Northern Ireland's post-primary transfer happens through two separate tests run by AQE (used by Methodist College, RBAI, BRA, Strathearn etc.) and PPTC/SEAG (used by other grammars).
The year in shape
AQE is three Saturday papers in November. PPTC/SEAG is a single combined paper. Many NI families register for both depending on target school list.
Format differences are real. AQE rewards stamina across three papers; SEAG rewards single-paper performance. Preparation must address whichever format(s) your target schools use.
Term-by-term plan
Autumn term. Through autumn of Year 6 (the test year — note that NI works differently from England), the family decides which schools and therefore which tests to sit.
Spring term. Through October, intensify format-specific practice. AQE families should sit one practice paper per week in the run-up to November; SEAG families should sit full SEAG practice papers.
Summer term & holiday. Through November, the live AQE Saturdays sit alongside school work. Build deliberate rest days into the test fortnight; three Saturdays of full sittings are physically tiring for an 11-year-old.
Topics to prioritise
Highest-leverage NI topics: comprehension inference (heavy across both formats), strong mental arithmetic (NI curriculum-aligned), and the unique rules of NI primary maths that differ slightly from English KS2.
Common mistakes parents make this year
The most common parent mistake is sitting both AQE and SEAG without adequate format-specific preparation for either. Pick the test that aligns with your target schools and prepare for it deliberately.
Signs to look for
Signs the year is going well: child scores consistently in the qualifying range on whichever format you have prepared for, copes with the November sitting calendar, and approaches each Saturday calmly. If these signs are present, the year is going well; if they are absent, the issue is rarely intelligence — it is usually pacing, format unfamiliarity or the wrong tutoring relationship. Identify which and adjust deliberately.
Where to go next
Read the Northern Ireland regional guide for the calendar; read the AQE format guide; consider working with a NI-specific tutor who knows both AQE and SEAG. Read across the related guides on this site — the guides index groups them by category for easy navigation.