Frequently Asked Questions

The Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group (SEAG) is a not for profit, private limited company, open to all 63 of the post-primary schools in N. Ireland which use academic selection for all or part of their Year 8 intake.

As a private Company SEAG is not under the control of the Department of Education, the Education Authority or any public body and does not report to the Department of Education, the Education Authority or any public body.

SEAG includes Controlled and Voluntary Grammar schools and Integrated schools in its membership.

The role of SEAG, Is to provide an Entrance Assessment with standardised outcomes (results) for pupils who will be transferring from primary school and who may wish to transfer to one of the schools which uses SEAG

outcomes within its Admissions Criteria.

Children born between 2nd July 2015 and 1st July 2016, who will be transferring from primary to Year 8 post- primary education in September 2027 are eligible to take the SEAG 2026 Entrance Assessment.

SEAG recognises that there is a small number of children whose dates of birth fall outside this range but who, in September 2027, will be transferring from primary to Year 8 post-primary education a year “earlier” or a year “later” than the normal transfer year. Such children are also eligible to take the SEAG 2026 Entrance Assessment.

Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs do not need to sit the Entrance Assessment because a separate Year 8 Admissions Process applies to them and the SEAG outcomes do not form part of that process.

For 2026, as for 2025, there is a non-refundable administration fee of £20 to register a child to sit the Entrance Assessment. Parents of pupils with a Free School Meals Entitlement (FSME) are exempt from the £20 fee (FSME evidence will be required). If there is a Late Registration Window in 2026 (this was available for 4 days in September 2025) the non- refundable administration fee during the Late Registration Window will be £50.

There are two stages to this process: 

Stage 1: You (as a parent/guardian of the child) register yourself on the portal in the SEAG website  www.seagni.co.uk.

Stage 2: Having completed a parent/guardian registration for yourself, you will then be able to register your child by making and submitting a Pupil Application on the portal. 

If you have not completed and submitted a Pupil Application by the time that Registration has closed your child will not be registered and will not be able to sit the 2026 SEAG Entrance Assessment.

You need to register your child by completing and submitting a Pupil Application so that SEAG has all the details it needs to be able to put arrangements in place for your child to sit the Entrance Assessment in one of the SEAG Assessment Centres.

If you have not completed and submitted a Pupil Application by the time Registration has closed your child will not be registered and will not be able to sit the 2026 SEAG Entrance Assessment.

The Registration period is open from 8am on Monday 18th May 2026 until 11:59pm on Friday 18th September 2026. 

If you have not completed and submitted a Pupil Application by the time that Registration has closed your child will not be registered and will not be able to sit the 2026 SEAG Entrance Assessment.

Yes, once a parent/guardian has been registered he/she will be able to make two Pupil Applications.

Updated steps in progress.

No, you will need to set up a new parent/guardian registration to make a Pupil Application for the 2026 SEAG Entrance Assessment. You will be able to use the same email address and details to make the registration.  

Your child will sit the SEAG Entrance Assessment in the Assessment Centre you selected when submitting the Pupil Application. 

All 63 Assessment Centres have worked very hard to ensure that SEAG can accommodate all registered pupils within a reasonable travelling time from their homes with responsibility for accommodating pupils being spread fairly across all Centres. 

As part of the Pupil Application process, you select where you would like your child to sit the Entrance Assessment. A drop-down list shows you all the available Assessment Centres which can accommodate your child. You should select the Centre which is most convenient for you from that list. Although the drop-down list initially contains all 63 Centres, it is possible that, over time, a Centre could reach its maximum capacity. If that happens the Centre will not be available from the drop-down list.

No - and this is VERY important. There is no connection between where a pupil sits the SEAG Entrance Assessment and the Post Primary Admissions Process. The Post Primary Admissions Process is run by the Education Authority – SEAG has no role in this.  Irrespective of where your child sits the SEAG Entrance Assessment, you may apply for a Year 8 place in any of the SEAG schools. 

Yes. Both English and Gaeilge versions of the Assessment will be available. 

The invigilation of children who take the Irish Medium version of the Entrance Assessment is conducted in Irish and so needs to take place in an Assessment Centre which can offer the invigilation in Irish. For 2025, SEAG has 12 Centres providing invigilation in Irish. When selecting your Assessment Centre during Registration you will be made aware of Centres that offer Irish invigilation. Below is also a list of those Centres.

Abbey Christian Brothers Grammar School (Newry)

Assumption Grammar School (Ballynahinch)

Christian Brothers' Grammar School (Omagh)

Loreto Grammar School (Omagh)

Limavady Grammar School (Limavady)

Mount Lourdes Grammar School(Enniskillen)

St Dominic's High School (Belfast)

St Joseph's Grammar School (Donaghmore)

St Louis Grammar School (Ballymena)

St Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School (Belfast)

St Mary's Grammar School (Magherafelt)

Thornhill College (Derry)

Updated link in progress.

The Specification is set out in the “Specification for the 2026 Entrance Assessment” and the “Gaeilge Specification for the 2026 Entrance Assessment“ documents. To access the Specification click HERE - Updated link coming soon.

