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The Northern Ireland Transfer Test: SEAG Explained, and Why AQE No Longer Exists

If you have been told to prepare your child for "the AQE", the advice is out of date. Northern Ireland's two competing transfer tests were consolidated into a single assessment run by SEAG, and the old AQE and PPTC papers no longer run. That one change removes the most stressful feature of the old system — children sitting two different tests in two different formats — and it is still catching families out.

Short answer: Northern Ireland now uses a single transfer test run by SEAG (the Schools Entrance Assessment Group) and produced by GL Assessment. It replaced the former dual system of separate AQE and PPTC tests, so children sit one assessment rather than two. For 2027 entry, the two papers fall on Saturday 14 November and Saturday 21 November 2026, with registration closing on 18 September 2026 and no late window.

What changed, and why it matters

For years, Northern Irish families faced a genuinely difficult problem: two separate transfer tests, run by two separate bodies, in two different formats. The Association for Quality Education (AQE) ran one; the Post Primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC) ran the other. Different grammar schools accepted different tests, so a child whose shortlist spanned both groups had to prepare for, and sit, both — on multiple Saturdays, in different styles.

That dual system has been replaced. The Schools Entrance Assessment Group (SEAG) now administers a single transfer test accepted across the grammar sector, with papers produced and marked by GL Assessment. The practical effect is that the old AQE and PPTC tests no longer run, and a child sits one assessment regardless of which grammar schools are on their list.

The 2027 entry timetable

What the papers cover

The two SEAG assessments each feature English and maths questions, sat on consecutive Saturdays in November. This is a meaningfully different proposition from the reasoning-led tests used in much of England. A Lincolnshire child, for instance, sits only verbal and non-verbal reasoning, with no curriculum English or maths paper at all. Northern Irish preparation should therefore be grounded in curriculum content rather than reasoning technique.

Proximity: why Northern Ireland works differently

Parents moving from England often ask what the "catchment area" is for a Northern Irish grammar school. The honest answer is that the question does not map neatly onto the system here. There is no English-style local authority catchment framework in which a straight-line distance measurement determines most offers.

Instead, each grammar school publishes its own admissions criteria, applied after the assessment. Criteria vary school by school. They commonly give weight to whether a sibling currently attends, whether a parent attended, or whether the child comes from a named feeder or contributory primary school. Geography features in some, but not all.

Best tips for parents, students and tutors

👪 For parents

• Ignore advice that tells you to register for AQE. AQE and PPTC no longer run separate transfer tests. Register through SEAG, and check the current process on SEAG's own materials rather than an older guide.
• Treat the September registration deadline as immovable. There is no late window and no discretionary entry. Put it in the calendar in the summer before Year 6, not the autumn.
• Prepare on curriculum English and maths. Both SEAG papers are English and maths based, so curriculum confidence matters more here than reasoning-test technique.
• Read each school's own admissions criteria in order. Sibling links, parental attendance and feeder primary status can outrank other considerations, and the ordering differs school by school.
• Old AQE practice papers are still useful as practice. The format has changed, but the underlying English and maths skills have not — just do not rely on them for anything procedural.

🎓 For students

• You sit two papers, on two Saturdays in November. Both cover English and maths. The second paper is a fresh start, whatever happened in the first.
• Focus on the maths and English you already do in school. This is not a reasoning test — your classroom work is directly relevant preparation, which is good news.
• Practise working steadily under time. Two papers a week apart rewards consistency rather than one big effort, so keep your routine the same across both weekends.
• Get a proper night's sleep before each Saturday. Sitting an assessment on a weekend morning is unusual; rehearse the early start once beforehand so it isn't novel on the day.

📚 For tutors

• Audit your materials for pre-SEAG content. A significant amount of Northern Irish tuition material still teaches to AQE or PPTC formats. Keep the skills work, replace anything procedural.
• Teach to curriculum standards, not reasoning technique. The English and maths basis of the SEAG papers means a curriculum-aligned scheme of work serves students better than an imported English-style reasoning course.
• Help families read admissions criteria properly. The sequencing of sibling, feeder-primary and other criteria is what decides Northern Irish offers, and most parents have never read a criteria document closely.
• Build the two-paper rhythm into mocks. Schedule practice assessments a week apart to mirror the real structure, so the gap between papers feels familiar rather than nerve-wracking.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Primary and official sources this guide is checked against — confirm the current detail against these before you rely on it.

• SEAG key dates — The Transfer Test (registration deadline and 2026 paper dates)
• nidirect — transfer from primary to post-primary school (official government guidance)
• Education Authority Northern Ireland — admissions

Related SharpY Mind resources

• UK Grammar Schools by Region & Exam Board
• 11+ Dates 2026: Every Area's Deadline for 2027 Entry
• 11+ Exam Anxiety: An Evidence-Based Guide
• How to Practise for the 11+: What Actually Works