SOTA

DSA-Secondary

Pupils in Primary 6 may apply to SOTA via the DSA-Sec exercise, which is conducted once each year. Parents and pupils are encouraged to choose schools wisely based on the pupil’s aptitudes, strengths, and interests, bearing in mind SOTA’s academic and non-academic requirements, and the programmes available to develop the area of talent.
2026 Preparation Notes and Checklist

All Applicants

  • At least 12 years old (born in 2014)
  • Primary 6 students studying in a local MOE mainstream school and taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 2026
 

Note: You may apply for up to TWO (2) art forms only.

 

  • The link to the application form will be published here on 30 March. 
  • Submit your application before 8 May, 5:00 pm (SGT)
  • The application form will automatically close at 5:00 pm (SGT). Applicants who are in the midst of completing the form will not be able to submit their application when this happens. Applicants are advised to submit their application early, as no extension of the deadline will be granted.
 

Applying to TWO (2) Art Forms

  • If you are applying to TWO (2) art forms, you only need to submit ONE (1) application. Choose the two art forms when prompted.
  • If you submitted more than ONE (1) application, only the first submitted application will be assessed. 
 

Important Note

  • It takes about 30 minutes to complete the entire application, provided that the portfolio component and all required documents have been prepared in advance.
  • Appeals for late submissions and applications will not be considered.
  • You are not required to apply via the MOE DSA-Sec Portal.
  • All Visual Arts applicants who have submitted their application successfully by 8 May, 5:00 pm (SGT) must attend a shortlisting activity on Saturday, 16 May, in person at SOTA.
  • We advise applicants to keep this day clear of other activities as there will be no make-up sessions.
  • The schedule will be emailed on 13 May from 6:00 pm onwards to the email address of the parent listed under ‘Primary Contact’ in the application form. 
  • All Visual Arts applicants must attend the session that they are scheduled for in person at SOTA.
  • We regret that due to the volume of applications received, requests for a change of session will not be allowed.
  • Applicants who do not attend or complete the activity will not be considered for shortlisting. 
  • There are no make-up sessions for this activity.

The shortlisting outcome will be emailed on 5 June from 6:00 pm onwards to the email address of the parent listed under ‘Primary Contact’ in the application form. 

Shortlisted applicants only

The TA schedule will be emailed on 17 June from 6:00 pm onwards to the email address of the parent listed under ‘Primary Contact’ in the application form. 

All TA activities will take place at SOTA

 

Attend all scheduled TA activities comprising:

  • Individual audition/portfolio presentation and interview
  • Group activities
  • Panel Interview
  • Online questionnaires

 

Note

  1. Shortlisted for 1 artform: attend 2 days of TA
  2. Shortlisted for 2 artforms: attend 3 days of TA

 

You are advised not to make travel plans during this period, as no auditions will be conducted outside of the scheduled dates.

 

IMPORTANT:
Shortlisted applicants must attend and complete all scheduled TA activities. Incomplete attendance will result in disqualification.

The final TA outcome will be emailed on 25 August from 6:00 pm onwards to the email address of the parent listed under ‘Primary Contact’ in the application form. 

Confirmed Offer and Waitlist candidates

During the Cohort and Parents Engagement Programme (CPEP), you will gain first-hand experience of student life in SOTA through arts engagement sessions, games and activities conducted by our students. There will also be opportunities to converse with our staff and teaching faculty, to better understand SOTA’s curriculum.

  • Exercise your option and indicate SOTA during the DSA-Secondary Exercise School Preference Submission.
  • More information will be shared with Confirmed Offer and Wait List applicants.
  • Receive school allocation along with PSLE results.
  • You must qualify for Posting Group 3 in order to be posted to SOTA.

Candidates who are successfully enrolled to SOTA

Complete your registration online.

  • You will receive your Enrolment Package on the same day as the release of the PSLE results via the email account used to create your TA Portal account.

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. The School maintains strict confidentiality on all information provided to us during the TA applications and TA auditions. Hence, we regret that we will not provide any feedback on the application and/or outcome.

SOTA conducts ONE (1) Admission Exercise a year through the Talent Academy (TA). Please refer to the DSA-Sec 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, strengths, and interests, bearing in mind SOTA’s academic and non-academic requirements, and the programmes available to develop the area of talent.

 

SOTA may conduct the Supplementary Intake Exercise (SIE) in November after the release of the PSLE results. The SIE is subject to vacancies available on the day of release of PSLE results, and may open to selected art forms only.

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

  • Individual audition/portfolio presentation and interview
  • Group activities
  • Panel interview
  • Online questionnaires
There is no TA Registration Fee applicable.

No, there isn’t. SOTA admits 100% of its Year 1 cohort through the DSA exercise and does not participate in the S1 Posting exercise post-PSLE.

The School may conduct a Supplementary Intake Exercise (SIE) in November post-PSLE subject to available vacancies.

