As a parent, you might remember the stress of figuring out what comes next after getting your N- or O-Level results. And if you’re a student reading this, you’re probably already dreading the school application process and having to keep track of deadlines.
But recently, the government has announced a new Post-Secondary Admissions Exercise (PSE) that will make applying to schools after getting their results easier for students. Here’s everything you need to know about the new PSE.
Image credit: @stanthonyscanossiansec via Instagram
The new PSE is a streamlined exercise to consolidate 3 existing admissions exercises:
This will not replace talent and aptitude-based admissions exercises, which include:
At the moment, the 3 existing exercises each run on separate platforms with different timelines, which can make things confusing for students applying to different types of institutions. However, with the new PSE consolidating all these exercises into a single process, students can focus on just 1 application instead.
Image credit: @riversidesecondaryschool via Instagram
Students and parents can expect the new PSE to kick in from January 2028, meant to coincide with the implementation of full subject-based banding in secondary schools.
This means that the 1st batch of students taking the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) in 2027 will also be the pioneer batch of students to go through the new PSE when applying to their post-secondary institutions.
Image credit: @lawrencewongst via Instagram
In general, students who have taken the SEC will be eligible to undergo PSE. Students who have taken N-Levels or O-Levels before 2027 may also submit a separate request to take part in PSE. However, students who have gotten a confirmed spot and successful admission to a post-secondary institution through DSA or EAE will not be eligible for PSE.
PSE will be done through the Post-Sec Portal, which is accessible using Singpass. The portal will open on the SEC results release day in January, allowing students to check their DSA or EAE application outcomes, view their aggregate scores for different post-secondary pathways and eligibility for courses, and submit their PSE application.
In the PSE application, students can apply for up to 12 courses across different institutions that they are eligible for, ranking them in order of preference.
Image credit: Indigo Education
Postings will be decided according to students’ net aggregate scores. However, if 2 students with the same net aggregate score are vying for the last available spot in a course, a series of tie-breakers will come into play. These tie-breakers will be applied in this order: citizenship, choice order of course, gross aggregate score, and computerised balloting.
The gross aggregate score in the tie-breaker refers to the sum of the subject grades used in the course application. On the other hand, the net aggregate score used for posting is the final score after deducting bonus points from the gross aggregate score.
Using the 2028 PSE for reference, the PSE timeline will look something like this:
| Mid-2027 onwards | Apply for DSA-JC, Poly-EAE & ITE-EAE |
| By September 2027 | Verify your CCA records for CCA bonus point calculations |
| Before SEC results release day | Register for Singpass to access the Post-Sec Portal after SEC results release |
| Mid-January 2028 | SEC results release day |
| 6 calendar days from SEC results release day | Check DSA-JC & EAE outcome & offers |
| View aggregate scores for different pathways & eligible courses for PSE application | |
| Submit PSE application | |
| By early February 2028 | Release of posting results through the Post-Sec Portal & SMS |
| By end-February 2028 | Students posted to JC or MI are to report to school the next school day, after posting results have been released |
| Students posted to polytechnic or ITE will receive an email with enrolment instructions | |
| After PSE posting results release day | Students appealing to a JC or MI can approach their desired school directly |
| Students appealing to a polytechnic or ITE can apply on the online portal | |
| April 2028 | Students posted to polytechnic or ITE are to report to school |
With a more streamlined process, both students and parents can worry less about the application process and timeline. Instead, they’ll get to focus more on making an informed choice for their next step in education.
For more schooling reads:
Cover image adapted from: @stanthonyscanossiansec & @bowensec_official via Instagram
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