Plan Your Tuition Year Around Singapore Exams
· 5 min read · By the TuitionCRM team
Tuition in Singapore runs on the exam calendar. Demand spikes before prelims and national exams, then drops sharply when the papers end. Tutors who plan for this keep their income steady; tutors who don't end up overbooked in August and empty in November.
The shape of a tuition year
| When | What's happening | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Feb | New school year, new students | Take on new students; review your rates |
| Mar | March holidays, first weighted assessments | Offer holiday intensives |
| May | Mid-year exams | Extra revision lessons |
| Jun | June holidays | Holiday workshops; catch-up for weaker students |
| Jul–Aug | Prelims and orals, English and MT papers | Peak demand — protect your slots |
| Sep–Nov | PSLE, O-Level/SEC and A-Level written papers | Final revision; plan for students who finish |
| Nov–Dec | Year-end holidays | Fill slots for next year; rest |
Key 2026 exam dates
- PSLE written papers: 24–30 September 2026
- A-Level written papers: 2–27 November 2026
- IB November session: 23 October – 13 November 2026
See every paper by date, plus Singapore public holidays for 2026 and 2027, on our Singapore exam dates page. From 2027, O-Level and N-Level are replaced by the SEC — here's what changes.
Four habits that keep your income steady
- Recruit before your exam students leave. Your P6, Sec 4 and JC2 students finish in Q4. Start finding replacements in August and September, not December.
- Teach a mix of levels. A roster of only exam-year students means a big drop every November.
- Plan holiday programmes early. Parents book June and December holiday classes weeks in advance.
- Block out the exam days. Never book a lesson on a student's paper — and expect cancellations in exam weeks. A clear cancellation policy helps.