Entrance Proficiency Test
All candidates who have applied for a teaching position will be required to undergo teacher training in the National Institute of Education (NIE). As part of the requirements for admission to the National Institute of Education, candidates will need to sit for and pass the relevant Entrance Proficiency Test (EPT) if:
- they do not meet the exemption criteria for the EPT or
- they do not possess a valid pass in the EPT (a valid pass refers to a pass that is still within the validity period as indicated in the Statement of Results.)
For candidates applying for the Bachelor of Arts (Education) or Bachelor of Science (Education) course, all successful candidates must clear their English Proficiency Test (EPT) before their admission to NIE for the BA / BSc (Edun) course in July, if they do not meet the exemption criteria. Under the BA / BSc (Edun) course, candidates specialising in Mother Tongue Language (MTL), must also clear their English EPT if they do not meet the English exemption criteria.
The Ministry of Education recruits teachers all year-round. Although you can apply to teach even if you have not taken or passed the relevant EPT, it is advisable that you register early for the test. Generally, it takes about 2 to 3 weeks to process your EPT application.
You will need to pass the EPT(s) for admission into NIE. If you fail to do so, you may be deployed to teach in a school as an untrained teacher while you register for the next EPT(s). However, passing the EPT does not necessarily mean that you will be short-listed for an interview or be admitted to NIE, as this will depend on other factors, such as meeting the entry requirements or your teaching performance in school.
Application Process
You are strongly encouraged to register through the RELC Examinations Bureau on-line registration service. Please call 67344259 for more information. The test dates are listed in their respective web-pages. You can also call the Ministry of Education 24-hour automated hotline at 1800-8408585.
The cost of sitting for the written and oral tests is S$44.00 nett. Each component test (written or oral) costs S$32.00 nett. The registration exercise will open 2 to 3 weeks before the closing date and priority is given on a first-come-first-served basis. Candidates will be scheduled to sit for the EPT on the next earliest available test date.
EPT Results
The results of the EPT will be indicated in a Statement issued to candidates who have registered for the test.
- A pass in the Chinese, Malay or Tamil EPT: the results will be valid for a period of 4 years.
- A pass in the English EPT: the results will be valid for an unlimited period.
Failure to sit for the EPT on the scheduled test date may jeopardise your application as RELC reserves the right not to let the candidate re-sit the test on alternative dates if the candidate has missed the test.