JC Subject Combinations: How to Choose Your A-Level Subjects (2026 Guide)
By Mr Ian Ang, Math Academy (NUS, First Class Honours in Mathematics) · Updated 29 October 2026
Choosing a JC subject combination is the first big decision after the O-Levels, and it shapes which university courses you can apply for two years later. This guide is for Sec 4 students and their parents. It sets out the current A-Level rules, how the University Admission Score now works, which subjects the main courses at NUS, NTU and SMU ask for, and where H2 Maths fits. Every rule below was checked against MOE and university admissions pages on 29 October 2026.
- The norm JC subject combination is three H2 subjects and one H1 subject, with at least one from a contrasting discipline, plus H1 General Paper, Project Work and H1 Mother Tongue.
- From the 2025 A-Level cohort, the University Admission Score is out of 70: three H2 subjects and GP. The fourth content subject counts only if it raises your score, and Project Work is Pass/Fail.
- University courses set subject prerequisites. Engineering at NUS and NTU asks for H2 Maths. Medicine at NUS and NTU asks for H2 Chemistry plus H2 Biology or Physics.
- If you are unsure what you want to study, H2 Maths keeps the most science, engineering, computing and economics courses open.
What is a JC subject combination?
A subject combination is the set of A-Level subjects you study in junior college (JC) or Millennia Institute. Subjects are offered at three levels: H1, H2 and H3. H2 subjects go deepest and carry the most weight, H1 subjects are lighter, and H3 subjects are extra papers for students who want to go further in a subject they already take at H2. JCs group their combinations into Arts, Science and Commerce courses, which is why you will also see them called “JC courses”.
MOE sets the norm combination as follows:
| Component | What you take | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Content subjects | Three H2 subjects and one H1 subject | At least one H1 or H2 subject must be from a contrasting discipline |
| General Paper (GP) | H1 GP | Taken by all JC students and counted in the UAS |
| Project Work (PW) | PW | Graded Pass/Fail; a Pass is needed for admission to the autonomous universities |
| Mother Tongue Language | H1 MTL | Not needed if you scored D7 or better in Higher MTL at O-Level; H2 MTL and Literature also meets it |
| H3 (optional) | One or more H3 subjects | Taken alongside the matching H2 subject |
MOE measures the load in academic units (AU). Each H2 subject is 2 AU, each H1 or H3 subject is 1 AU, and Project Work is 1 AU. A student takes 10 to 12 AU in total, so a fourth H2 subject or an H3 is possible if your school offers it and the total stays within 12 AU.
Two changes affect students entering JC now. Knowledge and Inquiry (KI) is no longer taken in place of GP, although KI remains an H2 subject that counts as a contrasting subject for all JC students. And from 2028, students posted to JC or Millennia Institute will take either H1 MTL or MTL ‘B’, depending on the subjects they took at the new SEC examinations.
The contrasting subject rule for A-Level subject combinations
MOE groups A-Level subjects into disciplines. The two that matter here are Mathematics and Sciences (Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computing) and Humanities and the Arts (Economics, Geography, History, Literature in English, Art, Music and others). Among your four content subjects, at least one must come from a discipline that contrasts with the rest.
In practice this means a science student usually takes one humanities or arts subject, most often H1 Economics, H1 Geography or H1 History. An arts student usually takes one maths or science subject, most often H1 or H2 Maths. A common Commerce combination, such as H2 Maths with H2 Economics, already meets the rule because Maths and Economics sit in different disciplines.
How the University Admission Score (UAS) is calculated
The UAS is the score NUS, NTU and SMU use to rank A-Level applicants. It changed for students who sat the A-Levels in 2025 or later, so older articles and older relatives may describe a system that no longer applies.
- Maximum of 70 points. The score is built from your three H2 subjects and H1 General Paper.
- The fourth content subject counts only if it helps. Your fourth content subject, usually your H1 subject, is included only when it raises your UAS, and the score is then rebased to 70.
