The A–Z PSLE Survival Guide By Real Mums (2026 Edition)

Every year, some 30,000 to 40,000 children and their parents tackle the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). If you’re a member of PSLE support groups on social media, you’ll notice the high volume of questions from concerned or stressed-out parents on a daily basis.

Questions about how to best prep their kids, how to increase their chances to secure a spot via the Direct School Admission (DSA) exercise, recommendations for tuition centres or assessment books, and even queries about school cut-off points pop up frequently. 

And if you’re not on social media but have fellow mum friends who have a child sitting for or have gone through the PSLE, you’d also know how much effort mums put in to support their child, with many planning to take block leave on the key exam dates. Some even transition to part-time work or go on an extended break.

So, is it really as intense as they say?

We spoke to nine mums on their PSLE experience and got their personal tips on how they (more than) survived the exam heat with their kids.

Whether they were academic-focused or gentle in their expectations, they all agreed on one thing: knowing their children and exactly where they were made all the difference in the journey.

A

Ambition is okay

“There’s nothing wrong in striving to meet your child’s ambitions in the exam, and doing what it takes to support her through, even if you have to push a little. These days, it seems like it’s trendier to be an ‘anything-goes’ mum, but I know my child and she’s very capable of excellence — so why not?”

– Marie Han, marketing manager, mum of two children aged 14 and 9

B

Believe in your child

“At some point, you have to believe your child has done what he can — even when it doesn’t look like much on the outside. Believe in his effort, trust that he’s done all he humanly can, and accept that the results will take him where he needs to go.”

– Roisnina Ishak, stay-home mum with three children aged 13, 11 and 7

C

Calm parents = calm kids

“If parents are panicking, children will panic too. Sometimes the first person who needs to relax is us. And honestly, if that means having a glass of vino to wind down at the end of the day, I’m all for it — calm parents raise calmer children.”

– Cheryl Aprile, pilates instructor, mum of two children aged 15 and 13

D

Do NOT compare

“Absolutely do not compare your kids’ results of any kind, as it is really a dampener and affects their confidence. This applies to studies and for the Direct School Admission (DSA) as well. Everyone is at the audition or trial for a fair shot at the positions available. Your job is to support your own child, and give them the confidence they need to perform their best.”

– Joeren Cai, stay-home mum with two children aged 13 and 11

E

Effort is key

“Our constant message to him was that effort matters most; as long as he puts in the work, the results would follow. He did it in his own way – maybe not perfect, but that was okay. We celebrated the efforts we saw him put in, even if it was different from what we expected.” 

– Beverly Snodgrass, freelance writer, mum of four children aged 13, 10, 7 and 4

F

Fun still matters

“I refused to cancel my son’s childhood or put his life on hold for the PSLE. Sports, playtime, and laughter stayed — because he still needed to be a child. Even during the June holidays in his PSLE year, I let him take up scuba diving in Phuket because that’s his passion. It gave him so much confidence, something no assessment book could ever teach.”

– Cheryl Aprile, pilates instructor, mum of two children aged 15 and 13

G

Get them out and move to clear the mind

“If we saw him stressed out, we’d drop everything and head out. Go meet his cousins or grandparents, head out for ice cream or go bowling. When school was out in June, we went to Japan for 11 days to help my son clear his head and reset his emotions. It was good for him, because I could see that he came back to his studies more focused and determined.”

– Kristen G, project manager, mum of two children aged 13 and 11

H

Home is always safe

“I wanted home to be a place where my kids could breathe. If home becomes another exam hall, children lose their sense of security. That meant I tried to ensure that my presence made my children feel secure. For example, when I sat down with my son during revision, I made sure not to nag, because I wanted to support him and not stress him out.”

– Cheryl Aprile, pilates instructor, mum of two children aged 15 and 13

I

Intention gives direction

“I was very clear about my intention for my child — not just to cope, but to excel in the areas she is naturally strong in. Once I knew that, every decision became easier. How hard to push, when to pause, what to prioritise… all of it came back to that intention. I explained this to my daughter and she agreed completely with me. Understanding what she was working towards helped her focus with clarity and determination.”

