SOTA conducts ONE (1) Admission Exercise a year through the Talent Academy (TA). Please refer to the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) How To Apply tab for more information on the application process and the timeline to take note of.

Parents and pupils are encouraged to choose schools wisely based on the pupil's aptitudes and strengths, bearing in mind SOTA's academic and non-academic requirements, and the programmes available to develop the area of talent.

All shortlisted DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) applicants must complete all TA activities within the stipulated time. TA activities include the following:

• Individual audition/portfolio presentation and interview

• Panel interview

• Group activities

• Online questionnaires

• Entrance Tests for English and Mathematics set at the local MOE Primary 6 level

• A entrance test fee of $30.00 is payable for shortlisted applicants

Applicants are not required to take MOE’s SPERS test for application to SOTA.

Students studying in a local international school and applying for admission to SOTA do not need to sit for the Admissions Exercise for International Students (AEIS)-Secondary test due to their specialized curriculum. However, applicants who are also applying to other mainstream schools in Singapore will need to take and pass the AEIS test before they can be considered for admission to secondary schools. Please refer to https://www.moe.gov.sg/international-students/aeis.

Shortlisted DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) applicants who are sitting for the entrance tests are required to pay an entrance test fee of S$30.00.

Applicants may refer to the Primary 6 or PSLE assessment resources. Download the Preparation Notes and Checklist to learn more.

No, there isn’t. SOTA admits 100% of its Year 1 cohort through the DSA exercise which is conducted from April to June. There is no other admission exercise for Year 1 intake for Academic Year 2025 other than the DSA exercise.

No. The school may conduct the SIE if there are available vacancies. The application is only open to students who have taken the PSLE in the current academic year at the local MOE mainstream schools.

Applicants must meet the following:

• At least 12 years old (born in 2012), and

• Studying in a local international school and completing Grade 6 by December 2024, or

• Returning Singaporean or Returning Permanent Residents and completing Grade 6 by December 2024, or

• Primary 6 homeschooled students residing in Singapore and taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 2024

Interested applicants should only submit their applications if they are able to start school in the new academic year (January).

The application is open to Singaporeans, Singapore Permanent-Residents, Returning Singaporeans, Returning Singapore Permanent-Residents, and Foreigners who meet the eligibility criteria stated in the first question of this section.

No. Applicants cannot be underage. Singapore’s minimum age requirement for entry to Year/Secondary 1 is that students turn 13 years old in 2025.

No. The entrance tests would consist of Grade 6 topics, which you might not have covered yet. You would be at a disadvantage. You should apply for TA in 2025 for admission in AY2026 instead. Do note that you can only apply once.

Yes, you can apply for Year 1 for TA 2024 provided that you meet the age eligibility criteria stated in the first question of this section.

Applicants aged 13 years and above and have completed Grade 7 may not apply for admission to Year 1 for TA 2024. You may only apply to the level that you will be starting or still studying in 2024, provided that you meet the age eligibility criteria for admission to the level you are seeking to apply to.

• If you are born in 2012 (12 years old) and will be completing Grade 6 by December 2024, you may apply via the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) category. Learn more about the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) Application Process

No, you are not required to have any formal training or certification in order to apply. For Music applicants, it is important that you are able to sight-read and sight-sing.

To gain admission into SOTA via DSA-Sec (Non-MOE), shortlisted applicants must satisfy the following criteria:

1. Obtain a registration number (in the format of RGxxxxxxx) from the MOE. Please visit MOE’s website for more information.

2. Receive a Confirmed Offer or Wait List (subject to available vacancies) for the final outcome of their Talent Academy application.

3. Indicate SOTA during the School Preference Submission at MOE.

4. For Primary 6 homeschooled students residing in Singapore and taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 2024 - be eligible for Posting Group 3 (PSLE Scores 4 to 22).

The art forms available for admission to Year 1 are:

• Dance

• Literary Arts

• Music (Performing) or Music (Creating)

• Theatre

• Visual Arts

Applicants may apply to up to TWO (2) art forms only.

Applicants only need to submit ONE (1) application for BOTH art forms.

No. You may only apply for ONE (1) instrument (including ‘voice’) and to ONE (1) Music track only.

You may apply to ONE (1) track only. Based on the Music Faculty’s assessment of the portfolio submitted, you may be shortlisted to audition for the other track instead, if you are found to be more suitable for that.

Learn more about the two tracks here.

• Application is done online via the TA Portal only. You need to register for an account before you can log in to complete the application form.

• You must download the Preparation Notes and Checklist relevant to the art form that you are applying for to find out what you need to prepare for your portfolio submission, as well as the supporting documents required for submission.

