It is way better to accumulate more losses than trophies during the growing up years, regardless of sports or academic pursuit.

Hi Prov3128,


Congratulations! I applaud you and your child’s decision not to attend more interviews. This will certainly not waste the schools’ time and release the opportunity to another family. Singapore needs more people who think and act this way.

The length of time for the interview definitely doesn’t equate to a positive outcome.


Equating being shortlisted with a CO or WL is likely to set up for disappointment.

Hi MaMa Mon,


According to my knowledge of MGS and based on what you shared, it is likely that they will offer O level track instead of IB

Hi MaMa Mon,


I think your considerations are very valid. Girls in the IB program for MGS typically scores >258. They used to run a strict test years ago for DSA admission before the new MOE system. The IB program also requires, amongst other things, a strong command of English as there are a lot of research and report writing.

A lot of O level track MGS girls choose ACJC while some will go RI. Few end up in HCI and very few in CJC, EJC, ASR etc

Hi deardear07,


I think you are confusing yourself with what is MOE’s requirement and the school’s preference. MOE’s requirement is the final, i.e. for Express Stream it is 200 and individual schools must adhere to this.

However, when schools state ‘should have excellent P5/P6 results…’, it is their preference and also, their gauge of the child’s ability to cope with IP or O level track. An O level track in CHS, CGS, Cedar, VS is quite different from O level tracks in other schools.

It is also no fun for a 201 t-score kid to be in CHS or Cedar Girls when perhaps >95% of the cohort are much stronger academically.

What Floppy shared is correct. Everything else is fake news.


For DSA CO to be “activated”:
IP - 200 and above
Express - 188 and above

Once a CO is issued, the onus is on the student to qualify for Express Stream if that is what he/she is accepted for. There is no such thing as a separate, school-specific score to meet.

Hi 2eclipse,


Your idea of having the results of the application updated in the same application portal is a good one.

The logistics of co-ordinating is more challenging this year, so I guess we have to bear with both the sec and pri schools; especially if one applies to the super popular schools and are themselves from the super popular primary schools where many classmates apply too. If 30 students in a primary school apply for 3 schools and all are shortlisted, it generates a lot of co-ordinating work for the primary school.

This is also a good process of building resilience in our kids:

- If they are really that good, they shouldn’t be concerned with being shortlisted; and their parents should be steady too.

- If they are good and weren’t shortlisted or failed to get a CO, it is another lesson and journey in life.

- If they are averagely good and were just hoping for the best, then there shouldn’t be large swings of emotions either.

If you have tuition you have tuition. Why lie for something as small as this, or at all?