Step 1
Calculate the PSLE Score
Each subject gets an Achievement Level (AL) from 1 (best) to 8. Add the four ALs to get the PSLE Score, from 4 to 32. Lower is better. Not sure of the AL? Type the exam percentage and the AL fills in.
Your child's results
Example loadedEnter all four subjects
The Posting Group decides the subject levels your child starts Sec 1 with.
How marks become ALs
Foundation subjects are graded A (75–100), B (30–74) or C (below 30), counted as AL6, AL7 and AL8 for posting.
Posting Groups at a glance
*With AL7 or better in both English and Maths. Classes are mixed across groups, and students can take subjects at a higher level from Sec 1 if they did well in that subject.
Step 2
Find secondary schools near home
Enter your postal code to list schools by distance. Each school shows its 2025 Sec 1 cut-offs, the score of the last student posted in each group.
Example: Tampines St 12 (521145) is loaded.
Distances are straight-line from the postal code. Cut-offs change every year with demand. Values marked M or D needed a Merit or Distinction in Higher Chinese at the same score. Aff = affiliated students. "30*" means places were left over.
Step 3
What to weigh when choosing
You list six schools in order of preference. Posting goes by PSLE Score first, then your order of choices. Use all six, and build a balanced list.
A balanced list of six
Compare your child's score with each school's latest cut-off.
Cut-off 1–2 points better than your score
Cut-off close to your score
Cut-off clearly above your score
If your child is not posted to any of the six, MOE posts them to a school near home that still has places, which may not be one you would pick.
Travel time
Four or five years of daily travel adds up. Aim for a journey your child can do alone, ideally under 30–45 minutes. Try the route at school hours before deciding.
Score fit
Look at the cut-off for your child's Posting Group, not just the PG3 number. Cut-offs move each year, so treat one point either side as uncertain.
Subjects and pathways
Under Full Subject-Based Banding, students can take subjects at a higher level when they do well. Ask which subjects the school offers at G3 and how often students move up.
Programmes and CCAs
Each school has an Applied Learning Programme and a Learning for Life Programme, plus its own CCAs. A strong match with your child's interests keeps them engaged.
Affiliation and IP
Affiliated primary school students get priority when they put the affiliated secondary school as first choice. Integrated Programme schools skip the Sec 4 national exam and go straight to A-Levels or IB.
Mother Tongue and SAP schools
SAP schools value Higher Chinese. At the same PSLE Score, a Merit or Distinction in Higher Chinese gets priority there.
Culture and your child's voice
Visit open houses and talk to current students. Consider school size, single-sex or co-ed, and whether your child feels comfortable there.
Order matters
When students have the same score, tie-breakers apply in this order: citizenship, then the order of choices, then a computerised ballot. Put the school you want most at the top.
Step 4
Key dates for PSLE 2026
Dates from MOE and SEAB. Those marked tentative will be confirmed closer to the day.
Jan–Nov 2026
Explore schools
Open houses, school websites and MOE SchoolFinder.
19–23 Oct 2026
DSA-Sec school preferences
Families with DSA offers ranked their preferences. Students with a confirmed DSA place do not submit school choices.
Tue 24 or Wed 25 Nov 2026, 11am (tentative)
PSLE results
Collect results at the primary school, along with the S1 Option Form details.
From 11.30am on results day, for 7 calendar days
Submit six school choices
Online through the S1 Internet System, or at the primary school on weekdays. Closes at 4.30pm on the last day.
Fri 18 Dec 2026, 9am (tentative)
S1 posting results
Released on the S1 Portal and by SMS. Primary schools also have the results.
Late December 2026
Register with the secondary school
Schools send instructions for online registration, uniforms and books. Appeals for a change of school go to the schools directly.
Early January 2027
First day of Sec 1
Orientation and the start of the school year.
Cut-offs from the 2025 S1 Posting Exercise (MOE SchoolFinder). Information accurate as of 1 Nov 2026. Always confirm with MOE and the schools.
MOE: S1 Posting · MOE: SchoolFinder · MOE: PSLE Score calculator · SEAB: Important dates