Year 5 Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning: Choose Practice by Test

Year 5 can be a useful time to learn what the target 11+ route tests. The right preparation depends on the school or consortium: some tests include verbal reasoning (VR), some non-verbal reasoning (NVR), and some use different subjects or formats. This guide explains the question types, uses Kent as a clearly dated example and suggests ways to work through practice questions without prescribing a fixed weekly schedule or promising a score gain.

Start with the test your child will actually sit

Check the target school's or consortium's current admissions page before choosing practice. Dates, question formats, subject mix and scoring are local. A practice resource labelled “VR” or “NVR” is not proof that a particular school tests that subject.

Kent's 2026 test for September 2027 entry is one example. Kent County Council described multiple-choice papers with a separate answer sheet. Its reasoning paper took about an hour including practice sections, with verbal and non-verbal reasoning sections of roughly equal length. The NVR part was split into short sections that were administered and timed individually. These details describe that Kent cycle, not every 11+.

The provider is changing for the next Kent cycle. Kent appointed Quest Assessments for tests taken from 2027 for September 2028 entry. The council says the purpose, structure and timing will stay the same, while some question design or presentation may differ. It will publish the new familiarisation materials when available. The specific test date for that entry year is not yet confirmed on the announcement page.

Other routes can be organised differently. Buckinghamshire's Secondary Transfer Test uses two papers, with verbal skills in one and maths plus non-verbal and spatial skills in the other. Check the current guide for the route and entry year rather than copying the Kent example.

What do VR and NVR questions involve?

Kent's familiarisation booklet describes verbal reasoning questions involving words, letters and numbers, and non-verbal questions involving similarities, differences and changes in shapes. It also describes spatial questions that ask pupils to picture or move shapes mentally. These are examples of question families, not a complete national syllabus.

A simple verbal example can show how to explain a rule. If BRIM changes to CSJN, each letter has moved forward one place in the alphabet. Apply the same change to TRAP and you get USBQ. This is an original teaching example, not a question from the Kent Test or a claim about the difficulty of its questions.

For any practice question, ask: what changes, what stays the same, and how can I check the rule against every part of the example? For a shape question, name the feature being compared, such as direction, number or shading. These prompts are ways to talk through a question; they do not predict a test score.

Choosing practice without assuming a universal sequence

Use familiarisation material from the admissions authority or provider when it is available. It can show the format and instructions for that route. If you also use practice questions, choose the subjects and question types that appear in the current guidance.

You might work through one question type at a time so that the child can see the example and explain the rule. A mixed set can then be used to practise identifying which method a question calls for, if mixed questions are part of the target test. There is no universal order in which every child should learn these types, and no accuracy percentage from an informal set establishes readiness for timed work.

Kent's separate answer sheet and computer marking are specific to the Kent example. If your child's test uses an answer sheet, use the authority's familiarisation material to see how it should be completed. If it is online, use the test provider's instructions. Do not assume the practice format matches the live assessment.

What a practice score can and cannot tell you

A short practice set gives a raw result on the questions included. It is not the local standardised score, qualifying threshold or offer decision. For the Kent Test taken in 2026, Kent's results page says the grammar assessment threshold was a total of 345, with no individual score below 111. Those figures are for that 2026 sitting and September 2027 entry. They are not a target for an informal practice set or a promise of a place.

Kent's new provider announcement says its test purpose and eligibility criteria will remain the same. That statement applies to Kent's test and admissions process. Other authorities set their own admission criteria; in Kent, qualifying does not guarantee a grammar-school offer, because schools rank applicants using their published oversubscription criteria.

If a child misses questions, review what the question asked and the explanation, if available. An informal score does not establish a learning difficulty or tell you how much practice to schedule. If you are worried about progress, discuss the specific work with the child's teacher.

Useful next steps

• Read the current admissions page for the target school or consortium and note the entry year.
• Use its own familiarisation booklet, test walkthrough or provider guidance for local format and instructions.
• Choose practice questions only for subjects and types the route actually includes.
• Keep any feedback specific to the question. Do not treat one small practice score as a prediction.

Our verbal reasoning question types, verbal reasoning codes and letter sequences, and non-verbal reasoning question types guides give more examples. Our 11+ revision timetable is another planning resource; adapt any plan to the child's target route and family circumstances.