O Level 2024 Timeline: Overview of Important Exam Dates

The O Level examinations in Singapore is one of the most extensive ones that the average student in Singapore will take. Most of our tuition students take 6 to 8 subjects, and some of those subjects involve several parts (e.g. oral and listening comprehension for languages, and practical exams for sciences).

Yet, it is essential to be organised in keeping track of each exam date to ensure that you can plan and prepare for all your papers. Short of referring to the entire O Level exam timetable each time you want to find an exam date, it is much easier to look at your individual exam entry proof as it will list only the dates of the exams you are registered for.

For parents or students of our O Level Tuition classes who want to plan in advance – here’s a bird’s eye view of the O Level schedule for Year 2024. Most years, the exam timetable is roughly the same, so you can also consult this to prepare if you are taking the O Levels next year!

But for students taking the exams in 2027 and beyond – do take note! There will be some changes to the O Level exam scheduling, so be prepared that your timetable will not look so similar to this.

Note on MTL exams

There is always some confusion about when students will take their Mother Tongue Language (MTL) exams. Each year, there are two rounds of MTL exams – one in mid-year and one in October/November. The exams you take depend on whether you take Higher MTL, and your performance in the first MTL paper you take.

Higher MTL students will take their MTL paper in Sec 3 and HMTL paper in Sec 4. However, if a student does badly in MTL in Sec 3, they can retake the MTL paper in the mid-year of Sec 4 and drop HMTL.

Normal MTL students will take their MTL paper in mid-year of Sec 4. If they do badly, they can retake the MTL paper in the year end of Sec 4.

But take note: From 2027, there will no longer be two sittings per year for the MTL exams. There will only be one sitting for the MTL exams, in September.

O Level Exam Timeline

Now that we have cleared up the confusion of when students take their O Level Mother Tongue exam, we can dive into an overview of the O Level exam timeline.

May/June

• MTL written papers (for Sec 4 students who don’t take higher MTL)

July

• MTL Listening Comprehension
• Oral for English and MTL
• Oral for some Third Language subjects

Note: Results for the mid-year MTL exams are usually released in August for students to decide if they want to retake it in November.

September

• Oral for some Third Language subjects

Early October

• Science practical exams
• Written papers for Third Language subjects
• Listening comprehension for Third Language subjects

Late October

• Listening comprehension for English
• Listening comprehension for MTL
• Start of written papers

November

• All other written papers, ending by mid-November

Results release date

Usually, the O Level exam results will be released on the second week of the following January. The exact date is only announced a few weeks before – so look out for announcements from MOE in December!

O Level Results release date (tentative): 10 – 14 January 2025

JAE registration: 5 days, including date of result release

O Level Preparation with Future Academy

Preparing for the O Level exams can be challenging because of the many subjects you need to juggle – as well as CCA and other commitments. So, don’t waste your time on study techniques that don’t work or allowing the misconceptions to snowball without getting help!

Meet with ex-MOE tutors in Future Academy who are top tutors in their field to learn how to study more effectively! Our tutors are experienced with helping students achieve real, visible improvements within a short frame of time – through a personalised teaching approach in small group classes like our secondary Math tuition and secondary English tuition.

Give your O Level preparation journey a kickstart or power-boost in our tuition classes today!

Read more like this…