If your child is in P6 now, they will sit the SEAG Entrance Assessment in P7, in November 2027. There's time. Below is what the test covers, when it makes sense to start, and a month-by-month plan that stays light.
Checked against SEAG and Department of Education guidance on 15 October 2026.
There's no official start date, and SEAG says the assessment is based entirely on the Northern Ireland Key Stage 2 curriculum, the same content your child is taught in school. That means preparation is mostly about making sure the basics are secure, not learning something new.
A sensible pattern for many families is to start gently in the spring of P6, find any gaps, and build a routine of short, regular sessions. That leaves plenty of time to fix weak spots without the pressure of cramming in P7.
The SEAG Entrance Assessment is two papers, sat a week apart in November of P7. Each paper has 28 English (or Gaeilge) questions and 28 maths questions, answered in 60 minutes after a short practice section.
See how the papers are laid out in Paper 1 vs Paper 2, and try free questions on every topic in the practice hub.
A guide, not a timetable. Move faster or slower depending on what the gap check shows, and keep most sessions to 15 to 20 minutes.
January 2027 (P6)
February and March
April
May
June
July and August
September (P7 begins)
October
November
Registration and test dates for 2027 are not yet published. We track them on SEAG 2027 dates.
More in our parent's guide and prep myths debunked.
Results come out in late January of P7, and the post-primary application to the Education Authority follows straight after. When you list schools, the Department of Education advises listing at least four in order of preference, including at least one non-grammar school. Read SEAG results day for how this works.
There's no official start date, and the test is based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum your child is already taught in school. The spring of P6 is a sensible time to start gently: find any gaps first, then build short, regular practice so there's no need to cram in P7.
Not if it is light. In P6 the aim is secure foundations and good habits, such as times tables, reading and careful working, rather than practice papers. A few short sessions a week is plenty for most children.
English (or Gaeilge) and maths, based entirely on the Northern Ireland Key Stage 2 curriculum. English covers comprehension, spelling and punctuation, grammar and syntax, and vocabulary. Maths covers number, measures, shape and space, money, probability and data.
In P7, in November 2027. SEAG has not published the 2027 dates yet; in 2026 the two papers were on Saturday 14 and Saturday 21 November. You will need to register your child with SEAG first, in a window expected to open around May 2027.
No. SEAG publishes free official practice papers, and many children prepare with their school and family. What matters most is spotting gaps early and practising little and often.
See which English and maths topics are secure and which need work, then use the plan above. No account and no card needed to take it.
Free to start · no card needed
Checked against SEAG and Department of Education guidance on 15 October 2026. SEAG may change its arrangements, so always follow the latest guidance on seagni.co.uk and from your child's Assessment Centre.