• If you are applying to TWO (2) art forms, you only need to submit ONE (1) application. Choose the 2 art forms when prompted. You will not be able to go back and amend your choices once you have confirmed your selection(s).

• You will not be able to apply for a second art form if you have already chosen and confirmed an art form or have submitted an application for the first art form.

• You will not be allowed to cancel/withdraw your application once you have confirmed your selections.

• It takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete the entire application for one art form, provided that the portfolio submission and supporting documents have been prepared in advance.

• Applicants are advised to submit their applications early, as the TA Portal may experience slower connectivity due to high traffic towards the close of the application period.

• Incomplete applications will be disqualified. Appeals for late submissions will not be considered.

• Please refer to the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) How To Apply tab for information on the application process and the timeline to take note of.

No, you are not required to submit an application via MOE's DSA-Sec Portal. Students interested to apply to SOTA will continue to apply directly to SOTA via the TA Portal.

We regret that we are unable to provide in-person support. Please email us at sa@sota.edu.sg and we will do our best to assist you.

You may refer to the YouTube Help page for assistance.

You may refer to the Google Support page for assistance.

There are many free online websites you can use. Below are a few suggestions. Please note that SOTA is not affiliated to any of these sites. The links below will bring you to an external website not hosted by SOTA.

• Convert word document to PDF document (Link 1 or Link 2)

• Compress / Resize PDF documents (Link 1)

• Merge individual pdf documents into 1 document (Link 1)

No, you may not choose or reschedule your audition dates. All auditions, assessments, and interviews must be done during the TA dates indicated due to the nature of the activities. All TA schedules will be arranged by SOTA and no change of dates is allowed. Please refer to the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) How To Apply tab for more information on the application process and the timeline to take note of. We regret that due to the nature of the audition activities, no auditions will take place outside of the TA window.

Log in to the TA Portal and:

• Check the status of your shortlisting outcome, and

• Download your TA Schedule to find out the TA dates/days that you are allocated to. Do note that these may take place over multiple days.

• Check the ‘Announcement’ tab to find out more information about your TA Schedule

• If you are shortlisted for 1 art form you will need to complete the following:

  • An art form audition/presentation and interview

  • Group activities

  • A panel interview

  • Online questionnaires

  • English and Maths entrance tests

• If you are shortlisted for 2 art forms you will need to complete the following:

  • Two art forms auditions/presentations and interviews

  • Group activities

  • A panel interview (same interview for both shortlisted artforms, only required to take this ONCE)

  • Online questionnaires (same questionnaires for both shortlisted artforms, only required to take this ONCE)

  • English and Maths entrance tests

• Shortlisted applicants must complete all their scheduled activities within the stipulated time. Absence during any part of the TA will disqualify the application.

No. All TA schedules are arranged by SOTA and due to the nature of the activities, no change of dates is allowed. Please refer to the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) How To Apply tab for more information on the application process and the timeline to take note of.

SOTA would have carefully considered each application, and as such, the decision is final. We encourage you to visit the School website to find out more about the Creating track.

All applications are carefully reviewed and considered by the selection panel according to a rigorous process. As such, the decision of the selection panel is final. The school reserves the right not to release the results and/or the reasons for non-selection of applicants. To ensure the continued rigour of the selection process, we regret that we are not able to provide any feedback.

You must log in to the TA Portal to check the status of your final TA outcome. Please refer to the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) How To Apply tab for more information on application process and the timeline to take note of.

You must:

• Participate in the DSA School Preference Exercise in late October (date TBC)

• Exercise your option and indicate SOTA during the School Preference Submission

Yes. Absence during any part of the TA will disqualify the application. Shortlisted candidates must attend and complete all their scheduled activities. There will not be any make-up auditions.

We understand your request for feedback in order to help you improve in your artistic journey. The school maintains strict confidentiality about the audition procedures and criteria to maintain the authenticity of performances and portfolios at future auditions. As such, we regret that we are unable to share any feedback.

Regrettably, no. Admission to the school is highly competitive, as such, the School evaluates every candidate very carefully based on a rigorous assessment of all shortlisted candidates during the Talent Academy (TA). Candidates are assessed via solo auditions or portfolio presentations depending on the art form, as well as group workshops, exercises and interviews. We are only able to offer candidates who have performed consistently well across the assessed areas. The school would have thoroughly considered each candidate’s TA assessment and therefore, the decision is final.

Yes, you may, subject to available vacancies and meeting the eligibility criteria. Please check the website in March the following year for the update.