All candidates are invited to the assessment day at Sevenoaks School in April.
They sit papers in English, Maths and Verbal Reasoning. They also participate in a 40-minute group discussion led by our teachers and a co-curricular taster activity. Our friendly staff and students 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 need extra time, word processing or other provision. You can read more about the school’s learning support here.
For international candidates, our staff travel to a number of cities to supervise testing and conduct group discussion tasks. You will be advised of the options at the confirmation stage. Please note that there is an extra payment to participate in one of these testing days.
Testing can also take place at a British Council or other approved centre, with the group discussion taking place online. Please contact the Registrar to discuss such alternative arrangements.
Timetable for Year 9 Entry in September 2025
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 October 2023 | Closing date for 2025 applications |
| January 2024 | Reports requested from candidates’ schools |
| 15 April 2024 | Boarding candidates arrive |
| 16 April 2024 | Assessments |
| 24 May 2024 | Decisions sent |
| May 2025 | Academic Scholarship Examinations and Co-Curricular Scholarship Assessments |
Past papers
Past Maths and English papers can be found below. We have also provided an example of a Maths Mark Scheme to give a better understanding of how these papers are assessed. We do not make sample Verbal Reasoning papers available, but any of the 13+ practice papers such as the Bond, GL Assessment, CGP or NFER series are useful preparation.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Sevenoaks offers scholarships to honour and celebrate exceptional talent in academia, music, sports, drama and art.
Results
Offers of places, including scholarships, are sent by email to all candidates. Acceptance of all places must be confirmed by the payment of a deposit (£2000 for day pupils; £5000 for boarding pupils) and the completion of a Form of Acceptance by the date in June 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 a reserved candidate.
Some candidates will be reserved. This means they have passed our tests and have demonstrated that they would be good Sevenoaks students. We will be pleased to offer them a place if one becomes available later in the process. Parents are advised to keep in touch with the Director of Admissions in this situation. We consider our reserve candidates as a pool, not a list. When a place becomes available, we offer it to the most suitable reserved candidate.
“Ultimately, we are looking for students who are bright and eager to be involved in the wider, co-curricular life of the school, and – most importantly – who are kind.”
Lorna Dolan, Director of Admissions
