Considerations in choosing a subject combination
Follow this five-step guide to help your child choose the right subject combination for upper secondary, aligned with their interests and post-secondary goals.
Guide to choosing Subject Combinations
How to choose a subject combination?
Step 1: Explore interest areas and find out about your child’s aspirations
Discuss with your child/ward his/her interest areas and aspirations. The following resources would help your child understand herself/himself and gain an insight into the diverse range of careers and jobs available.
Resources for your children to gain an insight into the diverse range of careers and jobs available.
Resource | Brief Description |
|---|---|
A one-stop platform to help your child understand herself/himself, interests and strengths. Your child can also explore various education and career pathways. | |
A website to check out bite-sized videos and information about the day in the life of more than 80 professionals. | |
On my way, Know it all | Lesser known facts, handy tips and answers to common questions about Careers in Singapore. This is a chance to explore the growing list of job roles in Singapore, to get an in-depth idea of what different jobs entail. |
Contains essential information on JAE, such as an overview of the JAE process and timeline (the key stages and respective dates/periods). |
Step 2: Identify the most appropriate post-secondary education pathway
Once you have identified an interest area or career path which you would like to pursue, you can start to explore the various post-secondary education options & pathways that are relevant.
Help your child/ward understand what post-secondary pathways available by using the following resources:
Post Secondary Pathways & Information (Express)
I. Post Secondary Pathways & Information (Express) | ||
|---|---|---|
1 | Junior College: | 2-3 years in a Junior college or Millenia Institute towards an A-levels certification |
2 | Polytechnic: | 3 years in a Polytechnic towards a specialised Diploma |
3 | Institute of Technical Education (ITE): | 2 years in ITE towards a Higher Nitec Certification |
4 | Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA): | 3 years in NAFA towards an Arts, Media or related Diploma |
5 | LASELLE College of the Arts: | 3 years in Laselle towards an Arts, Media or related Diploma |
6 | Polytechnic Early Admission Exercise (Poly-EAE): | 3 years in a Polytechnic towards a specialised Diploma |
Post Secondary Pathways & Information (Normal Academic)
II. Post Secondary Pathways & Information (Normal Academic) | ||
|---|---|---|
1 | Polytechnic Foundation Programme (PFP): | 1 year Polytechnic Foundation Programme (PFP) before embarking on a 3 years diploma course |
2 | O-Level: | 1 year in Pasir Ris Secondary School towards an O-levels Certification |
3 | NAFA Foundation Programme (NFP): | 1 year NAFA Foundation Programme (NFP) before embarking on a 3 years Arts diploma course. |
Post Secondary Pathways & Information (Normal Technical)
III. Post Secondary Pathways & Information (Normal Technical) | ||
|---|---|---|
1 | ITE Nitec: | 4 years in ITE towards a Higher Nitec Certification |
2 | ITE Higher Nitec* | 3 years in ITE towards a Higher Nitec Certification |
* New 3-Year Higher Nitec: ITE has introduced a new 3-year Higher Nitec full-time programme from Academic Year 2022. Streamlining the current Nitec and Higher Nitec curricula, this new option allows students to attain a Higher Nitec qualification directly, in only three years instead of the current four years. Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) students can apply for this new 3-year Higher Nitec programme.
Step 3: Identify Relevant Courses and their Pre-requisite Subjects in the selected pathway
Identify the courses and find out the pre-requisite subjects that are compulsory for the post-secondary courses your child/ward is interested in. Pre-requisite subjects refer to subjects that must have been taken at upper secondary level which are required for the post-secondary courses. For your convenience, we have curated the links to the relevant institutions below.
Relevant Courses and their Pre-requisite Subjects for G3 Students
Predominantly G3 Students | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
a. Junior Colleges (JC) & Millennia Institute (MI) | 1. Anderson Serangoon JC | Please note that students who are keen to proceed to junior colleges can also consider participating in the Direct School Admission for Junior Colleges (DSA-JC) | ||
b. Polytechnics | 1. Nanyang Polytechnic | Please note that students who are keen to proceed to polytechnics can also consider participating in the Polytechnic Early Admission Exercise (Poly-EAE) | ||
c. Institute of Technical Education | Please note that students who are keen to proceed to ITE can also consider participating in the ITE Early Admission Exercise Option (ITE EAE) which is an aptitude-based admissions exercise to a Nitec or Higher Nitec course | |||
Relevant Courses and their Pre-requisite Subjects for G2 Students
Please note that students who are keen to proceed to ITE can also consider participating in the ITE Early Admission Exercise Option (ITE EAE) which is an aptitude-based admissions exercise to a Nitec or Higher Nitec course.
Relevant Courses and their Pre-requisite Subjects for G1 Students
Predominantly G1 Students | |
|---|---|
1 | Institute of Technical Education Early Admission Exercise (Nitec & 3-year Higher Nitec courses) |
2 | Institute of Technical Education (Nitec & Higher Nitec courses) |
Step 4: Select Subject Combinations which include the relevant elective subjects
At upper secondary level, your child/ward will have to offer a set of compulsory subjects. In addition to these, your child/ward may choose between 1-3 elective subjects. Based on the courses and prerequisite subjects shortlisted in Step 3, identify the relevant Subject Combinations. You can click the links below to view the Subject Combinations available and find out more about the subjects.
Sec 3 G3 Subject Combinations for 2026
Information on Upper Secondary Elective Subjects G3
Sec 3 G2 Subject Combination for 2026
Information on Upper Secondary Elective Subjects G2
Sec 3 G1 Subject Combination for 2026
Information on Upper Secondary Elective Subjects G1
Step 5: Submit online application (Links to be created nearer to the exercise)
View instructions for online subject combination selection.
Submit your four subject combination options.
Parents need to acknowledge, by submitting a signed copy of the selected subject combinations.