KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Since 250 remains the cutoff for the top 10% and the cutoff for the top 3% has dropped from 263 in 2012 to 258 this year, I think the new COP for these schools will be:

RGS: 258 (+-1). 2012 cop = 263
NYGH: 260 (+-1). 2012 cop = 265.
This assumes that NYPS % of students with 250 and above remains the same. If there is a significant drop and the principal does not lower the special COP reserved for NYPS students, there are more places freed up for non NYPS students. Then the new COP will be 258-259 (+-1).

The top 4% to 10% are now squeezed within a narrower range of 250-258. Compared to wider range of 250-263 in 2012. Schools with 2012 COP lower than 263 will also experience a drop in COP. Maybe 1-2 points. Now comes the interesting part. The schools with 2012 COP higher than 250 will get an increase in COP. This assumes the number of candidates remains unchanged. However, this year's cohort is obviously smaller than the dragon batch in 2012. Even if the schools in this COP range do not change the number of places available, it's hard to predict the COP for schools falling in the 250-258 range.

The best strategy is to list the first 2 choices the dream schools that are 2,3 points higher than your predicted cutoff. Since there is no penalty and selection is based on merit. People assume the 2014 COP will be the same as the previous years. The COP in some t score ranges will drop due to tighter bell curve. I'm not sure how the MOE will sort out the predicament of a SAP placed as a second choice and the T score after HMT inclusion is higher than the first choice of a non SAP. Plus affiliation points.

For the benefit of some blur students and parents, please highlight to those who score 258-260 to try for the schools that have a 2012 COP 263 and above. The easier papers have messed up the COP predictability. Some parents may not have the resources like us to get useful info from kiasu forum.

jmumm wrote:How many schools can we appeal? Only for the first choice?

If I'm not wrong, it's up to parents how many appeals they wish to file.

mummy-mania wrote:

popin wrote:My dd got 244. any chance getting to cedar girls ? Cedar cop 2013 was 251
Please advise. My dd really want to go cedar.

Yes, from my DD's experience, Cedar is a school with a very nurturing environment.

I can't say for sure since it depends on how the entire cohort has done. What is her second choice?

Thks. 2nd choice would be anderson. 3rd would be chij toa payoh. im wondering my dd chances as her pt is only 244. Where cedar is 251, anderson 246 & chij 244.

mummy-mania wrote:

popin wrote:My dd got 244. any chance getting to cedar girls ? Cedar cop 2013 was 251
Please advise. My dd really want to go cedar.

Yes, from my DD's experience, Cedar is a school with a very nurturing environment.

I can't say for sure since it depends on how the entire cohort has done. What is her second choice?

Thks. 2nd choice would be anderson. 3rd would be chij toa payoh. im wondering my dd chances as her pt is only 244. Where cedar is 251, anderson 246 & chij 244.

Nebbermind wrote:

ChiefKiasu wrote:

Qiulei wrote:Thanks for your reply. I just pray that my daughter can get into top schools like NYHS or RGS, money is not an issue.

Money was never the issue. Ability to make the rankings is. If your daughter cannot get into the top schools, it is really no big deal. She will still be able to succeed in life, perhaps even better, since she will be amongst kids of her own ability.

Actually for ip schools, it's very important that the child was not very reliant on tuitions during pri school to achieve the qualifying score. The diff becomes somewhat telling when in sec school where the learning process is very diff from pri school.... that's according to my boy

Well said! I second that. DD never have tuition, time management is KEY. DD has many things already, homework, self-study, CCA, piano, doing CIP, reading novels, ballet outside sch, watching Korean serial shows, X-factor...hahaha..
"Time management & self-discipline"

blanchemeryth wrote:Hi, just got my results yesterday. ^^" I got a 240--an A* for Eng, A for Chi and Math and a B for Sci. It was a little higher than what I'd expected so I guess you can say that I was satisfied.

The trouble now is choosing my schools x_x I live in the Sin Ming area and the schools I was/am interested in are quite a distance away; for example, I was considering Chung Cheng High (Main) and Zhonghua Secondary. Chung Cheng because I'm from a SAP school and would like to try out something similar and Zhonghua because I thought I'd give a shot for their Art Elective.

Overall, I'm more of an English-based person and inclined towards art and music. What schools do y'all recommend I go? :/ The nearer the better, since I'm not a fan of traveling long distances.

Hi - Catholic High if you are a boy; St Nicks if you are a girl. Not IP track but O level track is just as good in both schools.

popin wrote:My dd got 244. any chance getting to cedar girls ? Cedar cop 2013 was 251
Please advise. My dd really want to go cedar.

the system is a black box! we do not know the t-distribution. and unlike registration at the primary school level, we do not know the intake/number of places available at each individual school. you have to go call the schools individually to find out and many will tell you that they themselves do not have an idea until the MOE advices!

Therefore, even if the t-scores are lower, the COP for many schools may not drop if the number of places are reduced!

Frankly, this is perplexing in a world arguing for more transparency and our system is getting more opaque! This is not about competitiveness but the more information parents have, we are able to make more informed choices. i simply don't understand all this secrecy...........

htchero wrote:

BigD2013 wrote:Dear KSP,
The school booklet says that "merit before choice".
Does this mean that even if I put school A as the last choice ie choice (6), and others put this school as the first choice ie choice (1), as long as my DC's t-score is higher, the school will still select my DC first?

Can anybody please confirm this?

TIA!!

Yes

Yes only if any of your school of your choice still has vacancy by the time the time your DC's turn to be allocated a slot in any of your 6 choices. All the 6 choices have equal weight.

One extreme example: if you put the 6 choices all IP tract school and when your DC's turn to be allocated a school slot but all the 6 schools' slots have been taken up then the allocation system will place your DC in any school nearest to your home which still has vacancy.

So it is better to be realistic in placing the 6 choices. The T-score is a queue number. The higher T-score child will have a priority for one of the 6 school choices the child put in the S1 Option form.

If anyone do not wish to go through this stressful process, DSA is the best choice to get your DC gets into the school of choice. But it is too late once results are out. Only can appeal to school of choice by placing it as first choice although you risk the chance of wasting one of the 6 choices.

centralpark wrote: .....
RGS: 258 (+-1). 2012 cop = 263
NYGH: 260 (+-1). 2012 cop = 265.... new COP 258-259 (+-1).

.......Since there is no penalty and selection is based on merit. I'm not sure how the MOE will sort out the predicament of a SAP placed as a second choice and the T score after HMT inclusion is higher than the first choice of a non SAP. Plus affiliation points.
......

Thanks centralpark's for your detailed analysis for the COP, I guess it would be 3 point lower than last year.
I want to ask a question here, can anyone answer the HMT points question?
Here is the scenario:
RGS : 258 COP
NYGH : 259 COP
pupil A : 257 + 3, first option is RGS, second is NYGH
pupil B : 259 + 0, first option is NYGH, second is RGS
pupil C : 258 + 0, first option is RGS, second is NYGH
there is only one last place in both NYGH and RGS, which school will pupil A or B or C go? who will be dropped?

RGS : 258
NYGH : 259
pupil A : 257 + 3, first option is RGS, second is NYGH
pupil B : 258 + 1, first option is NYGH, second is RGS
pupil C : 259 + 0, first option is NYGH, second is RGS
there is only one last place in both NYGH and RGS, which school will pupil A or B or C go? who will be dropped?

mummy-mania wrote:

jmumm wrote:How many schools can we appeal? Only for the first choice?

If I'm not wrong, it's up to parents how many appeals they wish to file.

Can we appeal afew schools at a time? or one at a time and wait for the result. May I know how I should go about appealing?