My daughter and I did attend a 6-hour DSA workshop where the speakers spoke about what to expect, the different questions that might be asked, and how the child should answer them. The workshop also invited success stories to share their experiences.

The workshop was a good starting point. The success stories who shared during the workshop all sounded very eloquent. However, I had to keep in mind that these students would have gone through some training in order to get to where they are. It was not something that a 6-hour workshop could achieve. This meant that any preparation for interviews needed to be more in-depth.

Fast forward to the day my daughter received her first interview invite. We knew it was going to be an intensive period, as it coincided with the Oral Prelims. However, she knew I had her back. Here’s what we did to prepare for what would be a very nerve-wracking experience for a 12-year-old child.

       a. Create a Google document with possible questions where my daughter could draft out her own personal responses for the school she was going to be interviewed at.

       b. While drafting the questions, she had to research the school’s website to understand their mission, values and so on.

       c. Craft her personal attributes and passion so it aligns with the school’s mission, values and so on, along with examples.

Yet in reality, not many P6 students would be able to do Point C and my daughter was one of them. My daughter gave superficial answers that lack examples and justification, for example: One of the school’s vision is having ‘a passion for learning’. The fact that I love learning makes me a good fit for the school.

Hence, I had to sit her down, ‘interview’ her to get real-life examples that could be used to support her responses. Then, I helped her craft her responses, in point form, in a way that would showcase her positively.

Once that was done, we did several rehearsals before the interview. We also summarised the key points, so that it would be easier for her to remember should she be overwhelmed by the nerve-wracking experience

We were lucky that she secured three interviews. For each interview, we went through the same process, while making sure that the responses were tailored for each school.

The entire DSA interview process may be stressful for the child. However, one benefit of it is that it is a good way to train the child to speak in front of strangers. By the time they sit for the PSLE Oral before examiners they are seeing for the first time, the child would find it easier to tackle any jitters they might feel.