Your shared admissions guide
Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test
The Secondary Transfer Test is the shared selection assessment for Buckinghamshire’s 13 grammar schools. It covers verbal skills, maths and non-verbal and spatial reasoning.
Prepare with confidence.
Prepare for Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test with confidence. Use Plusling to strengthen core skills, learn from each explanation and see where to focus next, alongside the official assessment guidance.
Try five free questions. See the feedback for yourself.
Plan your approach
Year 7 entry
For September 2027 entry
Two multiple-choice papers: verbal skills including comprehension and English, and mathematics with non-verbal and spatial reasoning.
Assessment provider: GL Assessment
What the assessment covers
- Verbal skills
- English comprehension
- Mathematics
- Non verbal reasoning
- Spatial reasoning
All 13 schools appear on The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools’ current member list.
The council publishes a guide to the test and familiarisation material.
Meeting the qualifying standard makes a child eligible for consideration; each school has its own admission and oversubscription policy.
Go to the source
Official information and familiarisation
Make every question count
Go beyond getting the answer right.
Give your child a place to have a go, understand a mistake and try again. Plusling’s explanations help you turn a difficult question into something to work on together.
- Original questions across four 11+ subjects
- Clear explanations to revisit together
- Short practice that fits around school and tutoring
From subjects to skills
Turn the assessment subjects into a practice plan.
Start with these core skills from the published subject list. Pair the official assessment material with regular Plusling practice.
Verbal reasoning
A useful place to start
Talk through word relationships, letter patterns and codes. Encourage your child to explain the rule before choosing an answer.
Build on it with Plusling
Explore words and logic with Plusling’s verbal reasoning quizzes, with feedback that helps the next attempt feel clearer.
Start the 5-question verbal reasoning quizEnglish
A useful place to start
Read a short passage together. Ask your child to find evidence for an answer and explain unfamiliar words in context.
Build on it with Plusling
Build on that reading with Plusling’s English questions and explanations, then choose a topic to practise again.
Start the 5-question English quizMaths
A useful place to start
Ask your child to explain their method, estimate the answer and check the final calculation. Notice which step needs more practice.
Build on it with Plusling
Use Plusling’s original maths questions and worked explanations to make those next practice sessions count.
Start the 5-question maths quizNon-verbal reasoning
A useful place to start
Look for changes in shape, position, shading and direction. Work out one rule at a time before checking it against the choices.
Build on it with Plusling
Give visual reasoning another go in Plusling, with original puzzles and explanations your child can return to.
Start the 5-question non-verbal reasoning quizPrint, practise, build confidence
Printable practice for this test
Original Plusling papers with space to work and separate answers and explanations.
Practice papers for schools in this test
Verbal Reasoning papers
Explore the papers
English papers
Explore the papers
Maths papers
Explore the papers
Non-Verbal Reasoning papers
Explore the papersThese are Plusling skills practice, not official school or test papers.
Keep the practical steps clear
Your application starting points
Use the official links on this page to answer these questions for your child’s entry year.
Check the entry point and eligibility
Confirm the year group, age requirements and any conditions that apply to your child.
Put the right dates in your diary
Note any published registration, assessment, application and offer-response dates that apply to your child’s route. They may be separate steps.
Check the assessment guidance
If an assessment applies, look for official examples, question formats, timings and answer instructions to help plan your child’s preparation.
Check each school’s application steps
A shared assessment may still involve separate school applications, preferences, interviews or supplementary forms.
Know where to focus
Give their preparation a clear direction.
See the topics your child has practised, revisit questions that need another look and choose a focus for the next session. Plusling helps you put your time where it can be useful.
- Topic summaries and practice history
- Choose topics in Focus Practice
- Progress to discuss with the adults helping them
Explore your options
Schools in this route
These are the participating schools currently included in the Plusling Index. Read each school’s entry arrangements alongside the shared assessment information.
Explore the remaining 7 schools
Their next step starts here
Give their 11+ preparation a confident start.
Try Plusling together. Five free questions, useful feedback and a first look at a friendlier way to practise.
This is an independent Plusling guide. The admissions authority and participating schools publish the official arrangements.
Primary sources
- The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools | TBGS Schools The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools
- Guide to grammar schools and the Secondary Transfer Test | Buckinghamshire Council Buckinghamshire Council
- Secondary Transfer Testing process and familiarisation booklet Buckinghamshire Council