- Project Work is Pass/Fail. It no longer adds points, but you need a Pass to be admitted to the autonomous universities.
- H1 Mother Tongue is also considered only if it improves the UAS, according to SMU’s admissions page.
Under the old system the maximum was 90 points, and the H1 subject and Project Work always counted. The 2025 A-Level cohort was the first to be scored under the new method. The practical effect is that your three H2 subjects and GP carry the score, so choose H2 subjects you can do well in and that your intended course requires.
Common JC subject combinations and the courses they lead to
There is no official list of “best” combinations. Each JC publishes the combinations it offers. The table below shows patterns that line up with the published university prerequisites further down, with H1 and contrasting choices shown as examples.
| Combination (example) | Typical direction |
|---|---|
| H2 Chemistry, H2 Biology, H2 Maths + H1 Economics | Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, life sciences |
| H2 Physics, H2 Chemistry, H2 Maths + H1 Economics or H1 Geography | Engineering, physical sciences, computing |
| H2 Maths, H2 Physics, H2 Computing + one humanities subject | Computer science, data science, computer engineering |
| H2 Economics, H2 Maths + one science or humanities H2 | Economics, business, business analytics, accountancy |
| H2 Economics, H2 History or H2 Literature, H2 Geography + H1 Maths | Law, social sciences, humanities |
H2 Maths appears in most of these rows because so many courses list it as a prerequisite. If H2 Maths is in your plan and you want structured help with the jump from A Maths, our JC H2 Maths tuition runs small classes of up to 9 students with Mr Ian Ang, onsite in Bukit Gombak and online.
Subject requirements for medicine
Both NUS Medicine and NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine ask for an H2 pass in Chemistry and an H2 pass in either Biology or Physics. Neither lists H2 Maths as a requirement. Both courses also select through further assessment: NUS requires a selection test or interview and a portfolio, and you must rank Medicine as your first or second choice. Chemistry is therefore the one subject a future medical student should not drop.
Subject requirements for engineering
NUS Engineering asks for an H2 pass in Mathematics or Further Mathematics. NTU’s engineering courses, for example Mechanical Engineering, ask for an H2 pass in Mathematics and an H2 pass in Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Computing. NUS Computer Engineering students who did not take H2 Physics must read a Physics bridging course after admission. For engineering, H2 Maths is the subject that cannot be swapped out.
Subject requirements for computing
- NUS Computer Science, Information Security and the other common Computer Science programmes: an H2 pass in Computing, Mathematics, Further Mathematics or Physics, or a good pass in H1 Mathematics.
- NTU Computer Science: an H2 pass in Mathematics, or an H2 pass in Physics or Computing. NTU Data Science and Artificial Intelligence asks for an H2 pass in Mathematics.
- SMU Computer Science: a good pass in H2 Math, H2 Further Math, H2 Physics or H1 Math. SMU may still consider applicants with another maths background.
Subject requirements for economics and business
- NTU Economics: a good grade in H1 Mathematics and a good grade in GP. NTU’s Economics and Data Science programme raises this to a good grade in H2 Mathematics.
- SMU Economics: a good pass in H2 Math or H2 Further Math, or Additional Maths at O-Level.
- NUS Business Administration: an H1 pass in Mathematics, or a pass in O-Level Additional Mathematics. NUS Business Analytics asks for an H2 pass in Mathematics or Further Mathematics, and NUS Data Science and Economics asks for a very good pass in H2 Mathematics.
For law, the requirement is about English rather than subjects: NUS Law asks for good overall results including at least a B in GP, and SMU Law looks for an A or B in GP.
These requirements are published by each university and can change. The NUS list used here was accurate as of December 2025 and the NTU list as of November 2024, so check the current page in the year you apply.
H2 Maths or H1 Maths: which do you need?
H2 Mathematics (syllabus 9758) covers six strands: functions and graphs, sequences and series, vectors, complex numbers, calculus, and probability and statistics. It is examined in two 3-hour papers. H1 Mathematics (8865) is a lighter course that assumes only G3 Mathematics, not A Maths.