– Marie Han, marketing manager, mum of two children aged 14 and 9

J

Journey, not just results

“I intentionally viewed the PSLE as just the first step in a much longer academic journey, knowing that his results would never affect the intrinsic value of my child. Maybe this was shaped by the fact that this was my fourth time doing this, so I knew very well that his journey should not be benchmarked against his older siblings’. This mindset immediately took a large chunk of stress off everything. And honestly, I enjoyed this journey a lot more this fourth time around!”

– Lilian Lee, stay-home mum with four children aged 20, 17, 15 and 12

K

Know your child

“It’s been said so many times, but it must be said again. Every child is different and develops at his or her pace. You know your own child best. ⁠So please do not get caught up in the PSLE rat race. It’s easy to be consumed by the stress, then panic and sign up for PSLE bootcamps and lessons for all the different subjects. DON’T. I trusted myself and my son to know exactly what areas he needed help in. I’m glad I did.”

– Joeren Cai, stay-home mum with two children aged 13 and 11

L

Let them be, they’ll be fine

“I realised that what works for one may not work for the other. I let my child take ownership of his learning, even if it was not quite the way I envisioned it. I mean, whenever I asked my son to do practice papers at home, he had a classic response: ‘Nooo, we already did a lot in school!’ Frustrating at the time, but looking back, I remember responding similarly as a child. Karma, perhaps? I turned out fine!”

– Beverly Snodgrass, freelance writer, mum of four children aged 13, 10, 7 and 4

M

Manage your expectations 

“I try to tailor my expectations to my children’s abilities. This involves understanding each child and his or her strengths. Children perform worse when burdened by excessively high parental aspirations. I take a long-term view to nurture lifelong traits like responsibility and problem-solving that will serve them well beyond PSLE.”

– Jane Ng, The Straits Times senior correspondent, mum of three children aged 20, 17 and 10

N

Not alone

“⁠So many parents are quietly fighting the same war as you. They have the same tired nights and the same worries of ‘Did I do enough today?’. Lean on each other, share your fears, your prayers, your tips, and your laughter. Ask for help and offer help. The PSLE road doesn’t need to be a long, lonely walk — it can be one filled with lovely companions.”

– Ophelia Tan, business development manager, mum of four children aged 17, 16, 13 and 11

O

Ownership over their studies

“I allow my children to make decisions regarding their study plan — telling them what they need to cover but leaving it up to them to decide when and how much to do. My kids also get tuition only if they need and want it. This helps them maintain ownership over their learning journey.”

– Jane Ng, The Straits Times senior correspondent, mum of three children aged 20, 17 and 10

P

Pressure from parents isn’t helpful

“We made a conscious decision not to put pressure on our son to achieve any particular score. We didn’t have to because the PSLE pressure came naturally as the months went by; from school, peers, and just the realisation that the exams were fast approaching. This also meant not reacting if the results were bad, especially at prelims. We just helped him identify his weaker areas and worked harder on those specific sections where he was losing the most marks.”

– Kristen G, project manager, mum of two children aged 13 and 11

Q

Quiet support > loud reminders

“I checked in on my son quietly before school and when he came home because I wanted him to sleep well, to eat without rushing, to laugh freely, and to feel that home remained a place of safety. Of course, I couldn’t resist offering reminders, encouragement, and the occasional well-meaning lectures — until he asked me one night why women talked so much. I laughed and in that moment, knew that this was my cue to stop filling the silence with my words and to instead, offer quiet support.”

– Roisnina Ishak, stay-home mum with three children aged 13, 11 and 7

R

Rest is equally important

“Making sure our son had enough rest was as important as his revision efforts. I realised that although revision is crucial in reinforcing learning and retaining knowledge, resting enough helped our son optimise his ability to learn. Whenever our son got worked up over not being able to solve a math question, we’d encourage him to skip it and revisit it later after taking a break. When he came back to these same questions, he was usually able to figure them out without our intervention. Having a good rest actually hit a reset button for his brain.”

