SPSO, NMOS, IMSO, SJPO, SJBO, SJChO… (It will go on and on)


These are not test, these are not exams. Doing past year papers barely helps and training centers are marginally useful.
What’s useful is actually cultivating a love for math and science, what you want to achieve is having you kids wanting to learn more. Some centres feed your child raw inflating and teach them skills to think deeper, please look for these type of centres. Olympiad-focused centres might and might not work. What you want is knowledge of math and science, not memories of past year olympiads questions.

What is really helpful is to have you kids learn lab skills and learn to come to a conclusion with the results of lab procedure. Most primary school don’t have labs and youtube will really help. At least they don’t look like clueless 3 year olds fondling with test tubes.

As a PTPS alumnus, I have a few word to say. These are my views, my reviews.


I love Math and Science since a kid, and that was why my parents brought me over to SG to study. When I took the international selection exams for foreigners in the SG Expo, I scored 70% P4 math and 40% for English, so instead of doing P4 work, I was downgraded 2 years and posted to PTPS. After my first year I was killing it, I aced my exams and my parents tried to talk to the principal, but he refused to let me skip a year and close up the age gap. That still left a scar in me as the age gap cause me to lose the opportunity to participate in IMSO. I did well in PSLE without much worries. I have a few cousins and siblings of close friends taking PSLE in a year or two and I realise this:
They HATE studying.
They HATE math, and science. (I wouldn’t have written this if I haven’t hear so many PTPS kids say these, I am a strong believer that STEM education should not end up like this)

Please keep in mind that my parents’ are not monster parents that send me to hours and hours of tuition, instead they taught me how to use google and the library wisely. They believed in cultivating a love for learning instead of being grade centric, and that is exactly what PTPS lacks.

Here’s a few teachers I’ve had good classes with.
Mr Chin, Science teacher, probably one of the most experience teacher in PTPS, explanation was clear and his lessons designed to KO PSLE specifically.
Ms Cheong, Math teacher, a very patient teacher, you will walk into a class scratching your head and walk out knowing the concepts.
Mrs Tan, English teacher, inspiring and flexible teacher, she did a few out of syllabus things with us that truly make us interested in English, but alas she was the only one.
Mr Hisham, English teacher, fun lessons, no stress, lots of laughs.

Don’t get me wrong, there are indeed good teachers in PTPS but the atmosphere and environment will make your kids coming home HATING about learning, especially STEM education. I cannot point out specific cases because it is not a one-off incidence that make so many PTPS student dislike Math and Science, but instead is built up over the years. I am very confident to say most that scored well for PSLE went for tuition, and ALL still hated M&S after graduating.

For parents with more M&S inclined kids:
Send your kids to PTPS and tuition, they might score well, but they are just robots, not learners.
Send your kids to PTPS and not tuition, that’s a risk I wouldn’t take.

Here’s something I don’t like so much about PTPS:
They don’t sing the national anthem correctly, every new batch of P1 will follow everyone else and sing the anthem wrongly. Years gone by but still…
The prefect system is corrupted, don’t let your kids join the prefects, it’s a waste of time.
They’re about feeding information and exams instead of making your kids love learning.

To summarise, PTPS isn’t a school with good vibes, my days were miserable.

PS, if you have kids that are taking PSLE soon, try this loophole:
Let them learn algebra, solving simultaneous equations, and matrices, they are useful in PSLE and save tons for time trying to decipher the model method.

As a PTPS alumnus, I have a few word to say. These are my views, my reviews.


I love Math and Science since a kid, and that was why my parents brought me over to SG to study. When I took the international selection exams for foreigners in the SG Expo, I scored 70% P4 math and 40% for English, so instead of doing P4 work, I was downgraded 2 years and posted to PTPS. After my first year I was killing it, I aced my exams and my parents tried to talk to the principal, but he refused to let me skip a year and close up the age gap. That still left a scar in me as the age gap cause me to lose the opportunity to participate in IMSO. I did well in PSLE without much worries. I have a few cousins and siblings of close friends taking PSLE in a year or two and I realise this:
They HATE studying.
They HATE math, and science. (I wouldn’t have written this if I haven’t hear so many PTPS kids say these, I am a strong believer that STEM education should not end up like this)

Please keep in mind that my parents’ are not monster parents that send me to hours and hours of tuition, instead they taught me how to use google and the library wisely. They believed in cultivating a love for learning instead of being grade centric, and that is exactly what PTPS lacks.

Here’s a few teachers I’ve had good classes with.
Mr Chin, Science teacher, probably one of the most experience teacher in PTPS, explanation was clear and his lessons designed to KO PSLE specifically.
Ms Cheong, Math teacher, a very patient teacher, you will walk into a class scratching your head and walk out knowing the concepts.
Mrs Tan, English teacher, inspiring and flexible teacher, she did a few out of syllabus things with us that truly make us interested in English, but alas she was the only one.
Mr Hisham, English teacher, fun lessons, no stress, lots of laughs.

Don’t get me wrong, there are indeed good teachers in PTPS but the atmosphere and environment will make your kids coming home HATING about learning, especially STEM education. I cannot point out specific cases because it is not a one-off incidence that make so many PTPS student dislike Math and Science, but instead is built up over the years. I am very confident to say most that scored well for PSLE went for tuition, and ALL still hated M&S after graduating.

For parents with more M&S inclined kids:
Send your kids to PTPS and tuition, they might score well, but they are just robots, not learners.
Send your kids to PTPS and not tuition, that’s a risk I wouldn’t take.

Here’s something I don’t like so much about PTPS:
They don’t sing the national anthem correctly, every new batch of P1 will follow everyone else and sing the anthem wrongly. Years gone by but still…
The prefect system is corrupted, don’t let your kids join the prefects, it’s a waste of time.
They’re about feeding information and exams instead of making your kids love learning.

To summarise, PTPS isn’t a school with good vibes, my days were miserable.

PS, if you have kids that are taking PSLE soon, try this loophole:
Let them learn algebra, solving simultaneous equations, and matrices, they are useful in PSLE and save tons for time trying to decipher the model method.