The exam at a glance
Ripon Grammar School’s Year 7 entrance test for 2028 entry uses GL Assessment. For this school, children should prepare across Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with steady practice in all four areas rather than focusing too heavily on one.
The test is paper based. In practice, that means children need more than subject knowledge alone: they also need to be comfortable marking answers clearly on paper, working accurately under timed conditions and moving calmly between short sections.
For Year 7 entry, the school says pupils apply while in Year 5, then sit the entrance test in early September in Year 6. That timing matters for preparation, because most of the work needs to be done during Year 5 and the summer before Year 6.
On the day itself, families should expect an organised test session at or arranged by the school, with children completing the GL-style paper in timed parts. Because the school’s published information for the 2028 round has not yet been released, parents should treat any exact timings for the test session as something to confirm directly from the school once registration opens.
- Exam board: GL Assessment
- Subjects: Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning
- Format: one paper covering all four areas
- Delivery: paper based
- When sat: early September in Year 6, after applying in Year 5
For parents, the key takeaway is simple: this is a broad, timed selective test, so the best preparation is consistent work across all four subjects, not last-minute cramming.
Registration and key dates
Ripon Grammar School runs its own main school admissions testing process. The school’s admissions page says that children applying for Year 7 register from April until 30 June while in Year 5, for testing in September of Year 6. On the pages available at the time of writing, the school had published this pattern for the current cycle, but had not yet published the full 2028-entry dates.
For families aiming at September 2028 entry, the safest approach is to expect the same broad pattern unless the school announces otherwise: registration usually opens in April, usually closes on 30 June, and the test is typically in early September of Year 6. Because the 2028 dates were not yet on the school site, those timings should be treated as typical based on the school’s published admissions information, not as confirmed final dates.
The school asks families to use its admissions process for registration. Before the form opens, it is sensible to have the basics ready: your child’s personal details, current school details, home address information and any documents the school requests for admissions or boarding status. If your circumstances are unusual, for example shared address arrangements or a move into the area, contact the school admissions team early rather than guessing what evidence will be accepted.
A practical checklist for this school is:
- Read the school’s admissions page in spring of Year 5.
- Complete the school’s registration within the published window.
- Keep a copy of the confirmation email or reference.
- Check for test-day instructions during the summer.
- Submit the separate local authority school preference form by the national deadline later in Year 6.
Parents who want a quick place to monitor updates can use The Ripon Grammar School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates): /schools/ripon-grammar-school and sign up for Free email alerts for this school's key dates: /school-alerts?school=ripon-grammar-school.
Who can apply: catchment and admissions
Ripon Grammar School is a selective grammar school with a defined admissions structure. For Year 7 entry, the school has a maximum of 117 places each September, including 14 reserved for boarders.
The school’s admissions information explains that a fixed percentage of places is offered to children from the school’s catchment area, in addition to the places reserved for boarders. If places remain after those allocations, they can then be offered to children living outside catchment who have reached the required standard, with the school’s oversubscription criteria applied strictly.
That means there are really two separate questions for families:
- Has my child reached the required standard in the entrance test?
- Where does my child sit within the oversubscription rules, including catchment or boarding priority where relevant?
Ripon Grammar School does not appear on the official pages we reviewed to publish a simple universal pass mark that guarantees a place for every child. As with many grammar schools, meeting the academic standard and actually being offered a place are not always the same thing when there are more qualified applicants than places available. Parents should therefore read the school’s admissions policy carefully each year rather than relying on forum claims about scores or distances.
If you are unsure whether your address falls within catchment, or how a move of house would be treated, check the current admissions policy and ask the school for written clarification. It is much better to resolve address questions early than to make assumptions.
- School type: coeducational grammar school
- Year 7 places: 117
- Reserved boarding places: 14
- Priority structure: catchment allocation plus boarding allocation, then out-of-catchment offers for children who have met the required standard if places remain
A month-by-month preparation plan
Because Ripon Grammar School tests in early September of Year 6, the most comfortable preparation window is from the spring or summer of Year 5. Children do not need endless tutoring hours; they do need regular, calm practice that builds fluency and confidence.
January to March in Year 5
Keep it light. Two short sessions a week, around 1 to 1.5 hours total, is enough at this stage. Start by finding strengths and gaps across Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Focus on core arithmetic, reading comprehension, spelling patterns, vocabulary building and puzzle-style reasoning basics.
April in Year 5
Once registration opens, make the process feel real but not stressful. Increase to 2 hours a week, split into short sessions. Introduce timed mini-sections rather than full papers. The aim is to help your child get used to working at a steady pace without rushing.
