The Harvey Grammar School 11 Plus: Exam & Preparation Guide
The Harvey Grammar School is included in Learning Street’s current Kent Test mock setup. The Kent Test is set by GL and includes a Reasoning paper covering Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning, an English and Maths paper, and a separate writing exercise. This guide explains what the format means for preparation and how Learning Street’s courses and Kent-specific mock papers can help your child prepare effectively.
The Harvey Grammar School 11 Plus at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| School | The Harvey Grammar School |
| Area | Kent |
| Entrance test | Kent Test |
| Exam provider | GL |
| Paper 1 | Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning |
| Paper 2 | English and Maths |
| Response format | Multiple-choice questions with separate answer sheets |
| Writing | Separate 40-minute writing exercise, including 10 minutes’ planning time |
| Our mocks | Kent 11 Plus Mock Exams – Packs 1–4 |
Information and Mock Exam review: The information on this page and Learning Street’s Kent mock exams are reviewed against the latest reliable information available about The Harvey Grammar School entrance test.
Some Kent schools may also offer additional or alternative assessment routes, so families should always check the current admissions arrangements for their chosen school.
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Exam Format | Mock Exams | Pass Marks | Preparation | Courses
The Harvey Grammar School 11 Plus Exam Format
The current Kent Test structure used for our Harvey Grammar School preparation includes Paper 1 covering Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning, Paper 2 covering English and Maths, and a separate 40-minute writing exercise.
Paper 1 — Reasoning
The first paper covers Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning. The Reasoning paper lasts approximately one hour including practice.
Paper 2 — English and Maths
The second paper covers English and Maths. The English section includes 5 minutes of practice followed by 25 minutes of test questions. The Maths section also includes 5 minutes of practice followed by 25 minutes of test questions.
Writing Exercise
The Kent Test also includes a separate 40-minute writing exercise, including 10 minutes of planning time.
The scored papers use multiple-choice questions with separate answer sheets.
What Does the Harvey Grammar School Exam Format Mean for Preparation?
The range of skills involved means preparation should build strong underlying English and Maths alongside systematic Verbal, Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning techniques.
Vocabulary is particularly important because it supports both English and Verbal Reasoning. Children may understand a reasoning method but still lose marks if unfamiliar words prevent them from interpreting a question accurately.
Maths needs to become sufficiently secure and fluent for children to work accurately within the timed section, while Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning require careful visual analysis rather than guesswork.
The separate writing exercise also means children should develop planning and written-expression skills alongside their multiple-choice preparation.
A sensible progression is literacy and numeracy foundations → subject skills → reasoning techniques → accuracy → flexible application → revision → timed work → mocks.
The Harvey Grammar School 11 Plus Mock Exams and Practice Papers
At Learning Street, we research the known Kent format, paper length and timings when producing our mocks. We also provide realistic answer sheets, invigilation instructions and guidance on when time should be called so parents can reproduce the practical demands of the test at home as closely as possible.
Please note: our Kent Mock Packs reproduce the two scored multiple-choice elements of the Kent Test, but the separate 40-minute writing exercise is not included in the Mock Packs.
Pack 1 | Pack 2 | Pack 3 | Pack 4
Save 20% – Buy all four for £48.
Kent 11 Plus Mock Exam Bundle – Packs 1–4
All four mock exams contain different questions, allowing families to space fresh tests throughout preparation and use later mocks to measure improvement.
The Harvey Grammar School 11 Plus Pass Marks
We do not provide one fixed raw practice-paper percentage that should be treated as a permanent The Harvey Grammar School 11 Plus pass mark.
Results from our Kent mocks are best used to measure progress and identify weaker areas in English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning rather than as a direct prediction of an official entrance-test result.
How to Prepare for The Harvey Grammar School 11 Plus
Effective preparation should develop secure underlying knowledge before children rely heavily on complete timed papers.
Once individual skills and techniques are established, work should gradually become more mixed and more timed so children learn to identify the correct approach independently while maintaining accuracy.
English Preparation
English preparation should develop reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Children should become comfortable reading unfamiliar passages accurately at a good pace, identifying relevant information and distinguishing between closely matched answer choices.
Regular reading and deliberate vocabulary development are especially useful because vocabulary also supports Verbal Reasoning.
Maths Preparation
Maths preparation should begin with secure KS2 foundations. Times tables, mental Maths and the four operations should become accurate and reliable before substantial time pressure is introduced.
Children should then progress towards mixed mathematical questions where they have to decide independently which method is required.
Timed work can be introduced progressively so children learn to balance speed with accuracy.
Verbal Reasoning Preparation
Verbal Reasoning requires both reasoning technique and vocabulary.
Children should first learn systematic methods for individual question types while developing vocabulary consistently over time.
