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A second chance to excel: 3,800 private candidates taking O- and A-level exams in 2025
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The SEAB said about half of the private candidates had previously taken their national examinations as school candidates.
SINGAPORE - At the age of 18, when Ms Katherine Tan received her A-level results in 2016, her score fell short of the cut-off for local universities.
'I was in this very weird limbo because people who retake their A levels go back to school because they failed a subject,' she said.
'But I didn't fail anything, so going back to school was not even an option for me.'
Coming from a low-income household, enrolling in a private university was financially out of reach.
She eventually decided to retake her A levels as a private candidate, and her grades improved significantly.
She gained admission in 2018 to the National University of Singapore to study economics, and was awarded a scholarship in her second year.
Her story is not uncommon. In 2025, the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) recorded 3,800 private candidates – 2,300 will be sitting the O-level exams, while 1,500 will take the A levels.
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'This provides an opportunity for those who wish to improve their academic portfolio to pursue their aspirations, such as to access further education or greater employment opportunities,' said an SEAB spokeswoman.
In response to queries, she said there were more than 1,000 private candidates for the A levels yearly from 2016 to 2025, while the number of private O-level candidates fell from about 4,400 to 2,300 during the same period.
Private candidates are individuals who are not enrolled in mainstream schools and want to take Singapore's national examinations. They must meet the minimum age requirement for the respective examination levels.
These candidates are assigned to the nearest examination centre, typically a school, to take their exams alongside school candidates.
SEAB said about half of the private candidates had previously taken the national examinations as school candidates.
Registrations begin annually from late March to early April via SEAB's candidates portal.
Aside from retakers, preparatory centres like the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) and private tutors also see first-timers, including homeschooled students and polytechnic graduates, in their programmes.
Some even choose to retake the exams despite not needing the results to qualify for higher education.
Tutor Eunice Goh, 33, retook the General Paper examination in 2024 to keep updated on the new syllabus, which was tested for the first time that year.
Ms Eunice Goh, 33, a tutor at Blue Herring Education, retook her General Paper in 2024 as a private candidate.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF EUNICE GOH
'As a tutor, we impart information. But it's been so long since we experienced what it is like to be a student, to be on the receiving end of the pressure and the preparation work that goes into taking the exams,' said Ms Goh, who tutors both school students and private candidates at Blue Herring Academy.
Ms Lee Su Yin, programme manager at MDIS College, said it has had enrolment growth of more than 50 per cent in its O- and A-level programmes in 2025 compared with 2024.
Seven other preparatory schools that The Straits Times contacted declined to reply.
Being a private candidate is not easy, as Ms Tan found out.
'One of the reasons why being a private candidate is so lonely is that all your friends have moved on, and you cannot expect your friends to stay behind in this rut with you,' she said.
'I wanted to help people (like myself) find a community to let them feel less alone.'
To support such students, Ms Tan, now 27, made the bold move in 2024 to quit her $10,000-a-month corporate job to launch a dedicated tuition programme for private candidates: Lighthouse Education.
Ms Tan Cheng Ping Katherine, 27, founder of Lighthouse Education, made the bold move in 2024 to trade her $10,000 a month corporate job to launch a dedicated tuition programme for private candidates.
ST PHOTO: TARYN NG
More than 30 private candidates are currently enrolled in the centre's regular lessons, which cost between $380 and $420 a month.
In 2024, 94 per cent of the private candidates who took classes at her centre made it to NUS, NTU and Singapore Management University (SMU). Ms Tan also runs a free public Telegram group with more than 200 members – including past and present private candidates – offering academic and emotional support by answering questions and sharing resources.
Second chances
Many private candidates had hoped to return to school to repeat a year of studies, but failed in their appeals.
Their aim was to gain better grades to get into the courses they wanted.
This was the case for Ms Kim Mary Steven, 20, who retook her A levels in 2024.
While her school results could have earned her a spot in local universities, Ms Kim's dream course – which she declined to reveal – was more competitive, requiring a higher score.
She intends to gain more work experience and explore opportunities before applying for university again in 2026.
'If your initial path doesn't work out, you just have to go and find ways to create a new path for yourself,' said Ms Kim.
Incoming SMU freshman Leonard Wong, 27, said taking his O levels as a private candidate was a chance to return to the mainstream education track.
Mr Leonard Wong, 27, a private candidate who took his O levels for the first time under the ITE General Education Programme.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF LEONARD WONG
Due to academic challenges, he dropped out of school in Secondary 3.
After working for a few years, he found an interest in finance and investments and wanted to pursue a polytechnic diploma in accountancy and finance.
Needing an O-level certificate to qualify, he took the O levels for the first time at age 23, as a private candidate via the General Education programme for adult learners at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).
The part-time programme is for adult learners to upgrade their academic qualifications, through weekly lessons usually held at night or on weekends.
' At the start of the course, I did doubt myself. I hadn't been back in school for seven years. There was so much to relearn, especially within just eight months,' said Mr Wong.
He pressed on and entered polytechnic, graduating with a perfect grade point average in 2025, and is headed to SMU to pursue a double degree in accountancy and business management.
' This journey always reminds me that it's never too late to pursue something you truly want. Even after being out of school for several years, I realised that as long as I stayed consistent and had the right mindset, I could always progress,' he added.
For Mr Shaun Seow, 28, retaking his A levels during his national service to enter his dream course in finance was not easy.
As a commander in the Naval Diving Unit, Mr Seow had multiple responsibilities and long days out at sea.
Mr Shaun Seow retook his A levels three times before entering university in 2018.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF SHAUN SEOW
Not wanting his bunkmates to see his studies as an excuse for poor performance, Mr Seow kept his study plans a secret, and would sneak off to an empty bunk to study in the wee hours of the morning.
He eventually retook the A levels three times before clinching a spot in SMU in 2018.
'There's some stigma behind (being a private candidate). But (to me) it's more like a 'flex' because not everybody has that experience of going through the hard part,' said Mr Seow, who is now a market analyst at a financial institution.
For Ms Ayesha Faizal, 23, retaking her O levels in 2019 helped her enjoy learning all over again, after doing poorly in school.
'Sometimes, in school, everything is so rushed, so you don't actually get to sit back and properly experience the learning process. But when the pace was slowed down, I found myself asking more questions, being a bit more curious.'
Ms Ayesha took lessons from a preparatory centre, Inspire Education, at the time.
With her improved score, she joined Victoria Junior College, and has eased back into the school system.
'In JC, I was a more dedicated student than I had been before . I appreciated having guidance from my teachers and would seek them out a lot more than I did in secondary school ,' said Ms Ayesha, who is entering her final year in arts and social sciences at NUS.
