What is a second-stage test?

How the stages fit together

1. First-stage resultThe school or test organiser confirms whether your child can continue to the next assessment.
2. Second-stage examinationInvited candidates take the further papers. Format and score weighting depend on the school.
3. Academic outcome and school applicationThe final academic requirement, CAF preferences and oversubscription rules determine whether a place can be offered.

Sometimes the CAF must be completed between the two stages. Do not assume every final result arrives before applications close.

Examples of two-stage routes

For Sutton’s 2027 entry, the five grammar schools use the SET followed by the relevant second stage. Sutton Grammar, Wallington County Grammar and Wilson’s share a boys’ second-stage test; Nonsuch and Wallington High School for Girls share a girls’ second-stage test. Greenshaw’s selective places use the SET without that further examination.

Tiffin School publishes Stage One and Stage Two arrangements, while Henrietta Barnett describes a first-round test followed by second-round English and mathematics.

These examples do not mean every selective school follows two stages. Several papers taken in one session are not necessarily separate admission stages.

What to do when an invitation arrives

Check the child’s details, the schools covered, the venue, arrival time and whether you need to confirm attendance. Read the equipment and illness instructions again; they may differ from the first test.

If access arrangements were agreed for Stage One, confirm how they apply to Stage Two. Keep the written agreement and raise uncertainties before test day.

Prepare for the actual second-stage format

Use the school’s own sample or illustrative questions. A child familiar with multiple-choice answers may now need to show mathematical working or produce written English. Find out what is published about timing and how the stages contribute to the final outcome.

Continue the school comparison at the same time. An invitation should not distract from checking catchment, travel and realistic alternatives. When the result arrives, read qualification versus an offer before deciding what the result promises.