SINGAPORE – For more than 25 minutes at the Central Manpower Base, I was put through the paces to test my range of motion, balance and the strength of my joints. Squatting, getting on all fours, before jumping on one foot, all while under the watchful eye of Grace Heng, head physiotherapist from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Physiotherapy Centre, who stretched me to see how far my dexterity would go. She was taking me through the functional test, which selected pre-enlistees – such as
those with past injuries – undergo to assess their ability to carry out specific tasks. It is part of the medical screening process that pre-enlistees from the SAF, police and Singapore Civil Defence Force undergo. It is also a key element in the push towards giving servicemen enlisting from October 2027 more opportunities to take on a wider range of vocations – the motivation behind a recent refresh of the National Service (NS) medical classification system. As part of this system, under which pre-enlistees began
getting assessed on June 19, servicemen will be told of specific medical exemptions, rather than being placed into broad Physical Employment Standard (PES) statuses. The basic military training (BMT) regime will also be updated, with recruits funnelled into three programmes depending on their medical exemptions. The refreshed system will enable about 1,200 servicemen to be deployed yearly to vocations and roles for which they would have previously been ineligible. As part of the functional test, there are assessments for those with unstable ankles, possibly due
to an older sprain; meniscus or ligament issues with the knee; or back-related conditions, such as scoliosis or degenerative disc disease. Whether one gets asked to go for the test depends on the severity of the condition, Heng told me on June 18 when I gave the functional test a go. It is more applicable to those who are generally in a good condition and have not sustained an injury in the last six months, she said. Though I am not aware of problems with
my ankles – save a football sprain that left me in crutches over two decades ago – I took the test meant for those with injury to the ankles. After a consultation process and warm-up, which included a five-minute ride on a stationary bike, I found myself in the first of several stations, which tested my functional movement through various exercises such as squats, lunges and leg raises. Heng said during the functional test, among the things the physiotherapists watch for is the pre-enlistee’s form
and shape, and whether he is able to perform the activities without feeling pain.For some of the exercises, she also observed the differences between how I performed with my left and right leg, with the risk of injury being high if there was a vast discrepancy. I then moved to a station that tested the mobility of my ankle – which is linked to the soleus, a calf muscle, I learnt. This involved keeping my knee against a wall and seeing how far back I
could move my foot. At another station, I was tested on how far I could hop on one leg. There were variations of this – a single hop, triple hop, and a crossover from left to right and vice versa. I was reminded several times not to move my foot immediately after I landed, in what quickly became a test of leg strength, agility and balance. The final assessment of the day was to see how I landed from a height. I was asked to
jump from a 45cm-high box while donning a 10kg vest. Heng observed the effect of the landing on my ankles and whether they were able to take the weight. Though functional assessments are common across the world, Heng said this functional test is unique to Singapore, because it is based on physical requirements for NS. “We look at our training requirements, and then we match our test passing criteria, to see whether the pre-enlistee is able to fulfil the basic training requirements,” she said. Pre-enlistment
functional testing was introduced in 2022, and has been used to allow pre-enlistees with certain musculoskeletal conditions but with good functional status to achieve a higher PES status and be eligible for more roles. Under the refreshed medical classification system, once the functional test is completed, the results are handed over to a medical officer, who will determine the medical exemptions required for a pre-enlistee. The medical officer will then take on board comments from the physiotherapist, and with other information like scans or input
from an orthopaedic specialist, recommend whether the pre-enlistee is suited to one of the three BMT programmes grouped based on the number of medical exemptions the pre-enlistee has. For example, a pre-enlistee who has recovered from a past anterior cruciate ligament injury (a tear of the key ligament that stabilises the knee, for instance), could be assigned to BMT Programme 1. This is for those without training or activity-related medical exemptions, and includes physical training, the Individual Physical Proficiency Test, standard obstacle course and route
marches. “For those with past injuries, I don’t think that’s the limiting factor. It’s… what you can still do despite your injuries,” said Heng.
National Service medical classification, functional test, SAF physiotherapy, Central Manpower Base, BMT programmes, June 19 assessment, October 2027 vocations, medical exemptions, Physical Employment Standard PES