Northern Ireland transfer test scores explained
The SEAG transfer test, which replaced the AQE and GL tests, gives an English and a Maths score (69 to 141, average 100), their total, the TSAS (138 to 282, average 200), and a Band from 1 to 6 set by percentile.
SEAG
200 is the average TSAS
The average TSAS is 200, on a scale from 138 to 282.
Your result
200 is the average TSAS. The average TSAS is 200, on a scale from 138 to 282. It adds the English and Maths scores, each from 69 to 141 with an average of 100. The letter also gives a Band from 1 to 6. SEAG does not publish which TSAS falls in each Band.
What the SEAG outcomes letter shows
- English and Maths standardised scores, 69 to 141. One for each subject, with an average of 100. They take account of your child's age on the day, the number of correct answers and how difficult the assessment was.
- Total score (TSAS), 138 to 282. The English and Maths scores added together, so the average is 200. Schools rank applicants by the TSAS, the Band or both, as their admissions criteria say.
- Band 1 to 6. Where your child's TSAS falls among all the children who sat the assessment that year. SEAG does not publish which TSAS falls in each Band.
- “e” after a score. A child who sat only one paper gets estimated outcomes, marked with an e, such as TSAS 196e.
SEAG Bands by percentile
| Band | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Band 1 | at or above the 60th percentile of this year's cohort, the top 40% |
| Band 2 | from the 50th to the 59th percentile of this year's cohort |
| Band 3 | from the 40th to the 49th percentile of this year's cohort |
| Band 4 | from the 30th to the 39th percentile of this year's cohort |
| Band 5 | from the 20th to the 29th percentile of this year's cohort |
| Band 6 | below the 20th percentile of this year's cohort |
Cut-off scores schools have published
The score at which each school's places given in score order ended, from the school's own statement. Schools also give places by other criteria, such as siblings or a pool of applicants near the cut-off.
| School | Entry | Places | Applications | Score-order places ended at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomfield Collegiate (Belfast) | September 2026 | 110 | 186 | |
| Campbell College (Belfast) | September 2026 | 130 | 138 | 182 |
| Lagan College (Belfast) | September 2026 | 220 | 350 | 203 |
| Methodist College Belfast | September 2026 | 240 | 311 | 211 |
| Sullivan Upper School (Holywood) | September 2026 | 150 | 189 | 217 |
| Wellington College (Belfast) | September 2026 | 120 | 173 | 188 |
| Bloomfield Collegiate (Belfast) | September 2025 | 110 | 194 | 186 |
| Bloomfield Collegiate (Belfast) | September 2024 | 110 | 119 | 169 |
- 2026: Bloomfield Collegiate admitted the 109 applicants scoring 186 and above, and one more of those who scored 185.
- 2026: Campbell College gave its first 91 of 130 places in score order, to applicants scoring 263 down to 182; 19 more went from a pool scoring 181 down to 168, by its other criteria.
- 2026: Lagan College gave its 77 grammar-stream places in score order, down to a TSAS of 203, where applicants were tied for the last places; its other places are all-ability.
- 2026: Methodist College Belfast gave its first 200 of 240 places in score order, down to a TSAS of 211; the rest went from a pool by its other criteria, and the lowest score admitted was 196.
- 2026: Sullivan Upper School gave its first 120 of 150 places in score order, down to a SEAG score of 217; the other 30 went from a pool of applicants down to 201, by its other criteria.
- 2026: Wellington College gave all 120 places in score order; the last place fell at a TSAS of 188, where 5 applicants were tied for 1 place.
- 2025: Bloomfield Collegiate admitted applicants scoring 241 down to 186, and 4 of the 6 who tied at 185 for the last places.
- 2024: Bloomfield Collegiate admitted applicants scoring 169 and above, and 1 of the 2 who tied at 168 for the last place.
The other 57 SEAG schools have not published the lowest score they admitted.
The 2026 SEAG transfer test
- Two papers. Paper 1 on Saturday, 14 November 2026 and Paper 2 on Saturday, 21 November 2026, each at a SEAG school.
