In a previous blog, we talked about 20 DSA interview questions to prepare your child for. But knowing the right answers to these questions is not nearly enough. Your child must also deliver their thought-out answers in an impressive manner, to safely secure their placement in the secondary school they are looking to enter via Singapore’s DSA programme.
Here are 5 practices your child should adopt when answering questions during their DSA interview.
1. Structure Answers in an Organised Manner
It is human nature to ramble on at times, especially when talking about something we are passionate or interested about. Before the actual date arrives, be sure to rehearse your child such that they do not go off on a tangent during their official DSA interview.
As interview preparation, practise with your child such that they are first adept at recognising key points within each question. Then, work with them to craft their answers in a manner that not only touches on all these points but also follows a logical flow. This way, the interviewers will have an easier time following your child’s answers and likely be impressed at your child’s maturity of speech and comprehension abilities.
2. Make Clear and Concise Elaborations
And though you do not want your child rambling on needlessly during their DSA interview, you also have to be wary of their answers being too brief. Answers that are too short may be thought of by interviewers as unsubstantiated or ill-prepared.
To prevent this from happening, make sure your child is well-versed in backing up their answers with clear and concise elaborations. For example, if asked what kind of activities they like to engage in during their free time, your child’s answer should be something along the lines of: “I enjoy playing Minecraft during my spare time, as it gives me a space to express my creative thinking and lets me practise problem-solving skills is a fun and engaging way.”
This is as opposed to: “I enjoy playing Minecraft during my spare time,” which is too brief, or — going back to our first point — “I enjoy playing computer games like Minecraft, which I find fun because of all the different things I can do like crafting, hunting, building, and exploring, and even has different modes like survival, creative, adventure, spectator, multiplayer…” which is too long and unstructured.
3. Weave in Personal Experiences
Your child is sure to leave a lasting impression if they can weave personal anecdotes into their answers during the DSA interview. By leveraging personal experiences, your child’s answers can be made that much more memorable due to its uniqueness and originality.
4. Sprinkle in Keywords of Interest
You should also do some research into the schools your child is looking to enter via Singapore’s DSA programme. This way, you can discern for your child the values that each specific school is looking for in an applicant. Your child can then be better equipped in terms of their interview preparation, as they have a better understanding of what they should highlight and focus on in terms of their own strengths and characteristics that align with a particular school’s culture or virtue.
5. Be Honest and Confident
It is extremely important that your child remains honest when answering the DSA interview questions. Dishonesty, once detected, can ruin an otherwise perfect interview session.
One question that has caught many applicants off-guard is that of whether they have applied to other rival schools. Our recommendation is for your child to answer this question earnestly. Instead of hiding the fact that they have possibly done just that, your child should simply be transparent with their actions, and support their answers with why they have also applied to that school in particular while leveraging any commonalities these schools may share.
And above all, your child must be confident throughout the entire DSA interview process. This applies not only to speaking with confidence but displaying confident body language as well.
Ace the DSA Interview with MindChamps Académie of Stars
At MindChamps Académie of Stars, we understand how important this milestone can be for parents and children in Singapore. We also understand that the interview process of Singapore’s DSA programme can be extremely challenging and competitive.
That is why MindChamps Académie of Stars has curated a DSA Preparation for Interviews Programme, to equip students applying for DSA with the Champion Mindset, speech techniques, and practice that they need to ace their respective interviews.
Check out our brochure for more information, or simply contact us to find out more.