Honing a talent in a specialised school

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SINGAPORE – Yee Hong Shyan’s fascination with how vending machines work led him to build his own versions using different materials and mechanisms.

“I like to understand how something works by taking it apart. When I cannot do that, I try to build it myself,” says the 15-year-old Secondary 3 student.

His interests were clear since pre-school. While his parents initially steered him towards fiction books in the library, Hong Shyan says he would run off to the maths and science section as soon as he could.

His passion for maths and physics drove him to apply to NUS High School of Mathematics and Science when he was in Primary 6.

The school is one of four specialised independent schools for students who have talent and interests in specific areas, such as applied learning, mathematics, science, sports or the arts.

The other three schools are School of Science and Technology, School of the Arts and Singapore Sports School.

Primary 6 pupils keen on applying to these schools must do so via the Direct School Admission (DSA) scheme, as that is the only way.

School of Science and Technology

Year opened: 2010
Annual intake: 250
Suitable for: Students with strong interests in science, technology, engineering, aesthetics and mathematics (STEAM); those who are curious about how things work and enjoy applying what they learn to real-world problems; and those who enjoy designing, building or experimenting.
Selection process: Students apply through the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) DSA portal, selecting School of Science and Technology (SST) and STEAM as the DSA talent area. The first phase is a two-hour written test to assess students’ ability to solve real-world problems. Shortlisted candidates will participate in a group-based STEAM challenge.
How to prepare: Students can showcase relevant experiences such as projects, designs or coding work. Participation in competitions and enrichment programmes can help to show interest and commitment, while awards can strengthen an application but are not essential. Go to str.sg/a7HP for more information.

Secondary 4 student Lucas Sow, 16, started playing games such as Minecraft and Roblox from the age of five, and by the time he was in upper primary, he struggled with a game addiction.

“I was on my laptop a lot during Covid-19, and that led to me having an addiction by Primary 5,” he says.

Realising that his studies were affected and wanting to apply to SST helped him to kick his gaming habit in Primary 6.

A positive outcome from the experience was gaining deep knowledge and understanding of how technology works, which honed his interest.

“I didn’t want to just be a player. I wanted to be the one behind the game, coding it and creating it,” says Lucas, who is chairperson of the student council.

Lucas enjoys being with like-minded schoolmates at SST.

“We understand how the others think and are able to supplement opinions and ideas with our own creativity. This enriches discussions when we are talking about how to solve issues,” he says.

Most students in SST take the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate exam in Secondary 4, while a smaller group of 50 will be on the integrated diploma programme where they skip the national exam and move on to Ngee Ann Polytechnic to take a STEAM-related diploma course.

Lucas is one of them. He is keen on a diploma in cybersecurity and digital forensics.

SST receives about 1,000 applications from pupils from 170 primary schools each year, with the final intake of 250 students coming from about 100 primary schools.

Students who are self-directed, inquisitive and open to collaboration will find opportunities to turn ideas into meaningful innovations, says Mr Soh Wee Peng, head of department (organisational partnership).

Singapore Sports School

Year opened: 2004
Annual intake: 100 to 120
Suitable for: Students who have potential for future sporting development or coachability, and a desire to represent Singapore in their chosen sport
Selection process: Students apply directly to the school. While the admission process differs for each sport, it generally entails a selection trial that assesses skills and fitness, a training stint as well as an interview. For certain sports such as football, fencing, multi-sport, and track and field, eligible applicants will be invited to attend the trials. Applicants will also need to pass a medical screening.
How to prepare: Additional preparation is not required. Go to str.sg/rCRY for more information.

National paddler Loy Ming Ying, 16, who was supposed to sit the O levels in 2026, decided to take a gap year to focus on the Youth Olympic Games from Oct 31 to Nov 13.

She has had strong performances in several events in 2025, including the Asian Championships and SEA Games, and continued her stellar performance winning the Under-19 girls’ singles final at the SEA Youth Table Tennis Championships on April 19.

Ming Ying, who trains twice a day except on Sundays, says she initially missed home when she started at the Sports School in 2023 and stayed in its hostel on weekdays.

“I slowly got used to it. There was no air-conditioning. But it was a good experience to stay with classmates and saved time on travelling,” she says.

Living and studying with fellow athletes fosters a strong camaraderie among them.

“If I missed lessons, my classmates helped me and if they missed lessons, I helped them,” she says.

Her advice for younger athletes: “The most important thing is discipline. After school, there is training and after training, I’m exhausted but there is still homework. It can be tiring.”

