Entrance Test Information
The King Edward VI Foundation arranges the entrance test on behalf of each of the eight grammar schools in Birmingham:
Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School for Boys
King Edward VI Aston School
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls
King Edward VI Five Ways School
King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls
King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys
Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls
To be eligible to apply for a place at any of The Grammar Schools in Birmingham, children are required to sit the entrance test.
All costs associated with the entrance test, including the test itself, are paid for by the grammar schools – the test is not to be used as a practice or ‘mock test’ by candidates with no intention of applying for a place at any of The Grammar Schools in Birmingham. Should you decide to register for the entrance test and it is deemed that your home address is not within a reasonable commutable distance to The Grammar Schools in Birmingham, you will be contacted by the Admissions Office to provide further information to support your application to sit the test – this will include a request for evidence of your intention to relocate, such as a recent house purchase in the area for example.
Registering for the test
The entrance test for 2026 entry will be held on Saturday 13th September 2025. Two sessions will be held (AM and PM) and you should therefore plan to keep the whole of 13th September free from other commitments. Your child will be allocated to a session and you will receive confirmation of this by the end of July.
See the admissions timeline for details of when you can register – the closing date to register is 4pm on Friday 27th June 2025.
You register for the test when your child is in Year 5 and they sit the entrance test when they are in Year 6. Your child’s date of birth will be between 1 September 2014 and 31 August 2015. In a small number of cases, some children will not fall under this date of birth range, for example they are taught in a year group higher than their usual cohort, or are taught in a year group lower than their usual cohort. In these cases, you will need to contact the Admissions office during the registration period.
To register for the entrance test you will need to visit the West Midlands Grammar Schools website during the registration period. The entrance test for The Grammar Schools in Birmingham is shared with all of the grammar schools in the West Midlands. This means that children only sit one test to be eligible to apply for a place at any of the 19 grammar schools in the region. If you intend to apply for any of the grammar schools in Shropshire, Walsall, Warwickshire and Wolverhampton, you must tick the relevant box(es) on the test registration form to consent to share your child’s details and entrance test result. Any request to share results after the registration closing date will not be considered until after school offers have been made in March 2026.
To view information about each of the schools in this partnership click here. The test will be the same across all venues and take place over the same weekend. Your child will not be allowed to sit the test more than once. When visiting the West Midlands Grammar Schools website, you will be asked to provide your home postcode and child’s sex. You will then be directed to the relevant website to register for the test – this will be based on your home address. You will not have the option of choosing where your child sits the entrance test. The school where your child sits the test is simply a venue to facilitate the test – it may not necessarily be a school you intend to apply for a place at.
If your child requires reasonable adjustments,
Please see further information by clicking here
Each of the grammar schools offer some priority to Pupil Premium applicants.
More information can be found here
To view the admissions policies and how each of the schools offer places please visit the individual school websites.
Other information about the test
The test is provided by GL Assessment. Candidates will sit two papers, each approximately 60 minutes long (which includes time for instructions and example questions). Each test paper is divided into smaller individually timed sections that test English Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics and Non-Verbal/Spatial Reasoning. There are no sections of writing within the test – all questions are multiple choice and children record their answers on a separate answer sheet. The weightings for the test results are 50% for English/verbal reasoning, 25% for non-verbal reasoning and 25% for mathematics. The scores for each section are standardised to take into account differences in age, meaning younger children are not disadvantaged compared to children in the same cohort who could be almost a year older. Familiarisation questions can be found at the bottom of this page which show the style of questions to appear in the test and how answers must be recorded.
- There is a short comfort break between the two test papers. Children may bring some light refreshments for the break period (no nuts/nut based products, chewing gum or fizzy drinks).
- Children should bring their own stationery (two HB pencils, an eraser and a sharpener). We request that these are brought in a clear pencil case or clear food bag/zip lock bag. No other stationery such as rulers or highlighters are permitted.
- The test instructions, example & practice questions and timings are delivered via audio CD. Prior to each section beginning, candidates are advised how long they will have to work on that section. Candidates can only work on the current section and cannot revisit a previous section or move on to the next section until told to do so. In sections lasting more than five minutes, candidates will be advised via the audio CD when they have five minutes remaining.
- Watches/timers/stop clocks of any kind are not permitted in the test. A clock will be present in the room.
- Mobile phones, calculators, smart watches or tablets will not be allowed in or around the test rooms. Any failure to comply with this may lead to disqualification.
- Your child does not need to wear school uniform when attending the test.
- Parents/Carers cannot wait on-site during the test.
- Space is available within the question booklets for children to do any working out. Rough/scrap paper cannot be used. Question booklets are not marked – only the separate answer sheets are marked. It is important that your child is aware of how to answer the questions on the separate answer sheet.
- Children will be able to use toilet facilities before the test and during the break. In the event that a candidate has to use the facilities during the test, any time spent away from the test room is lost.
If your child is unable to sit the test on a Saturday for religious reasons we are able to arrange an alternative test day. You must upload a supporting letter from their religious leader when completing your child’s registration form. An alternative date will not be offered without a supporting letter. This letter must be submitted no later than 27th June 2025.
Practice Papers
A range of publications designed to assist preparation for entrance tests are available online and from leading bookshops. Neither the Admissions Office nor any of the schools keep past papers.
Intensive coaching or tuition is not in the long term best interests of your child. The Grammar Schools in Birmingham is in no way connected to, nor does it endorse or recommend, the services of any organisation or agency purporting to offer tuition and/or revision courses for children to assist in preparing them for school entrance tests.
Many children are anxious about sitting tests. You can help by not putting pressure on your child.
A full familiarisation guide is available to download here.
You can also find some further sample questions by visiting GL Assessment’s website.
