DSA-Secondary (Non-MOE)

How To Apply

Date	For	What To Do
10 March 2023	All Applicants	Check Your Eligibility Criteria: At least 12 years old (born in 2011) Current level of study is Grade 6 and must complete by December 2023, and Not studying in a MOE mainstream school, or Primary 6 homeschooled student residing in Singapore and taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 2023 Read more about the criteria on admission, eligibility, and successful enrolment to SOTA on the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) Criteria tab.
10 March 2023	All Applicants	Download the Preparation Notes and Checklist for the art form that you wish to apply to here Prepare your portfolio for submission Note: You may apply for up to TWO (2) art forms only.
31 March 12:00 noon to 19 May 2023 5:00 pm (SGT)	All Applicants	Apply Online Application is now closed. Application was opened on 31 March, 12:00 noon and closed on 19 May, 5:00 pm (SGT). Sign up for a TA Portal account. Ensure that the email account used to create the account belongs to the parent/guardian of the applicant, as email notifications will be sent to the email address used to create the account. Log In to the TA Portal to submit your application. Download the TA Portal Guide to assist you with navigating the online application form here. 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 proceed to submit their application when this happens. No extension of the deadline will be granted. Note 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 to 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 in the portal It takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete the entire application for ONE (1) art form, provided that the portfolio submission and all supporting documents have been prepared in advance Submit your application 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 You are not required to apply via MOE DSA-Sec Portal
by 31 May 2023, 3:00 pm (SGT)	All Applicants	Obtain a DSA Registration Number (RGN) online. You must obtain the DSA RGN by 31 May 2023, 3:00 pm (SGT) You will receive an email confirmation with your DSA RGN details. Forward this email to us at [email protected] by 1 June 2023, 12 noon (SGT) Register Now Singaporean/Singapore PR - Register HERE International Students - Register HERE
6 June 2023 6:00 pm (SGT)	All Applicants	Log in to the TA Portal on 6 June from 6:00 pm onwards and check your Shortlisting Outcome.
6 June 2023 6:00 pm (SGT)	All Shortlisted Applicants	Log in to the TA Portal and click on the Announcement tab Read the announcement titled ‘Information for Shortlisted Applicants’.
12 June 2023, 6:00 pm (SGT)	All Shortlisted Applicants	Log in to the TA Portal and: Download your TA Schedule to find out your allocated audition days/dates and to check for more information about your TA Check the Announcement page for any new updates
20 June – 23 June 2023 (SGT)	All Shortlisted Applicants	All TA activities will take place at SOTA. Attend all scheduled TA activities comprising: Individual audition/portfolio presentation and interview Panel interview Group activities Online questionnaires Entrance tests (English and Mathematics) Make payment of S$30.00 for the Entrance Tests fee Mode of payment to be advised Note 20 June – Entrance Tests 20 June to 23 June – All other activities Shortlisted for 1 artform: attend 3 days of TA Shortlisted for 2 artforms: attend 4 days of TA You are advised to refrain from making travel plans during this period, as no auditions will be conducted outside of the scheduled dates. Shortlisted applicants must attend and complete all scheduled TA activities. Incomplete attendance will result in disqualification.
18 August 2023, 6:00 pm onwards^*Updated	All Shortlisted Applicants	Log in to the TA portal and check your final TA Outcome (Confirmed Offer, Wait List, or Unsuccessful)
October 2023 (SGT) [TBC]	Confirmed Offers Applicants	Attend SOTA's Cohort and Parents' Engagement Programme (CPEP)
October – November 2023 [TBC]	Confirmed Offers and Wait List Applicants	Exercise your option and indicate SOTA during the DSA-Secondary Exercise School Preference Stage. More information will be shared with Confirmed Offer and Wait List applications
November 2023 [TBC]	Confirmed Offers and Wait List Applicants	Collect your School Posting Result from MOE. More information will be shared with Confirmed Offer and Wait List applicants
December 2023 [TBC]	Applicants who are Successfully Enrolled to SOTA	Complete your registration online

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.

Eligibility Criteria

Admission Exercise

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 tests fee of $30.00 is applicable for the entrance tests

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

International students 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 would 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.

There is no TA Registration Fee. There is an Entrance Test fee of S$30.00 payable by shortlisted DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) applicants.

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. As such, there is no other admission exercise for Year 1 intake for Academic Year 2023 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.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet the following:

At least 12 years old (born in 2011), and
Current level of study is Grade 6 and must complete by December 2023, and
Not studying in a MOE mainstream school, or
Primary 6 homeschooled student residing in Singapore and taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 2023

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 2024.

No. The entrance tests would consist Grade 6 topics, which you might not have covered yet. You would be at a disadvantage. You should apply for TA in 2024 for admission in AY2025 instead. Do note that you can only apply once.

Yes, you can apply for Year 1 for TA 2023 provided that you meet the age eligibility criteria (at least 12 years old).

Applicants aged 13 years and above and have completed Grade 7 may not apply for admission to Year 1 for TA 2023. 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 2011 (12 years old) and will be completing Grade 6 by December 2023, 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:

Obtain a registration number (in the format of RGxxxxxxx) from the MOE. Please visit MOE’s website for more information.
Receive a Confirmed Offer or Wait List (subject to available vacancies) for the final outcome of their Talent Academy application.
Indicate SOTA during the School Preference Submission at MOE.
For Primary 6 homeschooled students residing in Singapore and taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 2023 - be eligible for Posting Group 3 (PSLE Scores 4 to 22).

Art Forms Offered

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 Process - Submission of Online Application

Application is done online via the 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 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 more information on 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 [email protected].

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. All auditions, assessments, and interviews must be done during the TA dates indicated. 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.

Application Process - Shortlisting Phase

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:
- 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 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.

All applications are carefully reviewed and considered by the selection panel according to a rigorous process. As such, the 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.

Application Process - TA Outcome

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 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 workshops, 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.

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

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