Maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning
Competition
Selective
Prism’s suggested target
78% in practice (our estimate, not a school figure)
About the Bexley Selection Tests
Bexley grammar schools use GL papers in maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning.
Stage
Paper
Questions
Time
Selection Tests
English & Maths
50
60 minutes
Selection Tests
Verbal & Non-verbal
50
60 minutes
Paper formats are indicative and change from year to year. Always check the current arrangements with the school or local authority.
How to prepare
The Bexley Selection Tests covers maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Most families start steady preparation in Year 4 or early Year 5, building accuracy first and speed later, then sit timed papers through the summer before the test, which usually takes place in September.
For maths, secure the Key Stage 2 arithmetic, fractions, ratio and problem solving before moving to the multi-step questions that separate the strongest candidates.
For English, read widely every day and practise comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar; selective tests reward precise word knowledge.
Verbal reasoning is a set of learnable question types, such as letter codes, hidden words and word analogies. Learning each type, then practising it against the clock, lifts scores quickly.
Non-verbal reasoning is about spotting patterns in shapes: rotations, reflections, sequences and matrices. Short, regular sessions work better than long ones.
Practice questions in the style of the test
Written by Prism in the style of the test, not taken from any school’s papers.
Question 1Aim for about 60 seconds
If 25 December is a Friday, what day of the week is 3 February?
Show the worked answer
Answer: A, Wednesday
How to work it out
Count the days: 6 more in December, 31 in January and 3 in February, so 40 days.
40 = 5 weeks and 5 days.
Whole weeks bring you back to Friday; 5 more days gives Wednesday.
Why the other options are wrong
B (Tuesday): This counts one day too few. Count the days after the start date, up to and including the end date.
C (Friday): Check the number of days left in December again.
D (Thursday): This counts one day too many: the start day itself is not counted.
E (Monday): This treats December or January as having 30 days; both have 31.
Question 2Aim for about 45 seconds
What does the word “flourish” mean?
Show the worked answer
Answer: D, to grow or develop well
How to work it out
“Flourish” (verb) means to grow or develop well.
For example: Tomatoes flourish in a sunny greenhouse.
Question 3Aim for about 35 seconds
A four-letter word is hidden across the end of one word and the start of the next. Which two words hide it?
The climb up the mountain was long and arduous.
Show the worked answer
Answer: B, the mountain
How to work it out
“them” is hidden in “the mountain”: read the letters straight across the gap.
Check each pair of neighbouring words in turn, joining the last letters of one word to the first letters of the next.
Why the other options are wrong
A (and arduous): No real four-letter word runs across the gap between these two words.
C (long and): No real four-letter word runs across the gap between these two words.
D (was long): No real four-letter word runs across the gap between these two words.
E (up the): No real four-letter word runs across the gap between these two words.
Question 4Aim for about 45 seconds
Which of the shapes below could join this group?
The group
Show the worked answer
Answer: B
How to work it out
Every shape in the group has the same number of dots as it has sides.
Shading and rotation change freely, so they are distractors.
Beths Grammar School uses the Bexley Selection Tests, which tests maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Check the school’s admissions page for the current arrangements.
What score does my child need for Beths Grammar School?
Schools do not publish pass marks. As a guide, Prism suggests a child aims to score around 78% consistently in practice for a selective school. This is Prism’s own estimate, not a figure from the school, and no score guarantees a place.
When should my child start preparing for Beths Grammar School?
Most families start in Year 4 or early Year 5, then practise timed papers during the summer before the test, which usually takes place in September.
Preparing for Beths Grammar School?
Prism starts with a free assessment across maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, then builds a weekly plan for your target schools. Parents follow progress free.