How To Calculate A Level Rank Points (From 2026 Onwards)

For students entering JC in 2024, they will be experiencing a couple of differences to the JC curriculum, including having no mid-year exams, recent changes to the General Paper exam, as well as tweaks to how the A Level rank points are calculated.

It’s crucial to be in the know of these changes to see how it affects you and your study strategies – so in this article we will be going through the new A Level RP calculation in Singapore and how it might affect your A Level experience!

What are A Level rank points used for?

Rank points (RP) is an indicator of your overall score for the A Level exams. Think of it like a mean subject grade or grade point average that includes all the grades of the subjects you take for A Levels. Rank points are especially used to apply to Singapore universities.

However, RP is not the only thing that universities look at. Some universities and courses also have specific subject requirements. In cases where two students have the same RP, universities will also look at individual grades and subjects to select the more preferred candidate.

How do I calculate my rank points? 

Each grade corresponds to a score – for example, an A grade in a H2 subject is 20 points. To get your RP, you have to add up all the corresponding points for all the subjects. See the table below for the score chart.

Generally, the maximum possible RP is 70, which takes into account 3 H2 subjects and H1 General Paper.

Example 1: If you take 3 H2 and H1 GP

Let’s say you scored A, B, C for your H2 subjects, and A for GP. To calculate the rank points, simply find the corresponding score for each grade and add them up.

RP = 20 + 17.5 + 15 + 10 = 62.5

But, what if you take 4 H2 subjects, or H1 mother tongue language, or other subjects? In the new RP calculation system starting from 2026, some of these subjects will be optionally included in the RP, according to whether it improves the overall RP. If other subjects are added to the calculation, the score will have to be rebased to 70.

Subjects optionally included in the RP:

• Contrasting subject: The grade of the contrasting subject is only included in RP calculation if it improves the score. A 4th H2 subject will be treated as a H1 subject.
• Mother Tongue Language: The grade of the MTL subject is only included in RP calculation if it improves the score

Example 2: If you take 4H2, H1 GP, and H1 MTL

Let’s say you scored A, B, B, C for your H2 subjects, B for GP, and A for H1 MTL. Let’s see whether you should include your 4th H2 subject and/or the MTL subject in your RP calculation.

RP omitting both 4th H2 and MTL = 20 + 17.5 + 17.5 + 8.75 = 63.75 (this is your baseline)

RP with 4th H2 = (20 + 17.5 + 17.5 + 7.5 + 8.75)/80 x 70 = 62.34 (4th H2 pulls down the grade)

RP with MTL = (20 + 17.5 + 17.5 + 8.75 + 10)/80 x 70 = 64.53 (MTL improves the grade)

RP with both 4th H2 and MTL = (20 + 17.5 + 17.5 + 7.5 + 8.75 + 10)/90 x 70 = 63.19 (4th H2 and MTL together pulls down the grade)

As you can see, the RP calculation with MTL added improves the RP from 63.75 to 64.53. Hence, your final RP in this case is 64.53.

Additionally, some subjects will not be included in the RP at all, but may affect other aspects of your university application.

Subjects not included in the RP:

• Mother tongue B: MTL B is not considered as an A Level subject, so its score will not be included in the rank points calculation.
• H3 subjects: H3 subject scores are not included in the rank point calculation. However, it can give students an advantage to showcase their passion and abilities in a certain field, or grant them exemption from certain courses in university.
• Project work: Project Work has become a Pass/Fail subject, which will not be included in the RP calculation. However, a Pass is required for applying to local universities.

How would the changes impact JC students?

It’s too early to tell how these changes will impact JC students, but different groups of students may react differently. Which do you think you will be?

1. Students may feel less stressed with fewer subjects included in the RP

There will be less pressure to do well for every single subject, and students who are struggling with one content subject would increase their chances of entering university without one subject pulling down their grades.

2. Students may not care about the ‘optional subjects’

After knowing that the 4^th content subject and PW are not necessary in the RP calculation, some students may just give up on those subjects and focus more on their main 3 H2 subjects. This could defeat the purpose of having the contrasting subject and PW in the first place, as they are there to give students breadth in their learning.

3. Students will continue to work hard for all subjects

For certain university courses where subject requirements are more important, the overall RP doesn’t matter so much. Instead, students who have a university course in mind would focus on getting high scores for their prerequisite subjects. For courses where competition is tight, every subject and every grade counts in making your application stronger.

Conclusion

Understanding how the A Level rank points are calculated can help you gauge where you are in your studies. For students eyeing a spot in a competitive course, every mark counts!

Need some help in reaching your academic goals? It is our mission here at Future Academy to empower students to reach their goals! Explore ways to enhance your grades in our H2 Math Tuition classes and acquire effective study techniques in our A Level Chemistry tuition classes. Our expert tutors are ready to steer you toward achieving your desired grades—don’t hesitate to join us today!