For aptitude-based admissions, all six universities use various means of assessment, including personal essays, group and individual interviews, portfolios and even aptitude tests, such as coding tests for computing-related courses. Essentially, what the universities are looking for is summed up well by the SMU admissions office which said, "Beyond academic grades, we are looking for interest in SMU and the programme that the student applied for, passion for learning, traits of resilience and innovation, good analytical and critical thinking skills, whether students are team builders and players, have good communication skills, and have an inquiring and questioning mind."