Secondary 3

Applying to enter

Secondary 3

Content tested

Secondary 2 (the year below). MOE: “familiar with the topics taught in our mainstream schools for the level preceding the one they applied for.”

Paper

S3

Born between

2 January 2010 to 1 January 2013, for admission in 2027 (MOE age checker, 18 October 2026). Use the official checker with the exact date of birth.

Possible outcomes

Secondary 3, Secondary 2, or unsuccessful.

2026 test date

Wednesday 2 September 2026.

English paper (130 min)

Part 1: writing, one composition: choose 1 of 4 topics, 300 to 400 wordsPart 2: comprehension and language use, multiple-choice: 50 compulsory questions: comprehension 15, comprehension cloze 15, vocabulary 10, grammar 10Black or dark-blue pen for the composition, 2B pencil for the answer sheet. No dictionary.

Mathematics paper (135 min)

Part 1: multiple-choice: 34 questions, 30 minPart 2: short-answer and open-ended: 20 short-answer + 10 to 15 open-ended, 105 minRuler, set square, protractor, compasses. No calculator.

Facts checked on 17 October 2026 against moe.gov.sg and seab.gov.sg. Always confirm with MOE’s own age checker.

• Grammar › Passive voice
• Vocabulary › Connotation and register
• Grammar › Connectors and cohesion
• Comprehension › Writer's purpose and tone
• Grammar › Modals
• Grammar › Conditionals: third conditional
• Grammar › Reported speech: tense and time shift
• Grammar › Subjunctive after insist, recommend, suggest
• Grammar › Passive voice: present continuous
• Grammar › Inversion after negative adverbials
• Grammar › Hardly ... when
• Grammar › Relative clauses referring to a whole clause
• Grammar › Agreement with 'police'
• Grammar › Gerund after a preposition
• Grammar › Comparative structures: the more ... the more
• Grammar › Modal perfect: deduction
• Grammar › Past participle clauses
• Grammar › Question tags with indefinite pronouns
• Grammar › Preposition + relative pronoun
• Grammar › Punctuation: joining independent clauses
• Grammar › Dangling participles
• Grammar › Reported speech: future
• Grammar › Concession with noun phrases
• Grammar › Parallel structure
• Grammar › Collective nouns and tense
• Vocabulary › Words in context
• Vocabulary › Idioms
• Vocabulary › Word formation: nouns
• Vocabulary › Prefixes
• Vocabulary › Confusable words
• Vocabulary › Collocations
• Vocabulary › Phrasal verbs
• Vocabulary › Register
• Vocabulary › Figurative language
• Vocabulary › Synonyms
• Vocabulary › Antonyms
• Vocabulary › Homophones
• Vocabulary › Precise verbs
• Comprehension › Inference
• Comprehension › Figurative detail
• Comprehension › Literal understanding
• Comprehension › Writer's technique
• Comprehension › Cause and effect
• Comprehension › Purpose of a comparison
• Comprehension › Writer's attitude
• Comprehension › Understanding dialogue
• Comprehension › Inference about motive
• Comprehension › Inference from the ending
• Comprehension › Characterisation
• Comprehension › Main idea
• Comprehension › Interpreting a statement
• Comprehension › Drawing a conclusion
• Comprehension › Applying information from a notice
• Comprehension › Literal detail
• Comprehension › Purpose of a text
• Number and Algebra › Algebraic expressions
• Number and Algebra › Equations
• Number and Algebra › Algebraic expressions and formulae
• Number and Algebra › Proportion
• Geometry and Measurement › Pythagoras' theorem
• Geometry and Measurement › Trigonometry
• Geometry and Measurement › Mensuration
• Statistics and Probability › Probability of single events
• Statistics and Probability › Data analysis
• Number and Algebra › Ratio and proportion
• Number and Algebra › Functions and graphs
• Number and Algebra › Equations and inequalities
• Geometry and Measurement › Congruence and similarity
• Statistics and Probability › Data handling and analysis
• Statistics and Probability › Probability