Use the prerequisites above to decide:
- You need H2 Maths for engineering at NUS and NTU, NUS Business Analytics, NTU Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and the economics and data science double programmes.
- H1 Maths is enough for NTU Economics, NUS Business Administration, and computer science at NUS and SMU (which also accept other routes).
- Maths is not a stated prerequisite for medicine at NUS and NTU.
If you have not settled on a course, H2 Maths is the safer choice because it is the maths subject these requirements name most often. If you are certain you want law, humanities or social sciences, H1 Maths is often the natural contrasting subject.
How O-Level A Maths prepares you for H2 Maths
The H2 Maths syllabus assumes you have studied G3 Additional Mathematics, which is O-Level A Maths. Students without it, for example those who took only G3 Mathematics, may still take H2 Maths but must bridge the gap during JC. H1 Maths assumes only G3 Mathematics.
The assumed A Maths content includes quadratic functions and the discriminant, surds, polynomials and partial fractions, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometric functions and identities, and differentiation and integration. H2 calculus starts where A Maths calculus ends, so weak A Maths algebra shows up quickly in JC1. Our free A Maths and JC study guides cover these topics, and the should I take A Math guide explains the choice at Sec 3.
JC admission rules are also changing for younger students. MOE has announced that from 2028, the JC admission criterion moves from L1R5 of 20 or better to L1R4 of 16 or better, with the three relevant subjects still drawn from both the Humanities and the Mathematics or Science groups. Current Sec 4 students are not affected.
How to choose your JC subject combination
- List two or three courses you might apply for. Look up their prerequisites on the NUS, NTU and SMU admissions pages. This narrows your H2 choices fast.
- Protect the non-negotiable subjects. Chemistry for medicine and pharmacy, H2 Maths for engineering and data science.
- Pick H2 subjects you can score in. The three H2 subjects and GP make up the whole UAS, so a subject you dislike costs more than it used to.
- Check the contrasting rule. Make sure one content subject comes from the other discipline.
- Check what your JC offers. Each JC publishes its own combinations, and some subjects have O-Level prerequisites or school selection criteria.
- Talk to your teachers. Your school’s Education and Career Guidance counsellor and the JC’s open house can explain how combinations are allocated there.
For practice once you are in JC, our free JC1 H2 Maths promo questions and MF27 formula sheet guide are good places to start.
Frequently asked questions
How many subjects do JC students take?
The norm is three H2 subjects and one H1 subject, plus H1 General Paper, Project Work and H1 Mother Tongue Language. Students take 10 to 12 academic units in total.
What is the contrasting subject requirement?
At least one of your four content subjects must come from a contrasting discipline. Science students usually take a humanities or arts subject such as H1 Economics, and arts students usually take a maths or science subject such as H1 Maths.
Do I need H2 Maths to study medicine?
Not at NUS or NTU. Both ask for an H2 pass in Chemistry and an H2 pass in either Biology or Physics, along with further selection.
Does Project Work still count towards the UAS?
No. Project Work is now graded Pass/Fail and is not part of the UAS, but you need a Pass to be admitted to the autonomous universities.
Can I take H2 Maths without O-Level A Maths?
Yes. The H2 Maths syllabus assumes A Maths, but students without it may take H2 Maths and are expected to bridge the gap during JC.
Is Knowledge and Inquiry still offered in JC?
Yes, as an H2 subject, and it still counts as a contrasting subject. It is no longer taken in place of General Paper, so all JC students take GP.
Which JC subject combination should I take?
The best JC subject combination is the one that meets the prerequisites of the courses you are aiming for and lets you score well in three H2 subjects and GP. Start from two or three possible courses, keep Chemistry or H2 Maths if those courses need them, and use the contrasting subject to keep a second door open. If H2 Maths is part of your plan, our JC H2 Maths tuition with Mr Ian Ang can help you build on your A Maths from the first term of JC1.