May
Move to 2 to 2.5 hours a week. By now, each subject should appear every fortnight at minimum. Keep Maths and English grounded in school-level knowledge, while building GL-style familiarity in Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Start an error notebook: not pages of copied corrections, just a brief record of recurring mistakes.
June
This is a good time for the first mixed practice under gentle timing. Aim for 2.5 to 3 hours a week. Your child should begin switching between subjects in one sitting, because that is mentally different from practising one topic at a time. Registration deadlines also tend to fall around the end of this month, so double-check all admin is complete.
July
Now start proper timed work, but not every session. Around 3 hours a week is realistic for most children. One session can be untimed teaching and consolidation; another can include timed sections; a third can review mistakes. If you use full papers too early and too often, scores can dip simply because stamina has not caught up yet.
August
This is the key month. Work up to 3 to 4 hours a week, with breaks and lighter days. Complete timed sections regularly and a small number of full practice papers under realistic conditions. Review matters more than volume: ask why errors happened. Was it vocabulary, method, timing, misreading or nerves?
Late August to early September
Taper rather than intensify. In the final ten days, focus on confidence, routine and accuracy. Do one or two final timed practices, then shift to short mixed exercises, quick mental maths, vocabulary recall and calm sleep routines. Avoid marathon sessions the weekend before the test.
A good rule of thumb is that preparation should feel steady and sustainable. If your child is regularly upset, exhausted or resistant, reduce the load and simplify the plan. Consistency beats pressure.
Subject by subject: what to practise
Maths
For a GL-style paper, Maths practice should centre on secure Key Stage 2 skills used at speed. Children need confidence with the four operations, place value, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio basics, measures, time, perimeter, area and interpreting straightforward tables or charts. They also need to read questions carefully and decide quickly which method to use.
The most useful practice is short, regular and mixed. Include mental arithmetic, written method accuracy and worded problems. Encourage your child to underline key information, estimate before calculating and check whether an answer is sensible. If timing is an issue, work on choosing an efficient method rather than simply pushing for more speed.
English
At this level, English preparation usually means a blend of comprehension, vocabulary, spelling and grammar awareness. Children should practise reading short passages attentively, locating evidence, understanding tone and meaning, and noticing how words are used in context.
Vocabulary matters a great deal. A simple, effective routine is to read widely and discuss unfamiliar words as they arise, then revisit them later in the week. For grammar, focus on sentence sense, punctuation, word classes and common spelling patterns. If your child reads accurately but answers imprecisely, teach them to return to the text and prove each answer from what is actually written.
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning rewards familiarity with recurring question styles. Children often need to work with letter patterns, codes, word relationships, sequences, deductions and vocabulary-based logic. The challenge is not only solving the question but recognising the method quickly.
Build this subject gradually. Start untimed so your child learns the logic behind each type, then introduce short timed sets once the method is understood. Keep a list of new words, prefixes, suffixes and common analogies. If progress feels slow at first, that is normal: Verbal Reasoning often improves sharply once patterns become familiar.
Non-Verbal Reasoning
Non-Verbal Reasoning usually tests pattern recognition using shapes, rotation, reflection, codes, similarities, differences and sequences. Children benefit from being explicitly taught what to look for: number of shapes, shading, position, direction, symmetry and movement from one frame to the next.
Use step-by-step discussion before timed practice. Ask your child to explain the rule they think is operating. This helps prevent random guessing and builds confidence. Once the main types are familiar, practise in short timed bursts so they learn to scan options efficiently and avoid spending too long on one puzzle.
Practice papers and mock exams
Practice papers are most useful when they are used sparingly and reviewed properly. It is better to complete one paper carefully, then spend time understanding the mistakes, than to race through many papers without learning from them.
A sensible pattern is:
- Teach the skill first.
- Try a few focused questions of one type.
- Move to a short timed set.
- Only then use a fuller paper.
- Review every error by category: knowledge gap, misunderstood instruction, timing slip or avoidable mistake.
For this school, make sure the material you use reflects GL Assessment style and covers Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Avoid relying only on one favourite subject. Ripon Grammar School’s test is broad, so preparation should be broad too.
Useful starting points:
- Free Ripon Grammar School practice papers (one per tested subject, with answers): /schools/ripon-grammar-school-mock-tests
- The Ripon Grammar School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates): /schools/ripon-grammar-school
- Free email alerts for this school's key dates: /school-alerts?school=ripon-grammar-school
If you book a mock exam, use it as a confidence-building rehearsal, not as a verdict on your child. A mock can help with stamina, timing and test-room routine, but one score should never be treated as destiny. After any mock, look for patterns: did your child fade late in the paper, panic under time pressure or lose marks in one subject area? That information is what makes the mock valuable.