The SEAG Entrance Assessment is being set and marked by GL Assessment.

GL Assessment are a world leader in the provision of high quality assessments for schools and school groups, having over 40 years’ experience of developing robust assessments. GL are the largest independent provider of educational assessments in the UK and Ireland and their products are used by over 19,000 schools in 111 countries to support children’s learning. GL Assessment tests are used every year by the vast majority of UK primary and post primary schools, including many schools in N. Ireland. You may be familiar with your child taking the Progress Test English or Progress Test Maths assessments in primary school; these are GL Assessment products. 

Yes. All the Practice Papers, Answer Sheets and the “SEAG Practice Papers with Answer Keys –Parents’ Guide” are free to download from our website. Click HERE. Updated link coming soon.

These materials provide a clear understanding of the format of the Entrance Assessment. The “SEAG Practice Papers with Answer Keys –Parents’ Guide” contains helpful detail as well as the correct answers to all the questions.     

No, SEAG do not sell any practice papers. We have made practice papers in English and in Gaeilge available,  free of charge, on our website. updated link coming soon.  These are the only “SEAG Practice Papers”.

SEAG does not endorse any other materials.

If you have made your Pupil Application and selected that you are requesting Access Arrangements, you will be directed to the Access Arrangements Section after you have completed the Payment Step. The Access Arrangements Section of the application can be completed now or at a later date. We recommend you complete this section as soon as you can. You can add to or amend the information and documentation you are providing before you submit this Section to SEAG. You must submit the Access Arrangements part of the application before the Registration closing date Friday 18th September 2026 11:59pm. Your Assessment Centre choice has been secured if you have paid the Administration Fee or provided appropriate FSME payment exemption evidence.

It is planned that SEAG results will be released on Saturday 23rd January 2027. You will be able to access your child’s results in “Statement of Outcomes” by logging onto your SEAG account. 

SEAG is very clear that its Entrance Assessment consists of two papers. A pupil who only takes one paper (i.e., either Paper 1 or Paper 2 but not both) will not have completed the full Entrance Assessment. Such pupils will, however, have their “single paper” marked by GL Assessment and will receive a Statement of Outcomes. Outcomes for pupils who only sit one paper will have the designation “e” (for estimate) immediately after the Outcome, e.g., Total Standardised Age Score TSAS 196e; Band 3e. Parents/Guardians will then need to, if applying to an academically selective school read the Admissions Criteria of their preferred post primary school, to ascertain the protocol on how a school processes an Estimated Outcome. 

Although SEAG provides the Entrance Assessment and Statements of Outcomes for each pupil it has no role or involvement in decisions as to how each SEAG school uses those Outcomes. Decisions relating to the Year 8 Admissions Criteria such as whether to use Total Standardised Age Score, Band, a combination of both or by some other method are entirely a matter for the Board of Governors of each SEAG school.  

Each Board of Governors has a responsibility to publish its Admissions Criteria for Year 8 September 2027 Entry. These Criteria are published in the 2026-27 school year before Parents/Guardians begin the Post Primary Transfer Application Process. 

The Statement of Outcomes is a page which sets out how your child has performed in the SEAG Entrance Assessment. The results it contains are based on your child’s total overall performance across the two Entrance Assessment Papers which make up the SEAG Entrance Assessment. The key outcomes which are most likely to be used by SEAG schools within their Year 8 Admissions Criteria are the Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS) and the Band. 

The Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS) is the overall outcome from the Entrance Assessment, based on the 56 English (or Gaeilge) Questions in Papers 1 and 2 and the 56 Maths questions in Papers 1 and 2. The Total SAS is the sum of the English (or Gaeilge) SAS and the Maths SAS. The Total SAS range will be 138-282 with a mean (or average) of 200. 

A Standardised Age Score (SAS) takes account of a child’s age when he/she took the assessment, the number of correct answers and the degree of difficulty of the assessment.  

Outcomes are also given as one of six Bands. The Bands are designated as Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5 and Band 6 and Cohort* Percentiles are used to determine the borderline for each Band. *Cohort means all those who take the SEAG Entrance Assessment in a given year. 

SEAG Band    Cohort Percentile 

Band 1            60% or higher 

Band 2            50-59% 

Band 3            40-49% 

Band 4            30-39% 

Band 5            20-29% 

Band 6            less than 20% 

Yes, as well as receiving the Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS) and Band you will be given your child’s English/Irish SAS, their Maths SAS and further information about the Cohort Percentile Ranking (CPR).

The English/Irish SAS is the Standardised Age Score based on answers to the 56 English (or Irish) questions. The English/Irish SAS range will be 69-141 with a mean (or average) of 100 and it is provided to inform parents and primary school teachers as to how their children have performed in this aspect of the Entrance Assessment.

The Maths SAS is the Standardised Age Score based on answers to the 56 Maths questions. The Maths SAS range will be 69-141 with a mean (or average) of 100 and it is provided to inform parents and primary school teachers as to how their children have performed in this aspect of the Entrance Assessment.

