The Portsmouth Grammar School (PGS) 11+ Entrance Exam: A Guide for Parents

The Portsmouth Grammar School (PGS) 11+ entrance exam is the main academic route into Year 7, set externally by Quest and sat on a Saturday morning during the Autumn Term of Year 6, ahead of entry the following September. Scholarships in Art, Drama, Music and Sport are assessed separately, using the same 11+ results. Exact dates and registration windows are published on the school's admissions pages each cycle, with the key facts table on this page giving the current timetable.

About The Portsmouth Grammar School

PGS is a co-educational independent school in Portsmouth's historic quarter, with around 1,300 pupils across the school.

The entrance exam

The 11+ Entrance Assessments at PGS cover five papers, set externally by Quest, giving the school a standardised measure across candidates from a wide range of primary and prep schools. Pupils sit the papers on the fixed Saturday morning in the Autumn Term, and the school weighs the results alongside an interview as part of the wider selection process. The format, length and marking of each paper sit outside what the school makes public, leaving the subject list below as the main guide to what is tested.

• Non-Verbal Reasoning: tests pattern and spatial reasoning independent of language ability
• Verbal Reasoning: tests logical thinking through word-based problems and puzzles
• Mathematics: covers numeracy and problem-solving appropriate to the end of Year 5
• English: assesses writing and use of language
• Reading Comprehension: tests understanding and interpretation of unseen text passages

Registration and key dates

Registration for the PGS 11+ opens and closes to a timetable the school sets and publishes on its admissions pages each cycle. Families register ahead of the Autumn Term sitting in Year 6, sit the assessment on the fixed Saturday morning, and then wait on an interview and offers. Entry into Year 7 follows the following September, so the whole process sits inside the final year of primary or prep school. The key facts table on this page carries the current dates for each stage.

• Registration: window published by the school each cycle
• Assessment: Saturday morning in the Autumn Term of Year 6
• Interview: follows the written papers as part of selection
• Offers: date published by the school
• Entry to Year 7: the following September

Current dates are in the key facts table at the top of this page, taken from the school's own admissions pages below, which remain the reference for each round.

• Admissions
• Fees and scholarships

Past papers and familiarisation

PGS does not publish past papers or dedicated familiarisation materials for its 11+ assessment, so families preparing for the Year 6 sitting work from general practice for the paper types involved: non-verbal and verbal reasoning, mathematics, English and reading comprehension. Timed practice across these five areas, together with exposure to Quest-style question formats where available commercially, tends to build the pace and accuracy the assessment rewards. Confirming exact requirements with the school's admissions team remains the reliable route to current guidance, since published detail on this particular test changes from one cycle to the next.

Preparing with Taylor Tuition

The PGS 11+ rewards steady preparation over a year or so, with the last term given to timed practice and interview confidence. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors match the programme to the school's assessment format and to where the child is starting from.

Because the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, and more than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status, families get a tutor who understands what the assessors are looking for. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check.

Families in the South and South West and further afield work with us online, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject, with no registration fee and a free initial consultation to talk through your child's current level and the timeline to the 11+. Families receive progress reports after sessions and have a dedicated point of contact, and we reply to enquiries within one working day with tutor recommendations.

Read more about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.