How we score, and what the data is
How the planner works: the five dimensions and every rule, the eligibility flags, how paths are ranked, how the timeline and next steps are chosen, the reference data behind each path, and what it cannot do.
Verified 2026-10-31
This article follows rules version 2026.1 of the planner and was checked against the source code on 31 October 2026. Every report states the version it used.
Principles
- Missing information is recorded as “unknown”. It lowers confidence and never raises the score.
- “Selectivity” and “fit” are shown separately. High selectivity does not mean you are unsuited, and a high fit does not mean admission is easy.
- Every number traces back to an input and a rule.
- Where there is no reference data, we say “none yet” and do not guess.
Five dimensions and their weights
| Dimension | Weight | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Academics | 30% | Score as a percentage of the maximum, or a maths self-rating, plus research experience for research paths |
| Language | 25% | English test score converted to a level; self-rating if there is no test |
| Budget fit | 20% | Annual budget against the path’s reference cost range |
| Time available | 10% | Months until intake against the months the path suggests |
| Eligibility check | 15% | Age and grade, status and other things that can be checked from the answers |
The overall score is renormalised over the known dimensions only. Confidence is the share of the applicable weight that is known. With confidence below 50%, or when no score can be computed, no rating is given.
The rules
Academics
- With a score (not above the maximum): the percentage is compared with thresholds for the path’s selectivity. High selectivity: ≥85% scores 100, ≥75% scores 70, ≥65% scores 45, else 25. Fairly open: thresholds 60/50/40 with the same scores. Moderate or dependent on vacancies: thresholds 75/65/55. Grading systems are not converted, so this is indicative.
- With no score but a maths self-rating: needs foundation 25, good at maths but struggles with English wording 55, good and reads English wording 80, excellent and solves in English 95.
- Research paths (research master’s and both PhD paths): research experience counts as a separate item, none 30, project but unpublished 65, published at a conference or in a journal 95, and is averaged with the item above.
- If neither is available: unknown.
Language
- English ability has 4 levels: 0 beginner, 1 basic listening and speaking, 2 can read and write in English, 3 ready for an English classroom.
- With an IELTS or TOEFL score, the score is converted and takes priority over the self-rating: IELTS overall ≥6.5 is level 3, ≥5.5 level 2, ≥4.5 level 1, otherwise 0; TOEFL iBT ≥92, ≥72, ≥45 map to the same three levels. This is a rough conversion by this site, not an official cut-off.
- Without a score the self-rating is used. Against the path’s required level: no gap scores 100, one level short 65, two short 35, three short 10.
Budget fit
- The budget is worked in Singapore dollars; renminbi is converted at a fixed reference rate (currently 5.2, as of August 2026).
- A path’s reference cost is its tuition range, plus the living-cost range for paths that need it (currently shared housing: about S$18,800 to S$33,250 a year).
- A budget at or above the top scores 100; inside the range it scores 60 to 100 by position; below the bottom but at least 70% of it scores 30; lower scores 10.
- With no reference tuition, or no budget entered: unknown. For paths that assume a scholarship or funding (the funded PhD), this dimension does not apply.
Time available
Intake month: January counts as January, August as August, “other” as June. Months until intake at or above the path’s suggested lead time scores 100; at least 60% of it 65; at least 30% 35; less 15. If no intake date is entered: unknown.
Eligibility check
It starts at 100. Each “to verify” flag deducts 20 and each “possible blocker” deducts 50, to a minimum of 0. The flags are:
| Flag | When it appears | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Age and grade do not match | Primary or secondary stage, when the cohort grade (entry year − birth year − 6) differs from the target grade | Two or more grades apart, or you chose “not willing to change grade”: possible blocker; otherwise to verify |
| Age outside kindergarten range | Kindergarten stage, when entry year minus birth year is under 2 or over 6 | To verify |
| Status to verify | The MOE Kindergarten path, when status is not PR or citizen | To verify |
| Qualification to verify | Public university bachelor’s, when the qualification is “other” | To verify |
| Special application to verify | Undergraduate stage, for a transfer, diploma or second-degree application | To verify |
| GRE/GMAT to verify | Master’s paths, when the answer is “not decided” | To verify |
| References missing | PhD stage, when references are “not started” | To verify |
This is not an official eligibility check.
Ratings, ranking and advice
- Ratings: ≥80 strong fit, ≥60 moderate, ≥40 weak, otherwise a large gap.
- Path order: first whether confidence reaches 50%, then fit score, and a path you marked as preferred only breaks ties on score.
- Timeline: worked back from the intake month, with research and goal setting at the full suggested lead time, preparing documents at 70% of it, applying at 40%, and passes and housing at 15% (at least 1 month ahead). These are planning heuristics, not official dates.
- Next steps: language below 70 suggests improving it; no score suggests adding one, and below 70 suggests strengthening it; unknown budget suggests asking for a written fee list, below 60 flags a budget gap; time below 70 flags a tight timeline; any flags suggest verifying them; paths with an entrance exam suggest checking the exam schedule; the last item is always to confirm against official sources.
