SEAB was established on 1 April 2004 as a statutory board overseeing national-based examinations in Singapore, including the provisions of examinations and assessment services, and the publishing of major examination results such as the Primary School Leaving Examination, GCE 'N' Level, GCE 'O' Level and GCE 'A' Level.

[3] SEAB oversees certain provisions and regulations on exam conduct to protect the integrity.

[4] The board also determines usage of certain Scientific calculator[5] and Electronic dictionary[6] models, as well as monitoring current events such as train disruptions to minimize unplanned disruptions when exams are underway,[7] and archival of examination papers including the ten year series editions.

[8] SEAB is governed by a board which is led by a Chairman.

The Chief Executive is the professional head of the organisation.