Applicants must meet the following:

  • Primary 6 pupils studying in a local MOE mainstream school and taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) at the point of application.
The application is open to Singaporeans, Singapore Permanent-Residents, and Foreigners who meet the eligibility criteria stated in the first question of this section.

Please see the following:

  • Home-schooled in Singapore and taking the PSLE at the point of application should apply via the DSA-Secondary (Non-MOE) category.
  • You are not eligible to apply via the DSA-Sec category as you will not be taking the PSLE.
  • If you are at least 12 years old/turning 12 years old and will be completing Grade 6 by December, 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. Applicants must also be able to identify the notes on the treble and bass clef in Western staff notation (i.e. notes on the treble and bass clef of the music staff) fluently and accurately. 

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

  1. Received either a Confirmed Offer or Wait List (subject to available vacancies) for their final TA outcome
  2. Indicated SOTA during the Exercise School Preference Submission
  3. Be eligible for Posting Group 3 or
  4. Be eligible for the Posting Group 2 or 3 Option
 

If they satisfy criteria 1 and 2 and have received a ‘Posting Group 2 or 3 Option’, they may be automatically assigned to Posting Group 3 and be posted to SOTA.

The art forms available for admission to Year 1 are:

  • Dance
  • Literary Arts
  • Music (Performing) or Music (Creating)
  • Theatre
  • Visual Arts

Applicants may apply for 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.
  • Application is done online via SOTA’s TA Portal. You will 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 two 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 able 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 component and all 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 How To Apply tab for more information on application process and the timeline to take note of.
No, you are not required to submit an application via MOE DSA-Sec Portal. Students interested to apply to SOTA will continue to apply directly to SOTA via the TA Portal because of the application requirements.
No, your application to SOTA via the TA Portal is not counted as part of your three (3) choice limit for DSA applications submitted through MOE DSA Portal.

We regret that we are unable to provide in-person support. Please email us at sa@sota.edu.sg for technical support 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)

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 learn more about your TA Schedule
  • If you are shortlisted for 1 art form you will need to complete the following:
    • One artform audition/presentation and interview
    • Group activities
    • A panel interview
    • Online questionnaires
  • 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)
  • Shortlisted applicants must complete all their scheduled activities in SOTA and within the stipulated time. Absence during any part of the TA will disqualify the application.
No. All TA schedules are arranged by SOTA and no change of dates is allowed. Please refer to the DSA-Sec 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.
You must log in to the TA Portal to check the status of your final TA outcome. Please refer to the DSA-Sec How To Apply tab for more information on application process and the timeline to take note of.
  • You must participate in the School Preference Exercise in late October through MOE DSA-Sec Portal.
  • The MOE DSA-Sec Portal will indicate the list of DSA schools from which you have received a Confirmed Offer and/or the list of schools at which you have been placed on Wait List.
  • Exercise your option and indicate SOTA as one of your choices at this stage.

A pupil on the Wait List may be allocated to SOTA if there are available vacancies, and, if he/she meets the following criteria:

  • Indicated SOTA as first choice during the Exercise School Preference Stage
  • Be eligible for Posting Group 3 for their PSLE result

Available vacancies may happen if a Confirmed Offer student:

  • did not exercise their offer from SOTA during the Exercise School Preference Stage, or
  • is ineligible for Posting Group 3 for their PSLE result
Pupils on the Wait List are ranked based on their overall performance across the assessed areas during the Talent Academy. For example, if there are 10 pupils on the wait list, they will be ranked from 1st to 10th. If there are 2 vacancies available, the pupils ranked 1st and 2nd will be posted to SOTA, provided that they meet the eligibility criteria and indicated SOTA as their first choice.
You will receive your school posting result on the same day as the release of the PSLE result. Please refer to the DSA-Sec How To Apply tab for more information on application process and the timeline to take note of.
You will participate in the S1 Posting Exercise for posting to other schools.
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 for the Talent Academy, to ensure and maintain the authenticity of performances and portfolios at future auditions. As such, we regret that we are unable to share any feedback.

Regrettably, no. The school evaluates the candidate’s artistic talent and potential based on the admission criteria and a rigorous assessment process during the Talent Academy (TA). Candidates are assessed via solo auditions or portfolio presentations depending on the art form, as well as group activities, exercises and interviews. Admission to the school is highly competitive. As such, we are only able to offer candidates who have performed consistently well across the assessed areas. The school would have carefully reviewed each applicant’s TA assessment and therefore, the decision is final.

The School may conduct a Supplementary Intake Exercise (SIE) in November should there be available vacancies. Please check our website for details on the day of PSLE Results Release for updates.

The SIE may open if there are available vacancies post-PSLE.

 

Pupils who have attended the TA (shortlisted) or applied (not shortlisted) via the DSA-Sec, may apply again via SIE. They must be posted to Group 3 for their PSLE results. 

 

They are not eligible to apply if they have been successfully posted to a school via the DSA School Posting.

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