You may be familiar with the scores from standardised tests used in your child’s primary school, e.g., Progress Test in English and/or Progress Test in Maths, which also use this scale. 

Further Information about the Cohort* Percentile Ranking (CPR): Pupils in Band 1 will be in the top 40% of those who sat the Assessment. Bands 2-5 will each contain 10% of the total cohort. 

Additionally, Parents/Guardians will be provided with other outcomes relating to e.g. How many questions their child answered correctly in English (or Gaeilge) and in Maths and also how their child performed in Paper 1 and in Paper 2.

If you would like your child to sit the SEAG 2026 Entrance Assessment but cannot make an online Pupil Application because you have no access to a laptop, tablet or smartphone you should make contact with the Assessment Centre where you would like your child to sit the Assessment, and give the Centre your contact details, in writing. The Centre will forward those details to SEAG and SEAG will then get in touch with you to progress the Pupil Application.

Log out of your browser and re start your device if you can. Then log into SEAG using www.seagni.co.uk . Then type in your email address (do not use autofill). If you have forgotten your password then select forgot password and follow instructions. Alternatively, you could try a different device. 

Yes. The image you provide must be in the style of a passport photo. A clear background and only the pupil in the image. The image can be taken on a mobile device and uploaded to your application. 

Yes- SEAG needs this evidence in order to verify the child’s name and date of birth. 

You need to upload one of the following ID documents:

Birth certificate: A clear image of a long or short birth certificate.

Passport: A clear image of the ID page of the document.

Residence Permit: Both sides of this Permit are needed.

Where the name on the document does not match the current legal name of the child a copy of the Deed Poll is required instead.

When you reach the Payment page of the Pupil Application you will have the opportunity to select FSM (free school meals) payment exemption. You will need to provide clear and current approval evidence from the Education Authority of the pupil’s entitlement to FSM. The FSM evidence must include the pupil's name and Academic Year of Entitlement. SEAG will accept 25/26 and 26/27 documentation which must be:

• A screenshot from your EA Portal account which provides evidence of FSME OR
• A copy of an EA “Entitlement Letter”. 

Documents must show the child’s name, date of birth and that the FSME is current.

The UPN is a pupil’s Unique Pupil Number. Each pupil who is registered to sit the SEAG Entrance Assessment has a different UPN. This number should be used for all correspondence to SEAG. The pupil name, date of birth and UPN will be printed on to the Answer Sheet used at the Entrance Assessment and allows SEAG and GL Assessment to attribute the correct results to the correct pupil. 

SEAG will contact you if there is any issue regarding your Pupil Registration. If there is no issue you will not receive an updated email after verification. SEAG will ONLY contact you if there is an issue. If you do not receive a follow-up email then you can assume that your Pupil Application has been verified.

Once you have submitted your Pupil Application, you will no longer be able to change Assessment Centre on that Pupil Application. 

To change the Assessment Centre after you have submitted a Pupil Application, you would need to make a completely new Pupil Application and withdraw the original Pupil Application. SEAG would advise parents who wish to change their choice of Assessment Centre to make the new Pupil Application before withdrawing the existing Pupil Application, in case there are no places remaining at the new Assessment Centre, when the new Pupil Application is being submitted.

Please note that if you withdraw a Pupil Application before making a new Pupil Application your child will not be registered to sit the SEAG Entrance Assessment until a new Pupil Application has been submitted. If you make a new Pupil Application you will also need to make payment or supply FSME payment exemption evidence again. 

Refunds of the Administration Fee will not be given for changing Assessment Centres.

Parents/Guardians have the responsibility to ensure that their children arrive in the SEAG Assessment Centre in good time on the SEAG Entrance Assessment days. Pupils cannot be admitted after the Assessment has started.

The Administration Fee is non-refundable. 

No. There is no alternative date for individual pupils who have missed one of the two Papers. Any pupils who are absent on one of the two days will only have sat part of the full Entrance Assessment and will receive estimated outcomes.

Yes. This happens as part of the Post Primary Transfer Application Process which begins around February 2027 and is run by the Education Authority, not SEAG. It cannot happen as part of the marking process because GL Assessment can only mark the answers which each pupil has provided. 

Academically selective post-primary schools include, within their Year 8 Admissions Criteria, something which is usually referred to as “Special Circumstances”. This allows a parent, when making their post primary transfer application to, for example, ask the post-primary school to take account of their child being unwell when sitting one of the Entrance Assessment Papers. The parent provides documentary evidence to support their “Claim for Special Circumstances” and the post primary school has a responsibility to consider all the evidence provided. This process is completely outside the remit of SEAG. 

It is up to the Parent/Guardian to read and familiarise themselves with the Year 8 Post Primary Schools Admissions Criteria for any schools which they are considering for their child.

SEAG has set aside Saturday 28th November 2026 as a contingency date. This means that if the Assessment has to be completely postponed across all of N. Ireland on 14th or on 21st November 2026 e.g. because of very extreme weather, then 28th November 2026 would become an Entrance Assessment day.