Guide · Parents · Northern Ireland
Post-primary transfer in Northern Ireland
The transfer test, results in January, applying for a post-primary place, and how schools choose between applicants.
By the Pyxion Learn team · Checked 30 October 2026
Northern Ireland has 66 grammar schools alongside non-selective secondary schools, and the transfer from P7 has its own timetable.
The transfer test
Grammar schools that select by academic ability use a transfer test sat in Primary 7, in the autumn. You register your child directly with the test organiser, not the Education Authority (for the 2026 test, registration ran from 18 May to 18 September 2026). Taking the test is optional: non-selective schools don’t use it.
For the 2026/27 cycle, the two test papers are on 14 and 21 November 2026 and results are issued on 23 January 2027.
Applying for a place
After the results, you apply for a post-primary place through the Education Authority, listing schools in order of preference. Each school publishes its own admissions criteria; there are no catchment areas. Grammar schools typically use the test result first, then criteria such as siblings or feeder primary schools to break ties.
What to compare
- Each school’s published criteria, in order. A school can be very different from its neighbour.
- How many applicants each school had per place in recent years.
- Travel: many pupils travel some distance to post-primary schools.
Key dates for Northern Ireland · Northern Ireland schools by area