026 entry: Applications definitionCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Slough Consortium of Grammar Schools (hosted by Upton Court Grammar School).The source says: If the school is named anywhere on the Common Application Form, this counts as an application irrespective of the applicant’s 11+ score.View the official source At Upton Court Grammar School, for example, there were 1274Source for Slough 2026 entry: Upton court grammar schoolSlough 2026 entry: Upton court grammar schoolCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Slough Consortium of Grammar Schools (hosted by Upton Court Grammar School).The source says: Upton Court ... Academy 165 1274 992 Grammar SchoolView the official source applications and 992Source for Slough 2026 entry: Upton court grammar schoolSlough 2026 entry: Upton court grammar schoolCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Slough Consortium of Grammar Schools (hosted by Upton Court Grammar School).The source says: Upton Court ... Academy 165 1274 992 Grammar SchoolView the official source eligible applicants for a published admission number of 165Source for Slough 2026 entry: Upton court grammar schoolSlough 2026 entry: Upton court grammar schoolCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Slough Consortium of Grammar Schools (hosted by Upton Court Grammar School).The source says: Academy 165 1274 992 ... Planned Admission Number (PAN) is the planned number of places available in Year 7.View the official source.

Some schools test in more than one stage. Tiffin School, for example, uses Stage One and Stage TwoSource for School-set tests: TiffinSchool-set tests: TiffinCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Tiffin School.The source says: Stage One tests held at Tiffin School across morning and afternoon slots.View the official source. For 2026 entry, 1,866Source for Tiffin School 2026 entry: SatTiffin School 2026 entry: SatCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Tiffin School.The source says: | Applicants tested at Stage One | 1866 | 1675 | 1654 |View the official source children sat the first stage, 665Source for Tiffin School 2026 entry: Stage2 satTiffin School 2026 entry: Stage2 satCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Tiffin School.The source says: | Applicants tested at Stage Two | 665 | 653 | 666 |View the official source sat the second stage, and the school made 186Source for Tiffin School 2026 entry: OffersTiffin School 2026 entry: OffersCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Tiffin School.The source says: | Places offered initially | 186 | 186 | 186 |View the official source offers. Where places go in score order, the "pass mark" tells you much less, because the score that was enough depends on how everyone else did that year.

Remember too that the School Admissions Code says admission authorities must take all reasonable steps to tell you the test outcome before 31 October, and must make clear that the outcome does not by itself mean a selective placeSource for Test results before the application deadlineTest results before the application deadlineCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Department for Education (GOV.UK).The source says: take all reasonable steps to inform parents of the outcome of ... selection tests before the closing date for secondary applications on 31 October so as to allow parents time to make an informed choice of school - while making clear that this does not equate to a guarantee of a selective place.View the official source. Our guide to how grammar school admissions work explains how schools choose between qualifying children, and super-selective and county grammar schools explains the two main patterns.

What makes a particular test feel harder for a particular child?

The content of most 11+ tests is not far beyond what children meet in primary school. What often makes a test feel hard is the way it is set:

• Unfamiliar question types. Verbal and non-verbal reasoning are not usually taught at school, so the first sight of them can be a shock.
• Speed. Many tests have a lot of questions in a short time. Working calmly at pace is a skill that grows with some familiarity.
• Little practice material. For some tests very little exists. FSCE, for example, has no past papers; the content changes every yearSource for FSCE: past papersFSCE: past papersCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise).The source says: FSCE does not issue past papers and our test content changes every year;View the official source.
• Narrower or wider subjects. The Sutton SET is two multiple-choice papers (maths and English), no reasoning papersSource for Sutton Selective Eligibility Test (SET): the test papersSutton Selective Eligibility Test (SET): the test papersCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Sutton SET Consortium (hosted on Nonsuch High School for Girls website).The source says: The test is made up of two papers; a multiple-choice Maths paper and a multiple-choiceView the official source, while other tests mix English, maths and reasoning.
• Writing tasks, where a school sets one, which some children find easier and others harder than multiple choice.

Some providers are clear that the content itself is within reach. CSSE, for example, says its test is based on Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum, and that children only need a limited amount of practice to get used to the questions and timingSource for CSSE (Essex and Southend): what the tests coverCSSE (Essex and Southend): what the tests coverCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against CSSE (Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex).The source says: remember that children only need a ... limited amount of practice to familiarise ... themselves with the types of questions and ... timing. The Mathematics and English tests will ... be based on Key Stage 2 of the National ... Curriculum.View the official source. Our comparison of 11+ formats sets out what each provider officially says about its tests.

Does preparation change how hard it feels?

Familiarity helps most children feel calmer: knowing the question types, the timing and how to fill in an answer sheet. Beyond that, extra hours bring smaller gains, and a tired child often does worse, not better. Our guide on how much 11+ practice is enough looks at this in more detail.

Preparation cannot change the number of places, or how many other children apply. That is why two equally able children in different areas can have very different chances.

How can you judge how hard it is in your area?

A short checklist:

1. Find your area's test, including who writes it and what it covers. Start from find your 11+ area.
2. Look for the share of children who qualify, if your area publishes it.
3. Compare qualifiers with places. If many more children qualify than there are places, read how the schools choose between them.
4. Check whether places go by score or by other rules, such as distance or catchment. This changes what a "good" score means.
5. Look at past results pages, where published, for example the Buckinghamshire pass marks or Slough pass marks. Past years are a guide, not a promise.
6. Look at the familiarisation material for your test together with your child, and see how they find it.

What does "hard" not tell you?

How hard a test is says nothing about your child's worth or future. A selective test is designed so that most children who sit it will not qualify, and that includes many bright, capable, hard-working children. Many families look at the figures and decide to go ahead calmly; others decide the 11+ isn't right for them. Both are reasonable choices. Our guide is the 11+ worth it? can help you think it through.

Related pages

• Is my child "grammar school material"?
• The 11+ formats compared
• Standardised scores explained
• Keeping perspective: the 11+ is one route, not the only one
• Find your 11+ area

Sources

Facts on this page come from archived official sources checked on 13 October 2026: Buckinghamshire Council and The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools, the London Borough of Bexley, Medway Council, the London Borough of Redbridge, the Slough Consortium of Grammar Schools and Slough Borough Council, Tiffin School, the School Admissions Code 2021 (Department for Education), GL Assessment, FSCE, the Sutton SET schools and CSSE.

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