Decode the result letter before changing your plans
Check the child’s details, test year, total and any subject scores or rank. Read the organiser’s definition of “qualified”, “selective”, “eligible” or “invited to stage two”. Those words can describe different points in an admissions process.
Keep the complete result, including instructions on errors, reviews or second-stage registration. If anything appears incorrect, use the official query process promptly rather than trying to reconstruct the calculation from practice-paper percentages.
The score and rank explanation helps separate academic performance from a child’s place in a particular applicant group.
Recheck each school’s offer rules
A shared test result does not make every school equally available. For each school you may name, establish:
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Academic requirement | A total threshold, subject minimum or further assessment may apply |
| Admission category | Residence, pupil premium or other published priorities may affect allocation |
| Ranking and tie-break | A pass can be followed by score ranking, distance or another rule |
| Separate form or deadline | A result may not complete every required application step |
Historical cut-offs can provide context, but they are not a promise for the next intake. Read the correct year and admission category.
Keep reviews and appeals distinct
Some areas offer a selection review after results. Buckinghamshire, for example, publishes a process for children below its normal qualifying score. Other areas use different procedures or direct parents towards an admission appeal after refusal.
A review deadline can fall well before National Offer Day. Read its evidence requirements and any effect on a later appeal. Do not assume that requesting a review submits the CAF or automatically applies to every school.
If the outcome is disappointing, explain to your child that the result concerns one test process. Discuss school options without presenting a non-selective school as a punishment.
Finish the CAF in genuine preference order
Revisit the journey, subjects and support before deciding the order. If several schools could offer, which would you actually choose? Include schools you would accept that have realistic admission prospects under their policies.
Submit through your home council by its published deadline and save confirmation. The final CAF checklist covers the details that remain after the result has arrived.
A FEW MORE ANSWERS
Still wondering?
Should we put schools in score order after results day?
No. Scores help establish eligibility and, at some schools, admission priority. Your CAF should still list schools in your genuine preference order, with realistic alternatives.
What if a second-stage result arrives after the CAF deadline?
Read that school’s instructions and your council’s application guidance. Do not delay the whole CAF while waiting. Some two-stage routes require school preferences before the final outcome.
Do all below-threshold results have a review?
No. Review processes are local. Read the result letter for availability, evidence and deadlines, and distinguish a selection review from a later appeal against refusal of a school place.
Official sources
Checked 28 Sept 2026
- Kent County Council — Kent Test resultskent.gov.uk
- Bexley Council — 2026 Selection Test guidance for 2027 entrybexley.gov.uk
- Buckinghamshire Council — Selection Reviewbuckinghamshire.gov.uk
- GOV.UK — applying for a school placegov.uk
- Department for Education — advice for parents on school admission appealsgov.uk