The SSPA year at a glance
The table uses dates announced for the 2024/2026 allocation cycle. The Education Bureau publishes each cycle’s dates separately; internal-assessment exam dates are set by each school — ask the primary school.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| P5 second term (about March–June each year; exam dates school-set) | First internal-assessment submission (呈一) |
| P6 first term (about November) | Second submission (呈二) |
| P6 September to the following January | Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) secondaries accept applications in turn (DSS self-admission; separate timetable) |
| Early December | The Education Bureau issues the Secondary One Discretionary Places application form through primary schools (two copies per student) |
| 2–16 January (2026 cycle dates) | Discretionary Places applications: a maximum of two secondary schools, no district restriction; all participating schools accept applications in the same period |
| February–March | Discretionary Places interviews (interviews allowed; written tests are not) |
| P6 second term (about March; exam dates school-set) | Third submission (呈三) |
| 31 March (2026 cycle) | Participating secondaries notify successful (“正取”) Discretionary Places applicants |
| Mid-April | Secondary One Choice of Schools form issued (Part A: up to 3 schools, any net; Part B: up to 30 schools in the student’s own net) |
| Late April to early May | Parents return the choice form |
| 7 July (2026 cycle) | Central Allocation results announced |
| 9–10 July | Register at the allocated secondary school |
| 14 July | Pre-Secondary One Hong Kong Attainment Test (Pre-S1 HKAT) at the school where the student has registered. It does not affect that student’s allocation; it is used to adjust later cohorts’ internal assessment and Secondary 1 class placement |
What to do next
To work out internal-assessment weightings, see theSSPA calculator. For how Discretionary Places and Central Allocation work, seehow SSPA allocation works.
The 88844222 reform takes effect from the Primary 5 second term of 2026/27; details are on theSSPA calculator.