SOTA

DSA-Secondary (Non-MOE)

Pupils who are studying at the equivalent grade of Primary 6 in a local international school and not taking the PSLE may apply via the DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) criteria. 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.

2024 Preparation Notes and Checklist

All Applicants

Applicants’ Profile

  • Age: At least 12 years old (born in 2012)
  • Schooling: studying in an international school in Singapore
  • Level of Study: completing Grade 6 by December 2024

or

  • Age: At least 12 years old (born in 2012)
  • Schooling: homeschooled in Singapore
  • Level of Study: taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 2024

or

  • Age: At least 12 years old (born in 2012)
  • Schooling: Singaporeans or Singapore Permanent Residents studying overseas
  • Level of Study: completing Grade 6 by December 2024 and will return to start school in January 2025
 

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

  • Application opens on 1 April, 9:00 am and closes on 10 May, 5:00 pm (SGT).
  • Sign up for a TA Portal account from 1 April, 9:00 am. 
    Application is now closed.
  • 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.
  • Download the TA Portal Guide to guide you with navigating the portal.
  • Log In to the TA Portal to submit your application.
  • 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.
 

Applying for two art forms

  • 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
 

Important Note

  • It takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete the entire application for ONE (1) art form, provided that all required documents have been prepared in advance
  • Do 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
  • Obtain a DSA Registration Number (RGN) online.
  • You must obtain the DSA RGN by 20 May 2024, 3:00 pm (SGT)
  • You will receive an email confirmation with your DSA RGN details. Forward this email to us at sa@sota.edu.sg by 21 May 2024, 12 noon (SGT)

 

Register Now

  • Singaporean/Singapore PR – Register HERE.
  • International Students – Register HERE.

Log in on 31 May from 6:00 pm onwards and check your Shortlisting Outcome.

Shortlisted applicants only

  • 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

 

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

  1. Shortlisted for 1 artform: attend 3 days of TA
  2. Shortlisted for 2 artforms: attend 4 days of TA

You are advised to not make 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.

  • Log in to the TA portal from 6:00 pm onwards to check the status of your final TA Outcome
    (Confirmed Offer, Wait List, or Unsuccessful).
  • Read the posted announcement for more information.
 

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 Stage. More information will be shared with Confirmed Offer and Wait List applicants.

Collect your School Posting Result from MOE. More information will be shared with Confirmed Offer and Wait List applicants

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 (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 entrance test fee of $30.00 is payable for shortlisted applicants


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

Students studying in a local international school and 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 will 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.

Shortlisted DSA-Sec (Non-MOE) applicants who are sitting for the entrance tests are required to pay an entrance test fee of S$30.00.

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 which is conducted from April to June. There is no other admission exercise for Year 1 intake for Academic Year 2025 other than the DSA exercise.

Applicants must meet the following:

  • At least 12 years old (born in 2012), and
  • Studying in a local international school and completing Grade 6 by December 2024, or
  • Returning Singaporean or Returning Permanent Residents and completing Grade 6 by December 2024, or
  • Primary 6 homeschooled students residing in Singapore and taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 2024

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 2025.

No. The entrance tests would consist of Grade 6 topics, which you might not have covered yet. You would be at a disadvantage. You should apply for TA in 2025 for admission in AY2026 instead. Do note that you can only apply once.

Yes, you can apply for Year 1 for TA 2024 provided that you meet the age eligibility criteria stated in the first question of this section.

Applicants aged 13 years and above and have completed Grade 7 may not apply for admission to Year 1 for TA 2024. 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 2012 (12 years old) and will be completing Grade 6 by December 2024, 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:

  1. Obtain a registration number (in the format of RGxxxxxxx) from the MOE. Please visit MOE’s website for more information.
  2. Receive a Confirmed Offer or Wait List (subject to available vacancies) for the final outcome of their Talent Academy application.
  3. Indicate SOTA during the School Preference Submission at MOE.
  4. For Primary 6 homeschooled students residing in Singapore and taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 2024 – be eligible for Posting Group 3 (PSLE Scores 4 to 22).

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 is done online via the TA Portal only. You 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 information on the 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 sa@sota.edu.sg 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 find out more information 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 due to the nature of the activities, 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. We encourage you to visit the School website to find out more about the Creating track.
 
 
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.
Regrettably, no. Admission to the school is highly competitive, as such, the School evaluates every candidate very carefully based on a rigorous assessment of all shortlisted candidates 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. We are only able to offer candidates who have performed consistently well across the assessed areas. The school would have thoroughly considered each candidate’s TA assessment and therefore, the decision is final.
 

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