Tips & Strategies to Help You Succeed in CourseReg

If you are an NUS student reading this right now, it most likely means that the time of the year to select your courses and tutorials is already here or at least coming soon (sighs).

Me thinking of what classes to take every semester (Source)

Every semester, we have all been through that life-or-death situation of trying to secure our classes on CourseReg. I may be exaggerating, but it can really feel that way because not getting that one class could actually delay your graduation! For real, it seriously can.

As CourseReg goes by, some of us jump for joy when we get our desired classes. Others, however, are left despairing after missing out or being stuck with leftover slots at dreaded timings like 8am or 6pm. Trust me, I have been there, and I would rather not go through that again if possible.

Me going through mood swings during CourseReg period (Source)

While I have definitely been unlucky at times, I have also consistently gotten more than 80% of my classes throughout my time in NUS. So, after going through 5 semesters of CourseReg at the time of writing, let me share some of the tips and strategies (apart from luck) that have helped me not get rekted badly and hopefully you too!

1. Make full use of the resources available

As people say, knowledge is power. Cliché much, but you really do need to know the game to “beat” the system. A foolproof (though admittedly time-consuming) way of doing this is by taking the time to research, ask around, and figure out how something works! And of course, this applies to CourseReg too.

AY25/26 Semester 1 CourseReg Schedule (Source)

To provide some background for any lost freshies reading this, CourseReg usually takes place before the start of each semester and runs until tutorials officially begin in Week 3. As of AY25/26, you have 3 rounds to secure your desired courses, 2 rounds to rank your preferred tutorial or lab sessions, and 1 round to add or swap your classes to more desirable timings. I will not go into the nitty-gritty details of how CourseReg works, so you can always refer here for more detailed information.

Instead, what I am trying to do is point you towards the various resources you can tap on. This includes anything and anyone, ranging from the CourseReg webpage to social media platforms like the NUS subreddit, as well as your peers and seniors! The list can go on depending on how much you are willing to search and explore.

If you’re just starting out at NUS and you do not know anyone yet, one of the best ways to gain insider intel is by joining freshmen orientation camps! There, you can meet seniors who have been through CourseReg themselves. This is a great chance to ask any questions you might have and pick up useful tips while you are at it. Since these seniors have been in your shoes before, they would usually be more than happy to help and share their advice.

An example of how you can see an NUS course syllabus on Canvas (Source)

Alongside Google and ChatGPT, NUSMods and Canvas are your next best friends. You might already know that NUSMods lets you see past course reviews, but did you know that you can also look up past course syllabuses on Canvas? This is especially useful if the reviews on NUSMods are outdated (like from 5 or 10 years ago).

If you are not sure how to search on Canvas, click on the ‘Courses’ tab, followed by ‘All courses’ and finally the grey box that says ‘Browse more courses’. After that, type in the course code or name and select the most recent course homepage. From there, you can see details like the course outline and assessment components, helping you make more informed decisions on whether you want to enrol in a class at NUS.

2. Plan in advance and be flexible when needed

Just like you should have a rough idea of how CourseReg works, it is also important to know which courses you need to take to meet your graduation requirements. To make this easier, you can use tools like Excel, Google Sheets, and Notion to create your very own study plan. This way, you can visually map out and easily keep track of the classes you still need to take. If you are also a CNM major, you can check the graduation requirements based on your matriculation year here.

A 4-year sample study plan for FASS students that works for CNM majors too (Source)

Even before CourseReg officially starts, you can (and should!) start planning which classes you want to take at NUS. As each new academic year approaches, use NUSMods to browse course offerings, tutorial and lab timings, and the prerequisites for the higher-level courses you are interested in. To be honest, you can even start thinking about your Year 4 classes now. It may feel a little far-fetched if you are only in Year 1 or Year 2, but time flies in university, and it never hurts to plan ahead! That said, you do not have to follow your plan strictly. After all, what is taught and when the courses are offered can change from semester to semester.

Click on any course added to your timetable to view all available timeslots on NUSMods (Source)

Unless you are extremely lucky, it is actually very common not to get every course or class timing you want. To prepare for situations like this, use NUSMods to create multiple timetables and explore alternative courses you are open to taking. For example, if you plan to take 5 or 6 courses in a semester, shortlist around 8 to 10 options with timings that work for you. Then, rank them from the ones you really want to take to those you are willing to settle for as last resorts when things do not go your way. With backup options ready, you can easily swap classes around and adjust your study plan without worrying about not meeting the minimum workload of 18 units.

