There is an increasing need for the development and use of multi-element techniques in order to reduce the cost of analysis when the estimation of a large number of elements in a particular sample is required. The purpose of analysis is frequently to detect or monitor changes in the composition of materials, and it is the precision of the analytical method which often controls the minimum detectable difference. Activation analysis has found applications in this field, particularly in the estimation of trace elements in a sample; however, from the published literature it is difficult to assess the precision of the various methods used. In this paper, the precision of analysis of known mixtures has been determined by three activation methods and also by a more practical test involving the analysis of a glass sample with more than 20 detectable components.