Students in the undergraduate programmes who do not possess the necessary English language qualifications are required to sit for the Qualifying English Test (QET) set by the Centre for English Language Communication (CELC). The objectives and format of the QET are available on the CELC website.
QET1 for Academic Year 2023/2024 is scheduled as follows:
1. |
Who may take QET1?
All local and international students informed by the Registrar’s Office of the requirement to take the QET.
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11 July 2023 (Tue):
- Session 1 (reporting time: 9:00 am; test duration: 10:00 am to 11:45 am), or
- Session 2 (reporting time: 2:00 pm; test duration: 3:00 pm to 4:45pm)
(Each session has a maximum capacity of 1000 students.)
Please note that only up to 2,000 students are allowed to register for QET1 on a first-come, first-served basis.
Students will be informed of the session they are assigned to on Friday 7 July 2023.
Students must take the test at their assigned session.
If a student misses their assigned session or is unable to sit for QET1, they will need to take QET2 in November 2023.
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2. |
QET will be conducted in digital format using Examplify and Zoom proctoring |
As QET will be conducted in a digital format with remote invigilation, students are required to register for and attend the compulsory briefing session (see Section 3 below for details).
For the briefing and the actual test, students are required to prepare:
- a laptop to complete the paper using Examplify and
- a mobile phone for remote invigilation using Zoom video conferencing tool.
An iPad should not be used for taking the QET.
The laptop and mobile phone should be fully charged or connected to a charging station for the whole duration of the test.
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3. |
Registration for the Briefing Session |
It is compulsory for students to attend at least one briefing session.
Students will NOT be allowed to take the QET if they are absent from the briefing session.
- To register for the briefing session, students must first complete Registration (Part One) to obtain their NUSNET ID and change the default password to a personal password two days before registering for the QET briefing session;
Please refer to the step-by-step guide here.
- Students should register for their briefing session from 19 June to 29 June 2023 here, using their full names (as in Passport/NRIC), along with their NUS email address.
Before attending the briefing session, students must:
- view the briefing slides on Examplify here;
(Access to the Examplify software will be granted after 30 June 2023).
- read the attached briefing document on Zoom Invigilation here;
- complete this quiz (https://canvas.nus.edu.sg/courses/43387/quizzes/12532) which is based on information on Examplify and Zoom invigilation.
The briefing session will be conducted via Zoom. Students will receive information on the Zoom briefing session upon successful registration. Students must join the briefing session using their mobile phone.
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4. |
Assignment to QET1 Session 1 or Session 2
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Students will receive an email on Friday 7 July 2023 to inform them of:
- the test session that students will be assigned to and
- the Zoom meeting link and password to the session.
If an email is not received by Friday 7 July 2023, 5 pm, students must write to elcbox63@nus.edu.sg
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5. |
Sitting for the QET |
Students must report to their assigned group on Zoom at the respective reporting time. The Zoom session will be locked half an hour after the reporting time, i.e. 9:30am for the morning session and 2:30pm for the afternoon session.
Students will need to have their identification document with a recent photo (e.g. Student Card, NRIC, Passport) for identity verification purposes before being allowed to sit for the test.
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6. |
Release of QET results |
Results will be released online on 26 July 2023 (Wednesday) via this link here.
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7. |
Step-by-step guide for system access |
Checking of Test Results
Students should refer to Paragraph 8 of the Guide on how to retrieve their QET results.
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8. |
Frequently Asked Questions |
Check for answers to common queries here.
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You may access information on the QET through the Telegram channel
https://t.me/joinchat/3AWWY5xc5wNmNTU1
Or scan the QR code below to join us on Telegram:

Please take note that a student can only sit for the QET once.
Exemption Criteria
Students will be exempted from sitting for the QET if they possess any of the following qualifications. Where there are two or more submissions of a student's attempt to meet the QET qualifying exemption criteria, the best grade will be accepted for the exemption.
Singapore-Cambridge GCE 'A' Level |
General Paper ('AO' Level GP) - B4 and above or
General Paper (H1 Level GP) - C and above or
Knowledge Inquiry (KI) - D and above
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International-Cambridge
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General Paper ('AS' Level GP) - C and above
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SAT |
SAT scores obtained before March 2016
Critical Reading (750 and above) and
Writing (750 and above) and
Essay (10 and above)
SAT scores obtained from March 2016 onwards
Evidence-based Reading and Writing (770 and above) and
Essay (8 for EACH dimension: Reading, Analysis and Writing)*
* Essay component is compulsory for students to be considered for exemption from sitting for QET.
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IELTS |
Overall (8 and above) and
Writing (8 and above) and
Reading (8 and above) |
TOEFL |
Internet-based (114 and above) or
Paper-based (650 and above) |
TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition |
Internet-based (114 and above) |
International Baccalaureate (IB) – (English) |
Theory of Knowledge - C (Satisfactory) and above |
NCEA Achievement Standard 90720, 90721, 91472 or 91473 |
English at Level 3 - A (Achievement) and above |
NUS High School of Mathematics and Science |
For scores obtained in 2021 onwards
EL5131 The Global Connection (Critical Reading & Writing II) – B and above, AND
EL6131 Emerging issues in a changing world (Critical Reading & Writing III) – B and above
For scores obtained in 2020 and before
EL5101 Language in Society II – B and above, AND
EL6103 Language in Society III – B and above
For scores obtained in 2019 and before
EL5102 English for Academic Purposes (Critical Reading & Writing) – B Minus (B-) and above
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Cambridge Assessment English (CAE) |
Grade A or Level C2 (Council of Europe’s CEFR) |
PTE Academic (Pearson English Language Test) |
Overall (79 and above) and
Writing (79 and above) and
Reading (79 and above) |
In addition to the above, the following students are also exempted from sitting for the QET:
- Students admitted to Medicine (except for Nursing), Dentistry and Law courses
- Students admitted to Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YSTCM students will sit for a separate YSTCM Placement Test)
- Students admitted to Yale-NUS College (admitted in AY2021/2022 and before)
- Part-time students enrolled in Bachelor of Technology Programmes and Bachelor of Science (Real Estate)
- Part-time students enrolled in Bachelor of Science (Nursing Practice) (admitted in AY2022/2023 onwards)
- Students who have completed the QET/EP course at NUS and who intend to
- transfer to another Faculty or
- pursue another UG degree after graduation or
- defer their entry to the University or
- withdraw from the University and apply for re-admission
- Students from NTU, SIT, SMU, SUSS and SUTD who have passed the QET or an equivalent English Course transferring to NUS
- Students who have already obtained a Bachelor’s degree from an English medium University and enrolling in NUS for another UG degree (with effect from AY2022/2023 intake)
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