On the day
The day of the test should feel calm, practical and predictable. The biggest help you can give your child is routine.
- Prepare everything the night before: clothing, pencils, pens if requested, eraser, water and the journey plan.
- Allow plenty of travel time so there is no rushed arrival.
- Serve a normal breakfast your child is happy eating.
- Avoid last-minute teaching on the morning itself.
- Use steady language: “Do your best, listen carefully, move on if a question feels hard.”
For the child, the most helpful reminders are simple:
- Listen carefully to the invigilator.
- Read instructions before starting each section.
- Keep an eye on the time, but do not panic.
- If stuck, move on and return if there is time.
- Mark answers clearly on the paper or answer sheet as instructed.
After the test, try not to conduct a full post-mortem in the car. Most children remember the few questions they found difficult and forget the many they answered perfectly well. A calm snack and an ordinary afternoon are usually best.
After the exam: results, allocation and appeals
After the entrance test, the school will notify families according to its published admissions process for that year. For the 2028 round, the exact results date was not yet published on the pages reviewed during research, so parents should check the school’s admissions page once the new cycle opens.
In general, the process works in stages:
- Your child sits the selective test.
- The school determines whether the required academic standard has been met.
- You submit your school preferences through the local authority’s normal secondary application process.
- Places are allocated using the school’s admissions policy and oversubscription criteria.
- If you are refused a place, you can consider the waiting list and, where appropriate, an appeal.
It is important to remember that qualifying in the test does not always mean a place will be offered immediately if there are more eligible applicants than places. Catchment, boarding allocations and the school’s published oversubscription rules can all affect the final offer outcome.
If you are considering an appeal, focus on the school’s formal process and deadlines rather than online anecdotes. Appeals are evidence-based and follow legal admissions procedures. The strongest preparation is careful record-keeping: save registration confirmations, test communications and any correspondence about address or admissions category.
What has changed recently
From the official information available during research, the key current picture is that Ripon Grammar School’s Year 7 admissions process uses registration during Year 5 and testing in early September of Year 6, with the school’s admissions page publishing the current cycle window from 1 April to 30 June 2026. No separate official announcement for the 2028-entry timetable was available yet.
No additional officially announced change to the exam board, paper format, catchment structure or number of Year 7 places for the upcoming 2028 round was found on the reviewed school and local authority pages beyond the admissions details already described above.
Frequently asked questions
When should my child start preparing for the Ripon Grammar School 11+?
For most children, a gentle start in spring of Year 5 works well. Regular practice through Year 5 and the summer before Year 6 is usually more effective than starting very late.
What subjects are in the Ripon Grammar School 11+?
For 2028 entry, the test covers Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning using GL Assessment format.
Is the Ripon Grammar School test paper based or online?
It is paper based for 2028 entry. Children should practise working accurately on paper under timed conditions.
Does Ripon Grammar School publish a pass mark?
Not on the pages reviewed for this guide. Parents should check the school’s current admissions page each year and avoid relying on unofficial score claims.
Can children outside catchment apply?
Yes, but the school’s admissions information says catchment and boarding allocations are prioritised first, with remaining places then available to out-of-catchment children who have met the required standard.
How many Year 7 places are there at Ripon Grammar School?
There are 117 Year 7 places each September, including 14 reserved for boarders.
Sources
- Ripon Grammar School - Main school admissions: GL Assessment for Year 7 entry; application is made in Year 5; registration window from April until 30 June for the published cycle; entrance test sat in early September in Year 6; current-cycle registration opens 1 April 2026 and closes 30 June 2026; open evening reference; official admissions rout
- Ripon Grammar School - Home page: School identity and address details for Ripon Grammar School.
- Ripon Grammar School - Boarding admissions: Boarding places form part of the school's admissions structure and places are reserved for boarders.
Preparing for other schools in North Yorkshire
- Ampleforth College · practice papers
- How to prepare for the Ashville College 11+ · practice papers
- Cundall Manor School · practice papers
- Darwin School · practice papers
- Ermysted's Grammar School · practice papers
- Fyling Hall School · practice papers
Written by ElevenReady from the school's published information and reviewed by a person before publishing. Last reviewed 4 October 2026. Exam arrangements change. Check the school's admissions page for the current year.