When student athletes are away for overseas training or competitions, they may be exempted from certain assessments, with teachers providing support to help them catch up when they return.

The school uses technology and blended learning approaches, so students can access online learning materials while overseas.

In 2026, the school is piloting a fully online International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma programme for high performance national athletes to give them more flexibility.

They can join lessons remotely through live streaming and interactive classroom technology when they are training or competing overseas.

Aside from the IB diploma programme, other pathways for students include the SEC exam or an integrated diploma programme which allows students to skip the national exam and move on to a polytechnic.

The school has tie-ups with Republic Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic to offer business diplomas and recently expanded its options to offer diploma programmes with Temasek Polytechnic’s School of Applied Science.

School of the Arts

Year opened: 2008
Annual intake: Up to 200
Suitable for: Students who demonstrate artistic potential, and who are passionate about developing their artistic practice while remaining open to learning across disciplines. They are reflective, collaborative and willing to experiment creatively.
Selection process: Online application is open until May 8. Shortlisted applicants participate in auditions or portfolio presentations, interviews, group activities and questionnaires.
How to prepare: Prospective students prepare a portfolio (depending on the art form), sit entrance tests, attend an audition or portfolio presentation and take part in an interview. Go to str.sg/hVGH for more information

Khaizuran Aidan Mohamed Asri, 13, a Secondary 1 theatre student, thought he missed his chance of entering School of the Arts when he was put on a waitlist after the selection process.

“I was devastated because I was really looking forward to getting in. When I got the acceptance letter during PSLE results, I was very happy,” says Aidan, who has acted in shows such as Kelab JMJ, a Malay-language children’s musical TV series, and XYZeek, a Malay children’s television show about body organs.

He was surprised to find out that there were no co-curricular activities in the school. Instead, there are community, action and service activities, which are led by seniors.

He likes the “fun and interactive” lessons where students are encouraged to share their opinions.

“In my theatre class, there’s a lot of sharing and discussion. But even in my other lessons, we can voice our opinions. I was quite surprised,” says Aidan, who aspires to write and act in his own play.

Students will specialise in one of five art forms: dance, literary arts, music, theatre or visual arts.

At the end of six years, students sit for either the IB Diploma Programme or the IB Career-related Programme examinations.

NUS High School of Mathematics and Science

Year opened: 2005
Annual intake: About 170 to 180
Suitable for: Students with a passion for mathematics and science, and who are curious and self-directed.
Selection process: Students apply through the DSA portal, selecting NUS High and mathematics or science as the DSA talent area. Applicants need to sit a maths and science test, after which selected applicants are invited to attend a selection camp.
How to prepare: The selection assesses the understanding and application of mathematics and science that have been taught in schools. There will also be general knowledge questions in the fields of mathematics and sciences. Applicants can submit a portfolio of competitions, but this is not necessary. Go to str.sg/4Unx6 for more information.

When people ask Hong Shyan if DSA would be suitable for them, his reply is: “Would you be doing this even if no teacher assigned it, even if no exam tested it, even if no one was watching?

“If the answer is yes – consistently, over the years, even when it was difficult – then DSA is probably right for you.”

Hong Shyan, who also composes music and plays the violin in the school orchestra, says he is grateful that he gets to read maths at a higher level.

“I am fortunate to be reading Year 5 maths while I’m in Year 3. Later this year, I will be joining an undergraduate mathematics class at NUS, earning credits towards our maths honours programme – all while I’m still in secondary school,” says Hong Shyan.

His advice for aspiring students would be to not spend too much time trying to guess what the DSA selection will test.

“Spend the time getting clear on why you love the DSA domain you are applying for – what excites you and what you’ve explored on your own,” he adds.

NUS High is accredited by the Ministry of Education and the National University of Singapore, which is its parent institution.

Its students graduate with the NUS High Diploma, based on school-based assessments. Students do not take national examinations, with the exception of Mother Tongue.

Beyond the four specialised independent schools

The DSA has been an increasingly popular pathway for students seeking admission to secondary schools based on their interests and aptitude.

The 2025 DSA exercise saw about 41,700 applications from about 15,700 pupils, with about 4,500 receiving confirmed offers.

This is an increase from the 2019 exercise, which had about 29,000 applications from about 11,600 pupils, with about 3,500 receiving confirmed offers.

A Ministry of Education spokesperson says that while the scheme has grown in popularity, parents should assess its suitability for their child.

“Parents and students should carefully consider if the DSA scheme is a suitable pathway based on a holistic assessment of the student’s strengths and interests, as well as the school’s programmes and their ability to develop the student’s strengths and interests,” says the spokesperson.