Choosing Your Common Entrance Subjects: The Decision With the Longest Reach

Choosing your subjects for NCEE is the decision with the longest reach in this entire process. It is made once, usually in a hurry, and it determines which courses you can be admitted to for years afterwards.

The rule

A single paper covering English, Mathematics, General Paper and Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning. That is a range, not a target. There is no credit for exceeding it and no discretion below it, because a shortfall is a registration error rather than a choice.

The compulsory element is English, Mathematics and reasoning. Everything else is yours to choose, and the choosing is where candidates go wrong.

The subjects covered on this site

Every subject below has its own pages here: what the syllabus covers, how to work its past papers, and how to pass it.

• English Language
• General Mathematics

How subjects are examined here

Each subject is examined as a single paper with sections covering English, Mathematics, General Paper and reasoning, marked for a placement score rather than a grade. primary six depth, testing reasoning as much as content

That shapes which subjects are realistic for you. Reasoning practice matters more than content revision, which is the opposite of every other examination on this site.

Why the combination outlives the examination

A subject combination is the longest-lived decision in this process. The result is permanent, the certificate does not expire, and the courses it qualifies you for are fixed by subjects chosen in a single afternoon, often by somebody else.

The cut-off is not one number. Unity college places are allocated by state of origin, so a score that wins a place for a candidate from one state will miss for a candidate from another. That single fact explains most of the confusion around this examination.

Checking against the destination

It is accepted by the Federal Government Colleges, which are the unity schools, but acceptance of the certificate is not the same as acceptance for a course. Every competitive course names subjects, and the named subjects are not negotiable at admission.

The questions that come up every diet

What decides my combination?

The admission requirements of the course you intend to read. Work backwards from the course, not forwards from the subjects you enjoy.

How many subjects must I register?

A single paper covering English, Mathematics, General Paper and Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning.

Which are compulsory?

English, Mathematics and reasoning. From the next curriculum change, the primary curriculum.

Should I take the maximum or the minimum?

Take the extra subject if you would credit it without additional effort. Adding a subject you have barely studied buys a failed grade on a certificate you will show for the rest of your life.

Can I register a subject my school does not teach?

You can enter it. Nobody will prepare you for it. This is the most common cause of a surprise failure.

Does the subject list change?

Yes. Subjects are added and retired, and old syllabuses stay published after the subject has gone. Check the current entry list before committing a term to a subject.

How to choose, in order

1. Find the O’level requirement for your intended course first. The published admission requirements name the subjects each course requires and the ones it accepts. That list, not your school’s stream, decides your core electives.
2. Lock those in. Whatever your course names is non-negotiable and chosen before anything else.
3. Add a second course’s requirements. You will most likely not get your first choice on the first attempt. A combination that qualifies you for two related courses is worth more than one that perfectly fits a single competitive course.
4. Fill the remainder with subjects you can credit. The remaining slots exist to protect your minimum. Choose for reliability, not for prestige.
5. Decide the last slot last. Take it if you have a subject you would pass without extra effort. Leave it if you would be starting from nothing.

Where subject selection goes wrong

• Registering a subject the school does not teach. You can enter it. Nobody will prepare you for it. This is the single most common cause of a surprise failure.
• Ignoring the practical papers. Several subjects carry a practical or an alternative to practical as a separate paper, with separate preparation and sometimes a separately scheduled session.
• Leaving the combination to whoever fills the forms. Check the printed entry against what you chose before it is submitted.
• Counting wrong. Count the subjects on your own entry yourself.

Next in this guide

Everything on Common Entrance in one place:

• Common Entrance eligibility
• Common Entrance registration
• Common Entrance fees
• Common Entrance syllabus
• Common Entrance timetable
• Common Entrance past questions

Start at the Common Entrance hub for the full map.