As long as there are still vacancies, you can keep trying your luck until CourseReg ends. However, if you have reached the point where even appeals do not work out, flexibility sometimes means accepting a not-so-ideal timetable and just living with it. If you are also planning to take on experiences like semester-long internships, Student Exchange Programme, or NUS Overseas Colleges, you will need to plan even more carefully! Due to their longer commitment periods, they can easily throw your study plans off the rail if you do not think things through.

So, moral of the story: the earlier you plan, the better. Plus, the more options you give yourself, the more flexibility you will have. Do the groundwork now, and your future self will thank you for it later.

3. Rank and arrange your choices wisely

Now that you have shortlisted the courses you want to take in the upcoming semester, CourseReg will not feel as daunting! Before rushing into it, take some time to look through past demand and allocation reports on the CourseReg webpage. This gives you a sense of which courses are popular (and which are not), helping you rank them more strategically before the start of CourseReg. Based on personal experience, demand can shift, but overall, it generally stays pretty consistent.

Even if you think that is enough, do not stop there! You should still keep checking the latest demand and allocation reports throughout all three rounds. Each round has its own selection restrictions, so timing really matters. Decide when to pick each course with these rules in mind. You can learn more under ‘Select Courses Function’ here.

An overview of how the vacancy plus demand and allocation reports appear on CourseRekt (Source)

Personally, I prefer using CourseRekt over NUS’s black-and-white demand and allocation reports because it gives you a much clearer overview. At a glance, you can easily see how many students have selected a course, spot which ones are oversubscribed through colour-coding, and check the vacancies left across each round.

Since course allocation is priority-based rather than first-come-first-served, give yourself some leverage by completing your end-of-semester course feedback surveys and the Course Planning Exercise on NUSMods. NUS will notify you through email when the time comes, so keep a lookout on your inbox! If the demand for a course exceeds its vacancies, completing these gives you points that can help in tie-breaker situations. You can read more about how course allocation works here.

To further increase your chances of securing your preferred tutorial slots and optimising your timetable, try out these two strategies (if you have not already!) in the next CourseReg:

The Flip-Flop Method

There is actually no official name for this method, but the picture below pretty much sums up how to go about doing it. You can rank up to 20 tutorial slots, so make the most of it by listing multiple slots for the same course based on your preferred timings.

Sharing the exact screenshot my friend sent which has been a lifesaver and might help you too!

By using this method, you are more likely to get your first choice for ‘module A’ while still getting the next best option for ‘module E’. For context, 10am to 4pm classes are usually the most popular, so anything outside that range tends to have lower demand. Keep this in mind when ranking your choices!

Unlike course allocation, tutorial allocation is more about luck and how you ranked your choices. If a course has only one timing that fits your timetable, put it right at the top. However, if a course has low enrolment or only 2 to 3 tutorial slots, you can safely rank it at the very bottom because you are likely to get it anyway.

Although this method improves your chances of securing decent tutorial slots, it does not 100% guarantee your top choices. If you end up being allocated a less desirable slot, you will have to decide whether to keep it or take the risk of dropping it in Round 1 and trying again in Round 2. Just remember that by then, you will have way lesser options and can only choose from slots with remaining vacancies.

If you were to ask me, the safer approach is to hold on to whatever slot you have been allocated (if any) and try swapping during the Add/Swap period. At this stage, more desirable tutorial slots with vacancies may open up, so do not rush to drop your current slot! Just submit a swap request on EduRec, and you will be automatically moved to the new class if space is still available. You can check the outcome after the allocation process updates every 30 minutes starting from 11am on Add/Swap day.

For those of you who were not allocated any tutorial slots in Rounds 1 and 2, Add/Swap period is also your last chance to secure one with remaining vacancies. In most cases, if you still do not get a slot by the time CourseReg ends, you will have to drop the course altogether. Patience can pay off, so do not act rashly!

Stack Biweekly Tutorials Together

As straightforward as it sounds, you can stack odd and even week tutorials for different courses on the same day and time. This works as long as the tutorials fall on different weeks and do not clash with your lectures or other classes! Typically, tutorials with alternate week arrangements are level-1000 or level-2000 courses and core modules with a larger cohort intake.

An actual example of how I arranged my NM1101E and HSH1000 tutorials to be on the same day and time in my Year 1 Semester 1 timetable (AY23/24)

Arranging your tutorials this way can free up your timetable for other classes or personal commitments like CCAs, part-time jobs or internships. Plus, it also gives you way more flexibility to plan the rest of your semester exactly how you want!

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These are just some of my tried-and-tested tips and strategies for CourseReg! Just as they have helped me, I hope that they also help you better plan your time and secure your desired classes at NUS. If you find this useful, feel free to come back to this article anytime and share it with your NUS friends. All the best!