SOTA

DSA-Secondary (Non-MOE)

Pupils studying at the equivalent grade of Primary 6 in a local international school and not taking the PSLE and pupils who are homeschooled in Singapore and 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.

2025 Preparation Notes and Checklist

All Applicants

Applicants’ Profile

 

  • Age: At least 12 years old (born in 2013)
  • Schooling: homeschooled in Singapore
  • Level of Study: taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 2025

or

  • Age: At least 12 years old (born in 2013)
  • Schooling: studying in an international school in Singapore
  • Level of Study: completing Grade 6 by December 2025
  • Note: Shortlisted applicants must take SOTA’s English and Mathematics entrance assessments.

or

  • Age: At least 12 years old (born in 2013)
  • Schooling: Singaporeans or Singapore Permanent Residents studying overseas
  • Level of Study: completing Grade 6 by December 2025 and will return to start school in January 2026
  • Note: Shortlisted applicants must take SOTA’s English and Mathematics entrance assessments.

 

 

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

  • Application opens on 30 March at 9:00 am and closes on 9 May at 5:00 pm (SGT).
  • Sign up for a TA Portal account from 30 March, 9:00 am (SGT) HERE.
  • Ensure that the email address 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 before 9 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. 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. 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 the portfolio component and 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 and applications will not be considered.
  • You are not required to apply via MOE DSA-Sec Portal.
  • All Visual Arts applicants who have submitted their application successfully by 9 May, 5:00 pm (SGT) must attend a shortlisting activity on Saturday, 17 May, in person at SOTA. 
  • We advise applicants to keep this day clear of other activities as there will be no make-up sessions. 
  • Check your email on 14 May from 6:00 pm onwards for your scheduled session. Email will be sent to the email address used to create your TA Portal account. 
  • 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. 
  • Obtain a DSA Registration Number (RGN) online.
  • You must obtain the DSA RGN by 19 May 2025, 3:00 pm (SGT).
  • You will receive an email confirmation with your DSA RGN details. Forward this email to us at [email protected] by 20 May 2025, 12 noon (SGT).

 

Register Now

  • Singaporean/Singapore PR – Register HERE (link will be updated in early May)
  • International Students – Register HERE (link will be updated in early May)

Log in to the TA Portal on 4 June from 6:00 pm onwards and check your Shortlisting Outcome.

Shortlisted applicants only

  • 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.

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
    • Entrance assessments for English and Mathematics*
    • Make a payment of S$30.00 for the Entrance Tests fee*
    • Mode of payment to be advised

 

*Not required for shortlisted homeschooled PSLE applicants.

 

Note

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

 

You are advised not to make travel plans during this period, as auditions will not be conducted outside of the scheduled dates.

 

IMPORTANT:

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 Submission.
  • 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 . There is no other admission exercise for Year 1 intake other than the DSA exercise.

Applicants must meet the following:

  • At least 12 years old or turning 12 years old at the point of application, and
  • Studying in a local international school and completing Grade 6 by December or at the point of the application, or
  • Returning Singaporean or Returning Permanent Residents and completing Grade 6 by December or at the point of the application, or
  • Primary 6 homeschooled students residing in Singapore and taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in the same year that you are submitting an application

 

Interested applicants should only submit their applications if they can 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. 

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 the year that you are completing Grade 6. 

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

Applicants aged 13 years and above and who have completed Grade 7 may not apply via DSA-Sec (Non-MOE). 

  • Yes you can, provided that you meet the eligibility criteria listed on question no. 1 above. 

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) – 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.

The Creating Track aims to hone and develop students’ creative abilities and skills, as well as further their potential as music arrangers, sound designers, improvisers, or composition specialists.

 

The Performing Track aims to develop students’ potential in the areas of musical performance, musical interpretation, as well as musicianship.

  • 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 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 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 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 (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 [email protected] 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 
  • 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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