ONE-STOP PORTAL FOR PRE-ENLISTEES

Not sure what to prepare before your enlistment? Get your answers from the new Central Manpower Base (CMPB) portal.

Preparing for National Service (NS) can be daunting, especially when you have more questions than answers.

How many points do I need for the National Physical Fitness Award (NAPFA) test in order to go for Basic Military Training directly? Can I go for further studies first? What does my Physical Employment Status (PES) mean?

Pre-enlistees can now get their answers from the new CMPB website - a one-stop portal which has replaced the former iPrepNS website as the official source for pre-enlistment matters.

In the past, NS-bound boys had to trawl through a sea of information from the iPrepNS website, which was essentially a repository of pre-enlistment material. But the user-friendly CMPB portal is designed to be much more intuitive.

Take the Deferment Calculator for instance. With just a few clicks, you can instantly find out if you are eligible to defer your full-time NS for studies. All you need to do is answer a series of questions such as your age, current educational qualification, and intended course of study.You can also submit an enquiry directly through the website.

Another useful tool is the Pre-Enlistment Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) calculator. Currently, students take the six-station NAPFA test, but only the combined scores of three stations (push-up, sit-up, and 2.4km run) make up the IPPT score.

Using the calculator, you can easily find out the cut-off date to pass your pre-enlistee IPPT to be exempted from the eight-week Physical Training Phase (PTP).

Providing relevant information

Colonel (COL) Koh Chia Chee, Commander of CMPB, observed that, in the past, pre-enlistees often had to scour for information from various Ministry of Defence websites. Many also turned to online forums such as HardwareZone.com. But information from these non-official sources could be inaccurate or dated.

To curate the content for the website, CMPB looked through frequently-asked questions from the past two years. For example, CMPB receives almost 10,000 enquiries on deferment each year.

Said COL Koh: "We gathered all this information - stuff that pre-enlistees want to find out - and put them on our website so that they don't have to call somebody, or ask their friends, or go to the forums."

Since the portal went "live" in February, pre-enlistees have given it the thumbs-up. "It is good to have all the information in one place. I can find out the scores I need to pass my IPPT, and book my next IPPT straightaway," said Teo Yu Zhong, 20, a recent Ngee Ann polytechnic graduate who will be enlisting for NS this year, but has yet to pass his IPPT.

More on NS

The CMPB portal also provides information and videos on life during NS. Pre-enlistees, particularly those who are based overseas, will find it useful in familiarising themselves with the NS lingo and culture. There is also a section where parents can find information on supporting their sons in adjusting to regimental life, as well as relevant information such as emergency contacts. Parents can learn about the common issues that NS-bound boys may face, such as anxiety, stress or relationship woes.

The new portal was the result of a two-year review to improve public engagement efforts. Other improvements included the use of plain English, without military jargon, in official letters. This is to allow pre-enlistees and their parents to easily understand the content.

COL Koh said CMPB will continue to improve the portal by reviewing content, adding new features and videos. "We want to help the pre-enlistees make a smooth, hassle-free and seamless transition into NS. We will continue to find ways to engage them and their parents, and bring better services to them."

The new CMPB portal (www.cmpb.gov.sg) puts useful information for pre-enlistees at their fingertips.

Get to know about life in NS and how you can prepare for it.

Calculate your qualifying score for PTP exemption, and the cut-off date to pass your IPPT.