If you are preparing for a Bexley grammar school place, the Selection Test looks different this year. Bexley has moved to a new provider: Quest Assessments.
Parents naturally ask: is this completely different? Do we scrap our GL books? Is it online now? Short answer — the topics are familiar, but the paper style and answering rules have shifted enough that practice needs a careful tweak.
A quick history: CEM → GL → Quest
Bexley families have already lived through more than one provider change:
- CEM — for years, many London and South East 11+ areas (including Bexley historically) used CEM-style papers: mixed skills, less of a fixed list of verbal-reasoning types, and more fluid reading and problem-solving under time pressure.
- GL Assessment — Bexley later moved towards a GL-style format that felt closer to familiar multiple-choice booklets and answer sheets used in places like Kent and Redbridge.
- Quest Assessments (now) — for the current Bexley Selection Test cycle, papers are provided by Quest. Official Bexley guidance confirms Quest is the test provider, and that a selective result in Kent or another Local Authority test will not count for Bexley.
So this is not just another GL paper with a new logo. It is a genuine provider switch. Because Quest is still relatively new in the Bexley context, families should treat official familiarisation materials as essential reading.
Important: Quest is often online — Bexley is paper-based
Do not assume a screen-based test
Quest Assessments is widely associated with online and digital admissions testing in other settings. That is where a lot of parent confusion comes from.
For Bexley, the Selection Test remains paper-based: two separate booklets, timed sections, multiple-choice questions, and a short break between papers. Working out stays in the booklet — rough paper is not provided. The full sitting (instructions, both papers, and the break) typically runs about two and a half to three hours.
In other words, practise should include paper stamina, careful answer-sheet habits, and timed booklet work — not only on-screen quizzes.
What the Bexley Quest papers cover
According to Bexley Council, the Selection Test assesses:
- Verbal ability and English comprehension — vocabulary, comprehension, and verbal reasoning
- Numerical reasoning — maths problem-solving up to end-of-Year-5 expectations
- Non-verbal reasoning — patterns, relationships, and logical deductions with shapes
Structure-wise there are two papers, each about 50 minutes plus instructions, taken in the same session. An invigilator moves children section by section.
How it differs from older GL / CEM-style prep
| Area | Older GL / CEM feel | Bexley Quest (now) |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | CEM historically; GL more recently | Quest Assessments |
| Delivery | Paper booklets / answer sheets | Still paper for Bexley (even though Quest is often online elsewhere) |
| Core topics | English / verbal, maths, NVR | Same broad skill areas |
| Question style | GL: many predictable VR types; CEM: more mixed / fluid | Quest styling, including multi-answer English and VR items |
| What transfers | Vocabulary, reading, mental maths, pattern spotting | Still essential — keep your foundations |
The trickier bit: multiple answers in English and verbal
One of the biggest practical differences is multi-answer questions, especially in English and verbal ability.
In a typical GL-style question, the child picks one option. In Quest-style verbal and English items, the instruction may instead say choose two answers, or select all that apply.
Typical GL-style
Which word is closest in meaning to rapid?
- A. slow
- B. careful
- C. quick ✓
- D. heavy
- E. quiet
The child picks one answer. Choosing C is enough to score the mark.
Quest-style (trickier)
Choose two words that are closest in meaning to rapid.
- A. slow
- B. swift ✓
- C. careful
- D. quick ✓
- E. heavy
The correct set is B and D. Picking only D — or D and C — can score zero. The full exact set is needed.
Why this feels harder under time pressure
- Children must read the instruction line carefully every time (“Choose two…” versus “Which one…”).
- Partial credit is not something families can assume. Multi-select items are often marked as an exact set — miss one correct option, or add an extra wrong one, and the whole question can score zero.
- Finding one good answer is not enough. Children need the complete correct set.
Tip for home practice: when your child finishes a multi-answer question, ask them to explain why each selected option works and why the others fail — not just circle two letters and move on.
Marking: what we know — and what is not fully clear yet
Bexley publishes a clear high-level weighting for the Selection Test total:
- 50% verbal ability
- 25% numerical ability
- 25% non-verbal ability
Results are reported as a weighted age-standardised score (average around 200, with many children roughly between 170 and 230). The selective threshold is set each year with the four Bexley grammar schools.
Where clarity is still limited
Because Quest is new for Bexley, families should be careful about over-confident claims online. At the time of writing, parents still have limited independent detail on every Quest-specific marking nuance — for example, how every multi-select item is treated in every section, or how raw section scores are transformed before weighting.
Bexley also notes that raw scores are not held by the Council for release. Treat public pass-mark calculators with caution until more real sittings and official updates are available.
Start with official familiarisation
Before buying another pile of generic papers, work through Quest's own familiarisation materials. They help children see the look and feel of Quest-style questions and practise answer-sheet habits.
Quest familiarisation (English, Maths, VR, NVR + guidance):
questassessments.com/parent-guidance
Bexley Council — Selection Test information:
bexley.gov.uk — About the Bexley Selection Test
What to practise now
- Keep the foundations — vocabulary, daily reading, Year 5 maths fluency, and NVR pattern work still transfer from CEM / GL prep.
- Add multi-answer English and VR drills — train exact-set thinking, not single-bubble guessing.
- Practise on paper under timed sections — Bexley is not an on-screen adaptive Quest sitting.
- Use official familiarisation first, then full mocks that mirror Bexley's Quest paper style.
- Do not obsess over unofficial marking myths — focus on accuracy, instruction-reading, and stamina until more Quest-Bexley data is public.
Bottom line: Bexley's move to Quest is real — but it is still a paper Selection Test covering familiar skills. The biggest prep upgrade is learning Quest's trickier answering conventions, especially multi-answer English and verbal items.