DSA Discussions and Strategies
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Understand that HCI DSA Art domain only started last year. Any parents applied their AEP last year? Please share experiences!
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@Ganjiongspider You’re right that HCI’s AEP only became a DSA talent area in the 2025 exercise (for the 2026 intake), so this year is really only the second round - that’s why first-hand experiences are still thin.
One thing worth separating: AEP at HCI has two entry points - through DSA, and through the post-PSLE selection at Sec 1. Both sit the same kind of art selection (art tasks + a portfolio review). So if you’re asking around, don’t only ask DSA parents - the AEP-via-posting families went through the same exercise and can tell you plenty.
On the portfolio, from what art selectors generally weigh: range over polish. Work from different contexts (school, personal, competitions), one or two pieces that took a real creative risk, and your child being able to talk about why they made certain choices. A tutor-perfect folder with no voice tends to read flat.
Hope a parent who went through it last year jumps in too.
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For anyone comparing schools and talent areas this round - I pulled the full 2026 DSA landscape into one page: all 147 secondary schools that offer DSA, 1,315 talent-area places across 133 talents, and the 20 most-offered talents.
A couple of things that jump out: Concert Band is the most widely offered (81 schools), then Basketball (74) and Badminton (73), so those are crowded. Some talents sit at only a handful of schools, which can actually be a smarter angle if your child fits one.
It’s pulled from MOE’s SchoolFinder listings and dated so you can see how current it is: https://dsalink.sg/dsa-statistics
Handy if you’re checking which schools offer your child’s talent, or gauging how common a talent is before deciding where to apply.
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Has any school started to get back to applicants with trial dates? I am told that most schools start to schedule trials for the applicants by 3rd/4th week of June.
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Most schools should be posting their DSA timelines on their websites. Do check directly with schools that you are interested in.
Here’s the info for IP schools:
Catholic High: https://www.catholichigh.moe.edu.sg/prospective-students/sec-admission/direct-school-admission/
CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School: https://www.chijstnicholasgirls.moe.edu.sg/files/PDF for Spotlight/2026__DSA___Selection_Criteria_and_Process__to_be_pdf_and_uploaded_to_DSA_website_.pdf
Cedar Girls: https://www.cedargirlssec.moe.edu.sg/admissions/dsa-year-1-2027/
Dunman High School: https://file.go.gov.sg/dhs-dsa-sec-website.pdf
Hwa Chong Institution: https://www.hci.edu.sg/high-school/admission-route/
MGS: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SCbNQMoXVD-C9jZkeE2YTx4vG9dl3OjR/view
Nanyang Girls’ High School: https://en.nygh.moe.edu.sg/direct-school-admission-dsa-2026/
National Junior College: https://www.nationaljc.moe.edu.sg/admissions/ip-dsa/
NUS High School: https://www.nushigh.edu.sg/admissions/year-1-and-3-admissions/year-1-admissions/
RGS: https://www.rgs.edu.sg/admissions/Admission-to-RGS/via-DSA/
RI: https://www.ri.edu.sg/admissions/year-1-admission-exercises/year-1-direct-school-admission/
River Valley High School: https://www.rivervalleyhigh.moe.edu.sg/information/dsa-integrated-programme/dsa2026/
SCGS: https://www.scgs.moe.edu.sg/files/SCGS_DSA_Info_Sheet_2026__Final_.pdf
SJI: https://www.sji.edu.sg/admission/dsa2027y1/
Temasek JC: https://www.temasekjc.moe.edu.sg/admissions/ip-year-1-dsa-sec/
Victoria School: https://www.victoria.moe.edu.sg/prospective-students/admission-to-VS/direct-school-admissions-to-sec-1-year-1/
For P6 DSA parents in our community, we also encourage you to add to this list, or share if you’ve received notifications from specific schools
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DSA Trial Invite received
Cedar Girls
Basketball (July 7th) -
@Infoseeker Congrats! Hope your daughter will do well !!
My child also received DSA invite to the school for track & field, but this morning saw some discussion about one of Cedar coaches being suspended as of 3 July, so don’t know if I should go ahead now. Worried if there is anything wrong with the school. https://share.google/gb46scG9UywC7YCrc -
@TanATan Thanks for sharing. This is indeed a troublesome news. Is there any other sources where we can get the background on this matter?
Wishing the best for your daughter.
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@Infoseeker Hi there, this is about Cedar Cross Country coach Jacky Ong being suspended from 3 July till further notice. Also heard of Cedar having 3 different sprint coaches in 4 years, so I am wondering if there is anything amiss about the process of Cedar’s recruitment of coaches (???). No, I have no info about the situation of other sports (such as basketball) in the school. Maybe basketball is ok?
Nway, all these recent happenings in Cedar is adding to the stress of the tan-a-tan (waiting) process of DSA. So Unbearable ! 
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Missed our DSA Webinar? Watch it free (until 31 July 2026)Update (14 July 2026): We've made this easier, the code is now right here in this post, so there's no need to reply to claim it.
Hi everyone! If you missed our DSA Webinar in April, we've got you covered. You can watch the full recording completely free using the code below.
Take a peek at what's inside here: DSA Stories from the Ground: Arts, Sports, and STEMYour free code (apply at checkout):
KIASUPARENTSDSASHARE
The code works until 31 July 2026, so do grab it before then.
If your child is DSA-ing next year, or you just want to hear how other families did this, it's worth a watch!
Feel free to say hello and share your DSA questions, we'd love to keep the conversation going
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