GRAMMAR school entrance exams have been postponed to allow children more time to prepare when they return to classrooms.
The two groups that run the tests confirmed the delay amid calls for the unregulated system of academic selection to be pushed back or cancelled.
The independent exams were scheduled to take place over four Saturdays in November.
With schools likely to remain shut until after the summer, many parents are worried about how ready their children will be.
A survey by education charity Parentkind revealed almost half of P6 parents cited their child not being fully prepared for the tests as one of their biggest lockdown concerns.
There has been no state involvement in the 11-plus for a decade. The entrance exams are instead run by two private organisations, the Association for Quality Education (AQE) and Post Primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC).
The first AQE paper was due to be held on November 7. It has been rescheduled to November 21, with the second and third dates changed to November 28 and December 12.
PPTC schools will now run their multiple-choice style exams on December 5.
The board of AQE said it had been closely monitoring the coronavirus situation and the real difficulties and uncertainty it posed for parents, pupils and schools alike, particularly in relation to home schooling and pressures of work.
A proposal to postpone the assessment until January 2021 was tabled but the Department of Education said it could not accommodate this within the timeframe of the official transfer process.
"It would be clearly unacceptable to stage the assessment during the immediate period leading up to Christmas, which would also involve prolonging it after the holidays into early January 2021," the AQE said.
"Therefore, the board has decided to re-schedule the AQE assessment for the Saturdays of 21st and 28th November, and 12th December 2020. This will provide pupils with an extra two weeks of preparation compared to the original dates planned before the onslaught of coronavirus."
The PPTC, which includes most Catholic grammar schools, confirmed its papers would be delayed by three weeks, from November 14 until December 5.
"There are still many unknowns regarding what will be possible right across society in the late autumn. PPTC recognises that its plans may be affected by the unfolding situation," it said.
"PPTC has been able to delay the entrance assessment date by three weeks to allow pupils extra P7 time and yet also to ensure that outcomes will be available to be posted to parents ahead of transfer form completion."
Results will be received at the end of January.
Education Minister Peter Weir welcomed the decision, which he said should provide pupils, parents and teachers with clarity.
"More importantly, I hope that it will remove any stress that pupils and parents might be feeling and provide reassurance in terms of being able to plan and work towards the new dates that have been announced," he said.