They should then progress towards mixed reasoning work where they have to recognise the appropriate technique without being told which question type they are completing.
Non-Verbal Reasoning Preparation
Non-Verbal Reasoning rewards careful, systematic observation.
Children should learn to identify relationships involving features such as shape, position, pattern, rotation and reflection rather than selecting an answer simply because it appears visually plausible.
Practice should gradually move from individual techniques towards mixed visual-reasoning questions.
Spatial Reasoning Preparation
Spatial Reasoning requires children to understand how shapes and objects may change when moved, rotated, folded or viewed in different ways.
Preparation should develop careful visual analysis rather than encourage children to rely on appearance alone.
Once individual techniques are familiar, children should increasingly practise recognising the required spatial relationship independently and under timed conditions.
Creative Writing Preparation
The Kent Test also contains a separate writing exercise, so writing should form part of preparation even though it is not included in our Kent Mock Packs.
Children should practise planning before writing, organising their ideas clearly, varying vocabulary and sentence structures, and checking spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Preparation should aim to improve genuine writing ability rather than encourage children to memorise one fixed story or response.
View the Kent 11 Plus Mock Exam Bundle – Packs 1–4
Which Harvey Grammar School 11 Plus Course Should You Choose?
Learning Street offers three main GL preparation routes for children preparing for the Kent Test: Complete, Enhance and Boost.
Our full GL programmes cover Vocabulary Development, English, Verbal Reasoning, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The Kent Test also includes Spatial Reasoning and a separate writing exercise, so the general GL course syllabus should not be interpreted as the exact Kent Test structure.
For the separate writing element, our Creative Writing Course can be used alongside the main GL preparation programme.
The most suitable main programme depends largely on how much preparation time remains.
| Preparation time | Learning Street course | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 30–40+ weeks | Complete GL | Our most comprehensive GL preparation |
| 15–30 weeks | Enhance GL | A shorter structured GL programme |
| 6–15 weeks | Boost GL | Focused GL preparation when less time remains |
Complete GL — 30–40+ Weeks
Our Complete GL 11 Plus Programme is our most comprehensive GL preparation route.
It contains 40 structured parts covering Vocabulary Development, English, Verbal Reasoning, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning, alongside more than 60 timed papers and tests.
The Complete GL 11 Plus Programme
Focused Complete options are also available:
Complete – Vocabulary, English and Verbal Reasoning
Complete – Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning
Enhance GL — 15–30 Weeks
Our Enhance GL programme provides a shorter 20-part preparation route covering Vocabulary Development, English, Verbal Reasoning, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
It includes more than 35 timed papers and tests alongside structured learning and detailed answers.
Enhance is most suitable where there is still enough time for substantial preparation but not enough time to work properly through all 40 parts of Complete.
Focused Enhance options are also available:
Enhance – Vocabulary, English and Verbal Reasoning
Enhance – Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning
Boost GL — 6–15 Weeks
Our Boost GL programme is the shortest full GL preparation route.
It contains 10 intensive parts covering Vocabulary Development, English, Verbal Reasoning, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning and includes more than 25 timed papers and tests.
Boost is most suitable where there is insufficient time to work properly through Complete or Enhance but a family still wants structured preparation.
Focused Boost options are also available:
Boost – Vocabulary, English and Verbal Reasoning
Boost – Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning
Creative Writing for the Kent Test
The Kent Test contains a separate writing exercise which is not included in our Kent Mock Packs or the standard GL course syllabus.
Our 11 Plus Creative Writing Course develops planning, vocabulary, description, sentence construction and wider writing skills. It contains 12 parts and can be completed alongside Kent Test preparation.
11 Plus Creative Writing Course
Starting Earlier?
If your child is still developing the literacy, numeracy, vocabulary and reasoning foundations needed before dedicated 11 Plus preparation begins, our primary-school course chooser can help you select an appropriate starting point.
Primary School – Course Chooser for Younger Children
Already Completed Substantial Preparation?
Our 11 Plus Revision Course – GL is suitable for children who have already completed substantial preparation through books, tutoring or another programme but now want a structured period of GL-style revision.
It contains 4 intensive parts and is normally completed over approximately 4–6 weeks.
It should not normally be completed after one of our Complete, Enhance or Boost programmes because there is some crossover in the material.
Also Sitting Independent School Exams?
Children also sitting independent-school entrance tests may need additional preparation in subjects or formats beyond the Kent Test.
The courses below are separate supplementary options and should not be interpreted as additional elements of The Harvey Grammar School entrance assessment.
11 Plus Creative Writing Course
11 Plus Maths Stretch and Revision
Current The Harvey Grammar School Admissions Information
Admissions arrangements and entrance-test details can change from year to year. For general guidance on 11 Plus preparation and our courses, use our FAQs below.
