diff --git a/src/pynxtools/nomad/parser.py b/src/pynxtools/nomad/parser.py
index 00ec67b61..dd75c96a0 100644
--- a/src/pynxtools/nomad/parser.py
+++ b/src/pynxtools/nomad/parser.py
@@ -96,19 +96,12 @@ def _to_section(
 
     nomad_def_name = rename_nx_for_nomad(nomad_def_name, is_group=True)
 
-    # for groups, get the definition from the package
-    new_def = current.m_def.all_sub_sections[nomad_def_name]
-
-    new_section: MSection = None  # type:ignore
-
-    for section in current.m_get_sub_sections(new_def):
-        if hdf_name is None or getattr(section, "nx_name", None) == hdf_name:
-            new_section = section
-            break
-
-    if new_section is not None:
-        return new_section
     if current == nx_root:
+        # for groups, get the definition from the package
+        new_def = current.m_def.all_sub_sections["ENTRY"]
+        for section in current.m_get_sub_sections(new_def):
+            if hdf_name is None or getattr(section, "nx_name", None) == hdf_name:
+                return section
         cls = getattr(nexus_schema, nx_def, None)
         sec = cls()
         new_def_spec = sec.m_def.all_sub_sections[nomad_def_name]
@@ -117,6 +110,11 @@ def _to_section(
         current.ENTRY.append(new_section)
         new_section.__dict__["nx_name"] = hdf_name
     else:
+        # for groups, get the definition from the package
+        new_def = current.m_def.all_sub_sections[nomad_def_name]
+        for section in current.m_get_sub_sections(new_def):
+            if hdf_name is None or getattr(section, "nx_name", None) == hdf_name:
+                return section
         current.m_create(new_def.section_def.section_cls)
         new_section = current.m_get_sub_section(new_def, -1)
         new_section.__dict__["nx_name"] = hdf_name
diff --git a/tests/nomad/test_parsing.py b/tests/nomad/test_parsing.py
index 8a71f9af3..b1dda4bb3 100644
--- a/tests/nomad/test_parsing.py
+++ b/tests/nomad/test_parsing.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ def test_nexus_example():
 
     example_data = "src/pynxtools/data/201805_WSe2_arpes.nxs"
     NexusParser().parse(example_data, archive, get_logger(__name__))
-    arpes_obj = getattr(archive.data, rename_nx_for_nomad("NXarpes"))
+    arpes_obj = archive.data
 
     assert arpes_obj.ENTRY[0].SAMPLE[0].pressure__field == ureg.Quantity(
         "3.27e-10*millibar"
@@ -94,9 +94,9 @@ def test_nexus_example_with_renamed_groups():
         os.path.dirname(__file__), "../data/nomad/NXlauetof.hdf5"
     )
     NexusParser().parse(lauetof_data, archive, get_logger(__name__))
-    lauetof_obj = getattr(archive.data, rename_nx_for_nomad("NXlauetof"))
+    lauetof_obj = archive.data
 
-    assert lauetof_obj.entry.name__group.time_of_flight__field == ureg.Quantity(
+    assert lauetof_obj.ENTRY[0].name__group.time_of_flight__field == ureg.Quantity(
         "1.0*second"
     )
-    assert lauetof_obj.entry.sample.name__field == "SAMPLE-CHAR-DATA"
+    assert lauetof_obj.ENTRY[0].sample.name__field == "SAMPLE-CHAR-DATA"