How do schools use SEAG results?

Each grammar school sets and publishes its own admissions criteria. While SEAG results are central, schools may use the total standardised score, the cohort band, or additional criteria such as sibling links. The order in which you list schools on your application is commonly not used, so read each school's published criteria directly.

Understanding Results

How SEAG ScoringActually Works

A clear explanation of standardised scores, cohort bands, and how grammar schools use SEAG results in their admissions process.

Test format

The SEAG transfer test consists of two papers, each containing English and Maths sections. Both papers contribute equally to your child's final score.

Each Paper Contains

28English questions (22 multiple choice, 6 written)
28Maths questions (22 multiple choice, 6 written)
10Practice questions (not scored)

Question Types

Multiple choice for quick recall
Written answers for deeper understanding
Based on NI Curriculum (KS2)

Details are taken from official SEAG guidance (seagni.co.uk) and were last checked in July 2026.

Standardised Age Scores

Raw scores (the number of correct answers) are converted to standardised age scores. This accounts for your child's age when they took the assessment, the number of correct answers, and the degree of difficulty of the assessment.

Why standardise?

A child born in September is almost a year older than one born in August. Without age standardisation, older children would have an unfair advantage. Standardised scores level the playing field so schools can compare children fairly.

You will receive separate Standardised Age Scores for English (or Gaeilge) and Maths, each based on 56 questions across Papers 1 and 2. Each subject score ranges from 69 to 141 with a mean of 100. These are added together to give the Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS), which ranges from 138 to 282 with a mean of 200. Most grammar schools use the total score in their admissions criteria.

Cohort Bands

In addition to standardised scores, SEAG places each child in a cohort band. These bands group children by their relative performance compared to all other test-takers that year. The 2026 guidance uses six bands, from Band 1 at the top to Band 6.

How bands work

Children are ranked by their total standardised score and placed into one of six cohort bands based on their percentile within that year's cohort. Band 1 is the top band, covering children at or above the 60th percentile, and Band 6 covers those below the 20th percentile. The percentile boundaries stay the same each year, but the standardised scores that fall into each band vary depending on how the cohort performs.

Band 160th percentile or above (top band)
Band 250th to below 60th percentile
Band 340th to below 50th percentile
Band 430th to below 40th percentile
Band 520th to below 30th percentile
Band 6Below the 20th percentile

How bands are used varies by school and by year. Some schools use cohort bands as part of their selection criteria, while others rank by standardised score. Always check the specific admissions criteria published by each school you are considering.

How schools use SEAG results

Each grammar school sets its own admissions criteria. While SEAG results are central, schools may weight them differently or consider additional factors.

Total Standardised Score

Many schools rank applicants by their total standardised score, offering places to those with the highest scores first.

Cohort Band

Some schools use the cohort band as part of their criteria, considering children in a higher band before those in a lower one. Within a band, other criteria may then apply. How bands are used varies by school and by year.

Your preference order

Listing a school as your first choice does not give your child priority. Published Northern Ireland grammar school admissions criteria commonly state that the order in which you list schools is not used when places are allocated. Each school sets and publishes its own criteria, so read them directly.

Sibling Priority

Many schools give preference to applicants who have siblings already attending the school.

Admissions criteria are set by each school and change from year to year. Always read the criteria a school publishes for the relevant year, and check official SEAG guidance (seagni.co.uk).

The uncomfortable truth about scores

Score obsession backfires

Parents who fixate on reaching a specific score (often 120 or 130) often create counterproductive pressure. Children who feel they are chasing a number rather than building skills tend to develop anxiety that hurts test-day performance.

Mock test scores mislead

Scores on practice papers cannot be meaningfully compared to SEAG results. Real standardised scores depend on the performance of the entire cohort that year. A "good" mock score means nothing without knowing how others performed.

High scores do not guarantee happiness

A transfer test score is a snapshot, not a ceiling. A child thriving in the right environment often outperforms a stressed child who scraped into a more competitive school.

What actually matters: Focus on building genuine understanding and confidence. The score takes care of itself when preparation is done right.

Tips for results day

Research school admissions criteria before results arrive so you know what scores are typically needed.
List at least four schools on your application, including at least one non-grammar school.
Remember that a score is just one measure. Your child's happiness and fit with a school matter too.
Attend open days at multiple schools to help your child feel confident about their options.

Prepare with confidence

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