- 60 minutes each. 28 English (or Gaeilge) and 28 Maths questions, after an untimed practice section of 5 of each that does not count.
- Outcomes on Saturday, 23 January 2027. For entry to Year 8 in September 2027.
- £20 to register. Free for children entitled to free school meals. A re-mark costs £20 a paper.
The 63 schools that use SEAG
Abbey Christian Brothers' Grammar School (Newry) · Antrim Grammar School · Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School (Belfast) · Assumption Grammar School (Ballynahinch) · Ballyclare High School · Ballymena Academy · Banbridge Academy · Bangor Grammar School · Belfast High School · Belfast Royal Academy · Bloomfield Collegiate (Belfast) · Cambridge House Grammar School (Ballymena) · Campbell College (Belfast) · Carrickfergus Grammar School · Christian Brothers' Grammar School (Omagh) · Coleraine Grammar School · Dalriada School (Ballymoney) · Dominican College (Belfast) · Down High School (Downpatrick) · Enniskillen Royal Grammar School · Foyle College (Londonderry) · Friends' School Lisburn · Glenlola Collegiate (Bangor) · Grosvenor Grammar School (Belfast) · Hunterhouse College (Belfast) · Lagan College (Belfast) · Larne Grammar School · Lecale Trinity Grammar School (Downpatrick) · Limavady Grammar School · Loreto Grammar School Omagh · Lumen Christi College (Derry) · Methodist College Belfast · Mount Lourdes Grammar School (Enniskillen) · Omagh Academy Grammar School · Our Lady and St Patrick's College, Knock (Belfast) · Our Lady's Grammar School (Newry) · Rainey Endowed School (Magherafelt) · Rathmore Grammar School (Belfast) · Regent House School (Newtownards) · Royal Belfast Academical Institution · Royal School Armagh · Royal School Dungannon · Sacred Heart Grammar School (Newry) · Slemish College (Ballymena) · St Colman's College (Newry) · St Columb's College (Derry) · St Dominic's High School (Belfast) · St Joseph's Grammar School Donaghmore · St Louis Grammar School Ballymena · St Louis Grammar School Kilkeel · St Malachy's College (Belfast) · St Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School (Belfast) · St Mary's Grammar School Magherafelt · St Michael's College (Enniskillen) · St Patrick's Academy Dungannon · Strabane Academy · Strangford Integrated College · Strathearn School (Belfast) · Sullivan Upper School (Holywood) · Thornhill College (Derry) · Victoria College Belfast · Wallace High School (Lisburn) · Wellington College (Belfast)
Questions people ask
Is it still the AQE and GL transfer test?
No. All 63 academically selective schools in Northern Ireland now use one Entrance Assessment from SEAG, set and marked by GL Assessment, in place of the two different tests pupils used to sit.
What is a good TSAS?
The average TSAS is 200. A cut-off depends on the school: in 2026, Methodist College Belfast's score-order places ended at 211 and Wellington College's at 188.
What score is each Band?
SEAG does not publish which TSAS falls in each Band. Bands are set by percentile in each year's cohort, so their scores move each year.
When are the 2026 SEAG test dates?
Paper 1 is on Saturday 14 November 2026 and Paper 2 on Saturday 21 November 2026. Outcomes letters are issued on 23 January 2027.
How long is each SEAG paper?
60 minutes, with 28 English and 28 Maths questions, after an untimed practice section.
More free tools
How we work this out
What it does
Type your child's total score, Band or school to see what the SEAG outcomes letter means and the cut-offs schools have published.
The SEAG Entrance Assessment, the one transfer test used by all 63 academically selective post-primary schools in Northern Ireland, and the cut-offs schools printed in their own statements on the point of oversubscription.
Method
- Each paper has an English and a Maths section. The two papers give an English and a Maths standardised score, each from 69 to 141 with an average of 100, adjusted for age.
- The TSAS adds the two, so it runs from 138 to 282 with an average of 200.
- The Band places your child by percentile in this year's cohort: Band 1 is the 60th percentile and above, Band 6 below the 20th.
- A school's cut-off here is the score at which the places it gave in score order ended, as the school published it.