SEAG transfer test scores explained.

What Is a Good SEAG Test Score?

If you’re a parent new to the SEAG Transfer Test, you might be wondering what counts as a “good” score—and what it means for your child’s chances of getting into a grammar school. Below is a breakdown of how the test is scored, what parts are important, and how to understand where your child stands.

1. What is SEAG and the TSAS?

• SEAG stands for the post-primary transfer assessment used in Northern Ireland. It’s the exam many pupils take to try to gain entrance to grammar schools.

• The TSAS is the Total Standardised Age Score. This is the big combined number that matters most. It mixes together how well your child did in English (or Irish) and Maths, compared to other pupils of the same age.

  
  

2. Understanding the Scores

• The TSAS ranges from 138 to 282.

• An average score is around 200. If your child gets close to 200, they're doing about as well as most students. If they score higher, that means above average; if lower, slightly below average.

• It’s important to note: TSAS isn’t how many questions your child answered correctly out of a total. It’s a standardised measure—so it shows how they performed compared to everyone else in their age group.
  

3. Subject Scores: English/Irish and Maths

• In addition to the TSAS, your child will also have separate scores for English (or Irish) and for Maths.

• These are called Standardised Age Scores (SAS) for each subject and have a different scale, where 100 is average.

• If your child scores above 100 in both subjects, that’s a good sign—they’re doing better than many of their peers. The higher those subject scores, the more they boost the TSAS.
  

4. The Banding System

• Grammar schools often group pupils into Bands. This helps with deciding who gets places when there are more applicants than places.

• The Bands are based on TSAS. They usually work like this:

  • Band 1 = Top performers

  • Bands 2-6 = descending levels of performance

• Being in Band 1 (i.e. one of the top TSAS scores) generally means a stronger chance at getting into a selective grammar school—but it depends on how selective the school is and how many places they have.
  

5. Percentiles: What They Tell You

• A percentile tells you what fraction of pupils your child scored higher than. For example, if your child is in the 70th percentile, they scored better than 70% of all test-takers.

• If your child is above the 60th percentile, that often places them in Band 1. That’s usually seen as a “good” outcome in many cases.
  

6. So What’s a “Good” Score?

Putting it all together, here are some rough guidelines for what might be considered a good SEAG score:

Level	What It Roughly Means
TSAS ≈ 200	Average – doing about as well as most pupils in the same year.
TSAS > 200 and high subject SAS in both English/Irish & Maths	Above average – this starts to look strong, especially if the child is placing in a higher Band (e.g. Band 1).
TSAS in the top score range (closer to 270-280) / high percentile	Very strong – this should give a very competitive edge in most grammar school applications.

Also, typically about 65% of those who sit the SEAG test are successful in getting a place at a grammar school, so having a score in the top 65% of test-takers is often considered “good” enough in many cases.

7. What You Should Do as a Parent

• Don’t get hung up on exact numbers—look at how your child did relative to others. Was their score above average? What Band are they in?

• Compare subject scores (English/Irish and Maths) to see strengths and areas for improvement.

• Check what grammar schools in your area require—some are more competitive than others.

• Use the score as a guide to help plan: maybe extra practice in weaker areas, or setting realistic goals based on past results.