Reference data: the setting for each path
The table shows the reference values the planner uses for each path. They are this site’s settings and have not all been checked against official sources:
| Path | Selectivity | Required English level | Suggested lead (months) | Reference tuition (S$/year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private kindergarten | Fairly open | 0 (Beginner) | 6 | none yet |
| International-school kindergarten | Moderate | 1 (Basic listening and speaking) | 9 | none yet |
| MOE Kindergarten | Depends on vacancies | 1 (Basic listening and speaking) | 9 | none yet |
| Government primary school (incl. AEIS route) | Depends on vacancies | 2 (Can read and write in English) | 12 | 7,140–12,420 |
| Private primary school | Moderate | 1 (Basic listening and speaking) | 9 | none yet |
| International-school primary section | Moderate | 1 (Basic listening and speaking) | 9 | 19,750–58,100 |
| Government secondary school (incl. AEIS route) | Depends on vacancies | 2 (Can read and write in English) | 12 | 13,080–26,280 |
| Private secondary school | Moderate | 2 (Can read and write in English) | 9 | none yet |
| International-school secondary section | Moderate | 2 (Can read and write in English) | 9 | 19,750–58,100 |
| Junior college (A-Level route) | High | 3 (Ready for an English classroom) | 12 | 15,480–30,480 |
| IB / international-school high school | Moderate | 2 (Can read and write in English) | 9 | 19,750–58,100 |
| Foundation / bridging course | Fairly open | 2 (Can read and write in English) | 6 | none yet |
| Public university, bachelor’s | High | 3 (Ready for an English classroom) | 12 | 18,050–31,600 |
| Private institution, bachelor’s (incl. partner-university degrees) | Moderate | 2 (Can read and write in English) | 6 | 15,000–34,000 |
| Polytechnic or foundation, then progress | Moderate | 2 (Can read and write in English) | 9 | none yet |
| Taught master’s | High | 3 (Ready for an English classroom) | 9 | 28,000–59,000 |
| Research master’s | High | 3 (Ready for an English classroom) | 12 | none yet |
| Strengthen profile, then apply | Fairly open | 2 (Can read and write in English) | 6 | none yet |
| PhD with scholarship / funding | High | 3 (Ready for an English classroom) | 12 | none yet |
| PhD, self-funded | High | 3 (Ready for an English classroom) | 12 | none yet |
- On 31 October 2026 the tuition ranges were checked against official sources. Government schools: MOE’s 2026 monthly fees for international students (ASEAN to other), times 12. Public university bachelor’s: NUS, NTU, SUTD and SIT AY2026/2027 fees with the Tuition Grant, excluding Medicine, Dentistry and Music. Taught master’s: NUS coursework examples only, and fees vary a lot by programme. International schools: tuition only, from the 2026/27 fee pages of Tanglin Trust, UWCSEA and Stamford American and the lower figures of GIIS and Overseas Family School; one-off fees and levies are extra.
- Private-institution bachelor’s fees are the whole-programme fee for international students divided by the programme’s length, from SIM Global Education, Curtin Singapore, PSB Academy and JCU Singapore. They are indicative, change yearly and fall with credit exemptions.
- Not verified: SUSS and NTU graduate fees, SMU (reported, but its page could not be read), and every living-cost figure except the NUS residence rates. Those are estimates.
- Government-school figures multiply the monthly fee by 12 and use 2026 prices; MOE had not published 2027 fees when checked.
- Paths with no reference tuition (for example private kindergartens and primary and secondary schools) show the budget dimension as unknown.
- The exchange rate is a fixed reference value, not a live quote, and can be changed in each tool.
- Selectivity is a coarse label, not an admission probability.
What it cannot do
It does not know each institution’s actual annual cut-offs, cannot judge essays, interviews or references, and does not replace checking with MOE, ICA and the institutions. When you paste the report into your own AI, ask it to rely only on the knowledge base and to cite its sources; see Using your own AI with this site.
FAQ
Is the fit score an admission probability?
No. It only shows how well your answers match a path’s reference requirements. Admission is decided by the institution, and this site neither provides nor promises any probability.
What happens if I leave out my grades?
That dimension shows “unknown”, is left out of the score and lowers the report’s confidence. It is not treated as high or as low.
Why does a path have no rating?
When confidence is below 50% no rating is given and the report says there is not enough information. Confidence is the share of the applicable weight that is known, so adding grades, a budget and an intake date raises it.
How is the main path chosen?
Paths with confidence of at least 50% come first, then they are ordered by fit score from high to low, and a path you marked as preferred comes first only when scores are equal. The first one is the main path. It is the path to check first, not a recommendation to enrol.
Are these rules official?
No. They are this site’s own rough rules for comparing your answers with reference data. They are not official cut-offs or any institution’s admission criteria.