When to start preparing for the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test
No study sets an ideal age to start preparing for the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test. What is fixed is the calendar: registration in the summer term of Year 5, the test at the start of Year 6.
Start your child's Sutton Selective Eligibility Test preparation at the right time
Begin with what their class covers now, so the basics are solid. Add the exam track in Year 5, when the papers start to matter.
Counting back from the test
| When | What to focus on |
|---|---|
| Years 1 to 3 | Get the maths and reading taught in class solid. There is nothing exam-specific to do yet. |
| Year 4 | Keep up with class work. Times tables, spelling and reading for meaning matter most for what comes later. |
| Year 5 | Keep building the maths and English the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test tests. Get used to multiple choice questions and timed papers. |
| Year 5, summer term | Register. For September 2028 entry registration runs from 1 May 2027 to 31 July 2027. |
| Start of Year 6 | The test. For September 2028 entry it is on Tuesday, 14 September 2027 (the expected date). |
Source: Wallington County Grammar School, entry to Year 7 in September 2028. Checked 8 November 2026.
If your child is in Year 5 now
They sit the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test on Tuesday, 14 September 2027, for September 2028 entry.
What the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test tests
- SET English: a multiple choice paper of 40 to 50 minutes.
- SET maths: a multiple choice paper of 40 to 50 minutes, broadly based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum.
- Second stage for Sutton Grammar, Wallington County Grammar and Wilson's, shared by all three: an English paper and a maths paper with written answers, not multiple choice.
- Second stage for Nonsuch and Wallington High School for Girls, known as the NWSSEE: an English paper and a maths paper, not multiple choice, each 40 to 50 minutes.
- Two stages for the five grammar schools.
Source: Sutton Grammar School, SET FAQs (for the six SET schools); Nonsuch and Wallington Second Stage Entrance Examination FAQs; Sutton Grammar School, Admissions. Checked 8 November 2026.
Wondering whether it's too early or too late? What the research says about timing.
All dates and papers for the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test
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Schools that use the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test
- Sutton Grammar SchoolSutton
- Wallington County Grammar SchoolWallington
- Wilson's SchoolWallington
- Nonsuch High School for GirlsSutton
- Wallington High School for GirlsWallington
More on the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test
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Start your child's Sutton Selective Eligibility Test preparation at the right time
Begin with what their class covers now, so the basics are solid. Add the exam track in Year 5, when the papers start to matter.