3,800 Private Candidates to Take O- and A-Level Exams in 2025

About half previously took the papers as school candidates, says examinations board

- Stacey Ngiam

At the age of 18, when Ms Katherine Tan received her A-level results in 2016, her score fell short of the cutoff 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.

"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.

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.