– Kristen G, project manager, mum of two children aged 13 and 11

S

Secondary school choice

“When picking a school, I considered my child’s needs, interests and abilities, as well as the school’s programmes, CCA offerings, culture, distance from home, and subject combinations. I was careful to choose a school that was best suited for my child, rather than the ‘best’ or most prestigious school my child qualified for with his or her results.”

– Jane Ng, The Straits Times senior correspondent, mum of three children aged 20, 17 and 10

T

Trust in your child

“The hardest lesson for me was learning to trust my son. To trust that even when it looked like he was doing nothing, he may have already revised, checked his work, or processed his learning in ways unseen. I realised that my son’s efforts need not always look busy, and his preparation does not always announce itself. The PSLE was really a lesson for me in learning how to loosen my grip and need for control, and trust my son.”

– Roisnina Ishak, stay-home mum with three children aged 13, 11 and 7

U

Unwind for better performance

“It was very important to me that both my son and I kept to our exercise routines and hobbies throughout the PSLE year, with no guilt whatsoever. Doing this helped keep both our stress levels at bay. More importantly for my son, it kept him happy and healthy. This helped him stay focused on what he needed to do, specifically in tackling tougher questions and applying learnt answering techniques.”

– Lilian Lee, stay-home mum with four children aged 20, 17, 15 and 12

V

Validate

“No matter what kinds of expectations I had for my daughter to excel, I always made it a point to validate and praise her efforts. Sure, she may have fallen short along the way, but I know how my words can and will stay with her for a lifetime. So I’ll say uplifting things like ‘I see how hard you tried and I’m proud of you. Let’s try again,’ or ‘that was a really good effort, now let’s not dwell on our mistakes and focus on what we need to correct.’

– Marie Han, marketing manager, mum of two children aged 14 and 9

W

Winning the small things

“Celebrate ALL efforts loudly, big or small. Correct their mistakes gently because your child must know that they are loved regardless of their grades. Aiming for small, steady wins every day is more important than piling on pressure at the end and hoping for a last-minute miracle. PSLE is truly a marathon and not a sprint.”

– Ophelia Tan, business development manager, mum of four children aged 17, 16, 13 and 11

X

X factor beyond the scores

“The PSLE measures how your child performs on a few papers over a few hours, but it can never measure their kindness, resilience, creativity, leadership, faith, compassion or calling in life. Some children bloom early and some bloom later, but every child blooms differently and beautifully. These immeasurable characteristics go a long way in determining your child’s future beyond his or her PSLE score.”

– Ophelia Tan, business development manager, mum of four children aged 17, 16, 13 and 11

Y

YOU matter too

“As the caretaker and gatekeeper of the rhythm of PSLE prep at home, I’d say it’s really important to take good care of ourselves so we can both stay on top of our game. Eating and sleeping well, exercising, and finding that close-knit circle of like-minded mums to lift me up all go a long way in keeping my body and soul in good order. I found that by doing these, I could maintain calm in the house and stay positive as I supported my son. It’s true, you can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself first.”

– Joeren Cai, stay-home mum with two children aged 13 and 11

Z

Zoom out to see the big picture

“Having survived four separate PSLE exams, I know that it is really overhyped. For sure, it’s very painful when you’re in the midst of it, but once it’s over, it’s forgotten. My four kids are all on their own paths through the education system. I was most involved in my second and third kids’ learning, but my involvement actually damaged our relationship to some extent. In the larger scheme of things, I’ve learnt that what’s most important as a mum is cultivating and protecting our children’s curiosity and love for learning, as well as raising them to have good character and virtue, to be able to contribute to society and be happy and loving people.”

– Lilian Lee, stay-home mum with four children aged 20, 17, 15 and 12