For SAF NSmen your window is anchored to your birthday. Almost every window mistake comes from the edge cases below.
Calculate My IPPT Score →Your IPPT window runs birthday to birthday: it opens on your birthday and closes the day before your next birthday. You must pass IPPT — or complete NS FIT — inside that window. You can book a test up to 3 months in advance on OneNS, so the practical preparation window is longer than the formal one.
In non-leap years there is no 29 February — your window is treated as starting on 1 March in those years. If your planning assumes a 29 Feb start that does not exist, every deadline you compute is a day out.
Your first ORNS (reservist) IPPT window starts on the birthday after your ORD. An IPPT taken after ORD but before that first window opens can still count towards your requirement — many newly-ORD'd NSmen clear it early and never think about it again until the next birthday.
MINDEF reminds NSmen during the window — reported reminder points include a nudge if you have not booked by about 4 months in, and another if you have not passed by about 9 months in. Treat the 9-month message as your final warning light: FCC slots near window-end fill fast.
SAF windows follow birthdays; SPF reservist windows follow the financial year — 1 April to 31 March. HomeTeam NSmen should confirm their exact window on OneNS, because the deadline logic (and the 31 March cliff) is not the SAF birthday rule. Full explainer: HomeTeam IPPT.
The NS FIT Tracker computes your current window from your date of birth and lets you download a calendar reminder for the closing date. Confused by a message on your OneNS dashboard? See the dashboard decoder.
For SAF NSmen, on your birthday; it closes the day before your next birthday. If you were born on 29 February, the window starts 1 March in non-leap years.
On the birthday after your ORD. An IPPT taken after ORD but before that window can still count towards your requirement.
No — SPF reservist windows follow the financial year (1 April to 31 March). Confirm your exact window on OneNS.
Rules and standards on this page are checked against official sources: CMPB · OneNS (ns.gov.sg) · MINDEF answers on ask.gov.sg · LifeSG. Official SAF decisions always take precedence over this independent guide.