Assessment and Preparation

Admission is by an initial pre-test, followed by competitive examination in Maths and English, a group discussion activity, and a reference from the candidate’s current school.

The first step in the assessment process is a pre-test in the autumn of Year 6. Candidates will need to take the ISEB online pre-test if their current school offers this. Where a candidate is attending a school which does not offer the ISEB, but the student has taken the Kent Test or an alternative grammar school test, they may submit this score instead. If an applicant is not attending a school which offers the ISEB and is not already planning to take a grammar school test, we will ask parents to email the Registrar during the confirmation process to discuss the options. Please note that we do not hold ISEB assessments at Sevenoaks, so candidates taking the ISEB would need to do so at their current school or at another registered ISEB test centre.

Following the pre-test, we will invite the majority of candidates to attend the second-stage assessments at Sevenoaks School in early January. On the assessment day, candidates will sit papers in English and Maths and will participate in a 40-minute group discussion activity led by our teachers. Our friendly staff aim to make it an enjoyable day; we love to see the candidates making friends with each other and leaving with big grins on their faces.

We are keen to accommodate candidates who qualify for extra time, word processing or other access arrangements. You can read more about the school’s Learning Support here.

For international candidates, we are happy to consider testing overseas if necessary. Please email the Registrar to discuss options.

Timetable for Year 7 Entry in September 2026

Results

Offers of places, including scholarships, are sent by email to all candidates. Acceptance of places must be confirmed by the payment of a deposit (£2000 for day pupils) and the completion of an Acceptance Form by the date, in early March, specified in our offer letter. Any candidate who decides not to accept their place is requested to inform us of their decision as soon as possible so their place can be released to candidates on our reserve list.

Some candidates will be reserved. This means they have passed our tests and have demonstrated that they would be good Sevenoaks students. Places often become available in early March once the grammar school places have been announced. Parents are advised to keep in touch with Olivia Beck, Head of Year 7 Admissions, in this situation. We consider our reserved candidates as a pool, not a list. When a place becomes available, we offer it to the most suitable reserved candidate.