Published Saturday, 03 December 2011
Two separate exams are currently used by Northern Ireland's grammar schools - AQE or GL assessment.
Some children chose to sit both tests to give themselves the best chance of getting into their first preference school, which meant five tests over a series of Saturday mornings.
A number of pupils sat the test at RBAI in Belfast city centre. While many seemed untroubled by the exam, and one described it as "quite easy", his father said he would prefer if children only sat one entrance exam.
"I think it's less strain on the kids because the first test he did, he was fine, the second he was fine. He was dreading this on, but apparently has breezed through it. We're just waiting for the results now."
Student Josh said he did not mind doing three tests because "if you have a bad test, then you can still have two good tests".
"It's a lot of tests and I would prefer to have one common test for all the schools," Josh's mum said.
"I do agree with academic selection but it can be quite a lot of stress."
It is the third year RBAI has hosted the AQE tests, and principal Janet Williamson said there have been some benefits.
"I found this year was more relaxed and we felt increasingly confident about how we were doing the AQE tests," she said.
"In an ideal world, we would have one test that meets the needs of the schools that are continuing with academic selection. I think there may have to be compromise from AQE and GL but it would be a preference of mine also to move away from young people doing five tests. It's a lot."
Sinn Féin Education Minister John O'Dowd says there should be no transfer test at age eleven.