FAQs for DSA

1.    What is DSA-Sec?

DSA-Sec is an admission exercise to allow participating schools to select some Primary Six students for admission to Secondary One based on their achievements and talents before the PSLE results are released.

For students, the DSA-Sec Exercise provides them the opportunity to demonstrate a more diverse range of achievements and talents when seeking admission to secondary schools.

Students successfully allocated to a school through the DSA-Sec will not be allowed to participate in the Secondary 1 (S1) Posting to opt for secondary schools or to transfer to another school after the release of the PSLE results. Students who are not ready to commit to studying in a particular school to develop their chosen talent areas may wish to consider the S1 Posting instead, in which students are admitted based on their PSLE scores.

2.    What is the DSA process in 2026?
The selection exercise will be conducted in person with shortlisted students in the DSA-Sec school. The session may consist of interview components and/or performance tasks (e.g. demonstration of skills such as the applicant’s individual movement ability for Sports, or performances of voice, dance and/or instruments for Performing Arts).

For shortlisted students, the DSA-Sec school may request for the submission of additional documents such as write-ups (eg. personal statement, short essay), or CCA/VIA record.

3.    What happens after my child has submitted a DSA application?
Performing Arts/Sports and Games
Short-listed applicants will be invited to attend an audition or sports trial in the DSA-Sec school. The DSA selection outcome will be determined by a panel comprising staff members and the coaches/instructors for the respective talent areas.
The details of the audition or sports trial will be communicated in advance to the shortlisted applicants. The interview will consist of a series of questions to help the panel better understand the child’s motivation and suitability.

Bilingualism
Short-listed applicants for Bilingualism will be invited to attend an interview by a panel of staff members to determine if they will be a good fit for the school.

4.    How will the applicants be short-listed?
Applicants will be shortlisted based on their achievements and experience in the selected talent area. Students should possess personal qualities and strengths that are indicative of their potential in the relevant talent areas. Applicants should include in their application any relevant certificates or documentation that indicates their competencies or skills relevant to their selected talent area.

5.    After my child has submitted the application form, when will my child know if he/she has been short-listed for the interviews?
Only shortlisted applicants will be informed in July or August to attend an interview/audition/sports trial.

6.    What do my child need to do during the audition or sports trial?
Performing Arts
At the Audition, applicants’ level of proficiency in the relevant talent areas will be assessed.
Sports and Games
At the selection trials, applicants’ level of proficiency for the specific sport will be assessed. Applicants are to be dressed in appropriate sports attire.

7.    When is the selection and when will the outcome be known?
Selection for short-listed applicants will take place in July and August. Schools will inform all applicants on the DSA-Sec outcomes by 28 August 2026, including both successful and unsuccessful applications.
The notification will be sent via email with an official letter with the school letterhead as an attachment.

8.    What happens after an applicant receives an offer?
Applicants with at least one confirmed offer or are on the waiting list of at least one school that they applied for will get a School Preference Form from their respective primary school. Applicants will then submit their ranked school preferences via the DSA-Sec Internet System or through their primary school.
Applicants may also withdraw from the DSA-Sec Exercise at this stage. This means that they will go through the S1 Posting Exercise, together with other non-DSA students.

9.    When will applicants be informed of their DSA posting results?
Applicants will receive their DSA results, together with their PSLE results, from their primary schools. If they are allocated a DSA school, they will not be allowed to change schools or participate in the S1 Posting Exercise. This is because the confirmation of a DSA offer is a commitment made by the students to develop their talents and interests in that school.
However, if they have not been allocated a school through the DSA-Sec Exercise, they will participate in the S1 Posting Exercise for their application to secondary school.

10. If my child is offered a DSA-Sec place in a secondary school, does my child have to meet the school’s indicative cut-off point for Secondary One posting?
To be successfully admitted to a DSA-Sec school, your child's Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results must qualify them for a course that the school offers. Students offered placement in a DSA-Sec school still need a PSLE score that qualifies them for the Posting Group (opens in new tab) offered by the school, which is Posting Group 3 for Nan Chiau High School.

11. How many schools can my child apply to through the DSA-Sec portal?
Your child can indicate up to three choices during the application. For each choice, your child needs to choose a secondary school and a talent area from that school.
Of the three choices, a maximum of two choices can be from the same school with different talent areas.
Your child is encouraged to consider his/her choices carefully and manage the time and effort participating in multiple trials and interviews.

12. How many years do the DSA applicants need to commit to the CCA in Nan Chiau High School?
They are required to honour the commitment to the allocated CCA for the entire duration of their schooling years in Nan Chiau High School.

13. How many offers will my child receive from a DSA-Sec school if my child has applied to two talent areas from the same school?
If your child has applied to two talent areas in a school, the school will make only one DSA offer in a specific talent area. The offer will be made based on school's assessment of your child's talent and the school's judgement on which talent area the school can better develop your child in.

14. If my child with Wait List (WL) offer from School A indicates the school as a choice during School Preference Submission and is allocated to the school, does my child still have another chance to accept or reject the allocation?
By submitting the school preference, you have agreed for your child to commit to the DSA-Sec school that is allocated to them. If your child is successfully admitted via DSA-Sec, they will not be allowed to transfer to another school or participate in the Secondary 1 posting to opt for secondary schools after the release of PSLE results.

If you do not wish your child to commit to the DSA school, you should not submit any school preference during the School Preference Submission.

15. My child only received one Wait List (WL) offer. Should my child still submit the preference since the chance of getting into that school may be quite slim?
Your child can submit his/her preference if he/she is still keen on admission into the school via DSA-Sec. If the school has enough remaining DSA-Sec places after the other students given Confirmed Offers have made their choices, your child will be allocated to the school, provided that his/her PSLE results qualify him/her for an academic course offered by the school.

If your child is successfully admitted, he/she will not be allowed to transfer to another school after the release of PSLE results or participate in Secondary 1 Posting to opt for secondary schools.

16. What should I do if my child’s application is unsuccessful in the DSA-Sec?
If your child is currently studying in an MOE school and unsuccessful in DSA-Sec, they will participate in the centralised S1 Posting.

17. For more information you may refer to the following links to the MOE webpage on DSA:
Direct School Admission (DSA-Sec) | Ministry of Education (opens in new tab)

MOE DSA-Sec FAQ:
Frequently asked questions (FAQ) | MOE (opens in new tab)