EXAM AREA / SEPTEMBER 2027 ENTRY
The Secondary Transfer Test for Year 7 grammar school entry.
GL AssessmentYear 6 test → Year 7 entry
Official sources checked 28 Sept 2026
HOW TO APPLY
Registering for the test does not apply for a school place.
With Buckinghamshire Council
At a state-funded Buckinghamshire primary? Registration is automatic.
At any other school? A parent must register. This includes Partner schools, Milton Keynes and other areas. Your child’s school determines the registration route, not your home address.
Late registration & access arrangementsOn your home council’s CAF
Submit the Common Application Form (CAF) to the council where you live. Name schools in your genuine preference order, including schools in other council areas.
Each grammar school applies its own admissions rules. Taking the test or reaching 121 does not guarantee a school place.
How to order your schoolsTEST FORMAT
GL Assessment · Multiple choice · Separate answer sheets
Each hour includes instructions and examples. There is a short break between papers.
The council describes about 45 minutes of questions in each paper. Instructions and examples bring each session to about 60 minutes. Audio instructions tell children when to start and stop each section.
QUALIFYING SCORE
121Age-standardised scoreSources: council test format and marking guidance.
SEPTEMBER 2027 ENTRY
These tests take place in 2026, for children starting Year 7 in September 2027.
Registration closed at 3pm on 2 June. Pupils at state-funded Buckinghamshire primary schools are registered automatically; parents at other schools must register.
A shorter session to get used to the instructions and answer sheets. It does not provide a qualifying score.
The main test date. Follow your invitation: extra testing sessions and agreed arrangements can have different dates.
You receive a Secondary Transfer Test Score. Later testing can have a different results date.
Name schools in your genuine preference order on the CAF for the council where you live. Do this separately from test registration.
Your home council tells you which secondary school has offered your child a place.
Outside a state-funded Buckinghamshire primary? Parents need to register, including those at Partner schools or schools in Milton Keynes. Partner-school status affects the test venue, not automatic registration.
Missed registration? Late registrations are normally accepted only in exceptional circumstances. Read the council’s registration guidance and contact Admissions about your situation.
SEND or another testing need? The headteacher requests access arrangements based on the child’s usual support. Discuss this early and check the official arrangements and deadlines.
Official dates: 2027 test timetable · school application dates.
THE PRACTICE LIBRARY
Official familiarisation materials to read, print and work through together.
Free parent account
Create a free parent account to open these official practice materials.
These are familiarisation materials, not past Buckinghamshire papers. The general GL packs may use different timings and question counts. The local booklet explains the Buckinghamshire format.
Also available from the council’s familiarisation page and GL Assessment’s official free-materials page.
THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE GRAMMAR SCHOOLS
All 13 schools share the test. Open a school to explore its admissions policy, catchment and school life, or add it to your comparison.
13 of 13 schools
Year 7 intake shown · sixth forms may differBEFORE YOU APPLY
A shared test does not mean shared admission priorities.
Look for the exact oversubscription categories, any supplementary form and evidence needed for priority. Check pupil premium rules in the school’s own policy, including any lower-score provisions.
Use the school’s catchment map and address deadline. Moving before the CAF deadline may still be too late for catchment priority. Try the morning journey with walking and waiting included.
Apply through your home council even if every school you want is elsewhere. Include an appropriate non-selective option. Our CAF guide explains how preference order works.
GETTING FAMILIAR
Use the local booklet to practise matching the question number to the correct answer box. Work through the examples together before introducing time limits.
Was it an unfamiliar word, a calculation, a pattern or a missed instruction? Revisit that skill in a short session and ask your child to explain their thinking.
Keep reading varied, discuss vocabulary and leave time for rest. Use the official practice session to get familiar with listening, working independently and moving between sections.
AFTER THE RESULT
GOOD TO KNOW
Yes. The Secondary Transfer Test is the name of Buckinghamshire’s shared 11+ assessment. The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS) work together on testing, Buckinghamshire Council administers it, and GL Assessment provides the test. Each grammar school sets its own admissions policy.
Yes. Automatic registration applies to pupils at state-funded Buckinghamshire primary schools. Milton Keynes is a separate local authority. Children at Milton Keynes schools, other out-of-county schools and Partner schools need a parent to register them. Living in Buckinghamshire alone does not mean registration is automatic.
No. Once a child qualifies, a higher test score does not give extra priority. Places depend on the school’s published admissions criteria and the preferences on your school application. Catchment, distance and other priority categories can matter; qualification is not a guaranteed offer.
Yes. Submit your school preferences to your home local authority, including any Buckinghamshire grammar schools you want to name. Check each school’s catchment, address deadlines and oversubscription criteria first. Eligibility to take the test does not establish priority for a school place.
The resources here are official familiarisation materials: a Buckinghamshire booklet and general GL Assessment packs. They introduce question styles and answer sheets. They are not released past Buckinghamshire test papers, and the general packs can have different timings and question counts from the local test.
Discuss the support your child normally receives with their headteacher before registration. Requests are made through the school and must meet Buckinghamshire’s evidence requirements and deadlines. For 2027 entry, requests were due by 2 June 2026 for Buckinghamshire state-funded and Partner schools, and 16 June for other schools. Contact Admissions about an unresolved or changed need.
OFFICIAL SOURCES
Checked 28 Sept 2026. Follow the current school policy and your child’s test invitation for individual arrangements.