Secondary School Application FAQ

Navigating the secondary school posting process in Singapore can feel overwhelming, especially with the many considerations involved — applications, Cut-Off Points (COP), school choices, and tie-breaker rules.

Whether you’re helping your child shortlist schools or trying to understand how the posting system works, knowing how these factors interact will help you make clearer and more confident decisions. This FAQ compiles the most common questions parents ask about secondary school posting, COP trends, risk levels, and how tie-breakers affect your child’s chances during the application process.

What Are COP and Tie-Breakers?

The Cut-Off Point (COP) refers to the PSLE score of the last student posted into a particular school in the previous year. It gives families a rough gauge of the school’s competitiveness, though COPs can shift yearly depending on popularity and cohort size.

When many students share the same score, the system uses tie-breakers to decide who gets the spot. Tie-breakers follow a fixed order:

1. Citizenship (Singapore Citizens → PRs → International Students)

2. School choice order (students who list the school higher get priority)

3. Computerised balloting (if still tied)

Understanding these two components helps parents judge risk levels more realistically and make better-informed school choices.

Find out more about COP and Tie-Breakers in our complete guide.

FAQs

Is a 1 point buffer considered "comfortably below COP"?

For example, if the school’s COP is 13 last year, then a 1 point buffer for this year would be 12. So, numerically, it is below last year’s COP.

However, COP is considered a popularity contest. This year’s updated COP will be determined by how popular the school is. Hence, the COP might change.

However, as this year’s PSLE cohort is smaller than last year’s, it should be safe.

Safe points are generally considered schools that are 2-3 points below last year’s COP

Should we be looking at the 2024 cutoff instead?

It’ll be good to refer to both year’s COP.

2025 was a more competitive year as it was The Year of the Dragon. COPs are generally lower. Hence, 2026 COP might be more similar to 2024’s as compared to 2025.

However, please note that this is just a speculation. COP is ultimately dependent on how popular the school is for the year.

Can you share more about the IB program? How does it compare to IP/A level and what are the pathways to local universities?

IB Programme compared to IP or O-Level is more all-rounded. It places strong emphasis on inquiry-based learning, critical thinking, research, and global perspectives. If your child enjoys inquiry, and thinking out of the box, IB might be an appropriate stream for them.

In addition, IB students will have to study 6 subjects across different disciplines, and it is graded from a 1-7 scale.

Meanwhile, O-Level schools follow a more traditional, exam-focused curriculum where students sit for the national O-Level exams in Secondary 4 or 5.

My child performed unexpectedly poorer for PSLE. Is there a chance for transfer in sec 1 or 2 to her dream sch?

I’ve heard of O-Level to IP streams, or G2 to G3 and G1 to G2 within the same school. To do so, you’ll need to have a very strong reason to appeal, and good grades is likely the biggest reason, among many others.

Where can we get COP for 2025 ?

http://sgschooling.com

For schools with affiliation, is there a fixed number of spots given to students from the affiliated schools?

There is no public information on this. Some schools may have an allocated percentage, while other schools may accept all students who apply as long as they are within the COP.

If AL is 10 and cop is 10, putting this as 1st choice is it risky?

Is a 1 point over the COP for 2025 and 2024  even worth a try?

Whether putting a school as your first choice is “risky” depends on your family’s risk appetite.

Some parents prefer to play it safe with schools where their child’s score is comfortably above last year’s cut-off, while others are willing to aim for aspirational schools even if the score is right at or slightly above the previous COP.

Similarly, being 1 point above last year’s COP might feel like a small margin to some families and enough of a buffer to others — it really comes down to how much risk you’re comfortable taking and how important that particular school is for your child’s interests and goals.

How does Overmugged manage IP students of different schools running different curriculums?

Overmugged’s IP classes are most likely catered towards specific clusters that share the same curriculum. We do not specify the clusters on our schedule. Hence, we recommend contacting our admin hotline, explaining your situation, and our enrollment team will recommend the appropriate clusters (classes) for her.

Read in a forum that, if your choice of your 1st school did not meet the school COP and met 2nd choice of school. The chances of getting into the 2nd choice school is lower compared to others applying as 1st choice.

Yes it is. We call it tie-breakers. For instance, if there’s a last spot for School A, and it’s between you, and a different candidate with the same score. The different candidate, with School A as their first choice, will take priority, if school A is your second choice.

Does HCL matter for priority or tie breaker for non SAP schools?

For non-SAP schools, Higher Chinese Language (HCL) does not affect priority or tie-breakers.