New details have been revealed about the first joint transfer test, which is set to take place in 2023.
It will be run by a new body representing nearly 60 schools that have endorsed the new test.
BBC News NI first revealed details of Schools Entrance Assessment Group (SEAG) plans for 2021.
The joint test will replace the current separate tests conducted by AQE and PPTC, which will be held for the last time in November and December 2022.
It’s the biggest change to the post-primary transfer system since 2008, when the state-administered 11-plus test ended after around 60 years.
More details about the joint test have just been published on a new website set up by SEAG.
Two tests will take place on Saturday, November 11, 2023 and Saturday, November 25, 2023.
The results will then be sent to the children who will take the joint test in early 2024.
Currently, children can take up to five test sheets if they take both the AQE and PPTC tests.
The transfer tests conducted by SEAG are prepared by the organization GL Assessment, which currently determines the test materials used by PPTC.
Both new exam papers contain English and Maths questions and there will also be an option for students to be assessed in Irish instead of English.
English or Irish will be tested for punctuation, spelling and grammar using multiple choice questions and there will also be a written comprehension test.
The math part of the test also consists mainly of multiple choice questions.
Students have one hour to complete each test paper.
The results will then be used by almost all selected schools in Northern Ireland to enroll pupils in Year 8 in September 2024.
BBC News NI understands that although 59 schools have signed up to use the new test, a select three schools in Northern Ireland have not yet joined SEAG.
It is still unclear what method these schools will use to select students for 2024.
The cost for parents to register their child for the SEAG test is £20, but participation is free for students who are entitled to free school meals.
However, the transfer test has proved controversial, with a number of criticisms of academic selection and calls for changes.
For example, a recent paper from Ulster University’s School of Education states that it “benefited some (generally already privileged) students, while hurting the life chances of a large proportion of the school population”.
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