If you are looking to enrol in a medical programme in Southeast Asia, Singapore offers 2 strong programmes from NTU and NUS – both are top universities in Asia and the world.
The NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine alternates between being #1 or #2 in Asia, whereas the NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine has a partnership with Imperial, one of the best medical schools in the world.
As such, the two schools only admit a select few to their programmes each year. While top grades are of paramount importance to gaining admission, they are not enough. A prospective applicant needs to have extensive volunteering, medical shadowing, leadership experiences, as well as be able to speak persuasively about their knowledge of and desire to study medicine in the interview stage.
The competition for spots in these schools pays off: according to the Graduate Employment Survey, 100% of NUS Medicine graduates find employment. In the newer NTU medical programme results are just coming in, but students are vying for a chance to be able to study at Imperial as their partner school.
Application Requirements
Here’s everything you’ll need to prepare for if you are looking to get into NTU/NUS medical programmes:
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Proclaimed the best medical school in Asia in 2017, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine offers students an active, collaborative and engaging curriculum with top-notch practical and theoretical experiences
Application Requirements
- Grades: AAA in A Levels or 42+ in the IB.
- Standardized Testing: None
- Focused Skills Assessment (or FSA – happens at the end of March/April): This is a series of stations, each examining a specific characteristic of the candidate. The station can be a mini-interview or performance of a focused task. Each station is standardised. Examiners at each station are faculty members, doctors, allied health professionals, and medical alumni. All examiners are carefully selected and trained before the selection exercise. The assessment will be conducted over 60 minutes.
- Situational Judgement Test (or SJT – also happens at the March/April): The SJT is a 60-minute pen-and-paper MCQ test designed to assess judgement in medicine-relevant situations. All students who have been shortlisted for NUS Medicine must sit for the SJT.
- Recommendations: 2 referee reports
- Personal Statement: 500 words
Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Singapore’s second medical school, NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine prides itself with its partnership with Imperial College London. Having been officially established in 2017, the NTU School of Medicine offers an innovative curriculum with plentiful practical and professional opportunities.
Application Requirements
- Grades: AAA in A Levels or 42+ in the IB.
- Standardized Testing: BMAT
- Multiple Mini Interview (MMI – happens in April): Candidates will undergo several one-to-one interviews with different interviewers, designed to assess a candidate’s aptitude and suitability for the MBBS programme. Applicants invited for the selection interviews will complete a series of eight mini interviews, each lasting approximately five minutes, conducted consecutively in eight separate interview rooms.
- Recommendations: 2 referee reports
- Personal Statement: 300 words
Application Timeline
Your standard applicant can start preparing as soon as JC1/IB Year 1, it not earlier. This is because profile building activities work better over a longer period of time.
If you eyes were set on medical schools, you can start preparing as early as Sec 3/4.
Profile Building
Medical programmes require a good profile that showcases strong and relevant interests in medicine and sciences.
If you are keen on applying to medical programmes, you should start your profile building activities as soon as possible.
We recommend 1 – 2 years of profile building at least, starting from your JC1 or IB year 1.
Standardised Test Preparation
While NUS does not require any standardised testing, NTU requires you to submit a BMAT score as part of your application.
You will want to spend a few months minimum preparing for the BMAT. A good time to start is at the end of your JC1, then take the test at the end of your JC2 in October or November.
If you are going to National Service (NS), you can take it during your JC2, or during your NS years.
Personal Statement
Both NUS and NTU require a short personal statement (300 word for NTU, 500 word for NUS) for your application.
Your personal statement should narrate your motivation for medicine as well as any academic, extracurricular, and professional experiences you had that make you a suitable and exceptional candidate for consideration.
You should start working on your personal statement in December, in preparation for submission in March.
References (Recommendations)
References or recommendations should be prepared in advance, before your JC2 prelims. We recommend starting in July or August. References are submitted alongside your personal statement in March.[/icon_timeline_item]
Interviews
Assuming your application goes well, you will be notified by the schools to prepare for your interview.
- For NUS, you will have to sit for the Focused Skill Assessment (FSA) and the Situational Judgement Test (SJT).
- For NTU, you will have to take part in the Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI).
The interviews will happen in April – so best to practice for them right after your IB/JC in December.
Admissions!
Congratulations, your application is a success! Your enrollment will happen in July or August!
Get Into Your Dream Medical Schools With Prep Zone Academy
With the help of Prep Zone’s experienced trainers and dedicated admissions consultants, hundreds of students are able to achieve high standardised test scores and gain acceptance into their preferred medical schools each year.
Our well-rounded expertise allows us to provide students with fully customized preparation timelines which will ensure their score improvement. Our admissions consultants work closely with parents and students to handle the entire profile preparation process from beginning to end.
Looking for a way to gain admission to the best medical schools in the world? Get in touch with us today and let us help you realize your dreams.
By submitting this form, I agree to Prep Zone Academy’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. For any urgent inquiries, call our hotline at +65 6812 9999
