trying to get into two of the Island's top academic schools this September.

Despite Government's abolition of the controversial 11-plus exam and its promise to have all secondary schools offer an equal curriculum by September, parents of 75 percent of the 600-Primary Seven student population chose to have their children sit an admission exam last month for The Berkeley Institute or Warwick Academy.

The Royal Gazette yesterday learned that number included 27 from Elliott Primary, 22 of Gilbert Institute's 24 Primary Seven students, 40 of Dellwood's 58, 37 of Harrington Sound's 44, 17 of St. George's Preparatory's 19, and 41 of West Pembroke's 51.

However, Berkeley can only take up to 120 of the Primary Seven students and Warwick will just have 90 spaces available for first-year pupils.

And with the results of the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) out, parents are anxiously waiting to hear whether their children have been accepted by one of the two schools.

The Royal Gazette understands that exam results were wide-ranging and at least 10 of the students achieved perfect scores on the interim exam.

But news on placements is not expected to come until the week of May 24.

Principals at both Government-aided schools are still wading through hundreds of applications -- and SSAT results.

Berkeley, which is to become one of Government's two senior secondary schools in 1999, has 265 applications and Warwick, which is scheduled to become completely private in September, 1995, has received slightly less.

While principals of the schools did not comment yesterday, Education Minister the Hon. Gerald Simons said teachers had expressed concern about the "large number'' of Primary Seven students who were interested in sitting the exam.

Therefore, he said, education officers modified the Department's student transfer plan.

And parents who opted to have their children sit the SSAT can choose an alternative secondary school.

But Mr. Simons explained if neighbourhood high schools received more applicants than they could accommodate, they would choose those who live nearest to the school.

Both the SSAT and transfer plan are temporary measures of moving primary students in public schools to high schools.

They will be abandoned when Government's major education restructuring plan, which includes six years of primary, three years of middle level, and four years of senior secondary education, begins in 1996.