SPM Studying Tips

[nazeer]

hei...i am going for form 6 since i did'nt get any scholarship....i am a science class student n get 8A1 n 1A2(B.M) in SPM 2003....SO can u people give me some tips on how to do well in form 6 ....now form 6 is in english medium..new n latest version....so plz give me some tips??????

[chenchow]

I think the main tips will be to instill some confidence in yourself. Believe that you can do it. English is not a barrier, but a tool for you to learn more material, especially those material that are in English.

Say you don't understand a concept taught in class. Google can be a good tool to help you too. And you can always bring it to ask here in ReCom~! There will be people who are willing to help you.

[EricFu]

Form Six is a very good course, I would say. So, first of all, you must be proud that you will be enrolling in Form Six and sitting for the second toughest paper in the world - STPM. Nothing much to worry about. I was in Form Six for half a year. And I found no difficulties in adapting to the Form Six environment. The main tip is you must study from time to time. STPM is tough because its scope is too huge. So, you must make sure that you master every topic very well. On top of that, you must know the appropriate technique to answer question. Refer to the marking scheme or consult teacher if possible.

[weich]

...sitting for the second toughest paper in the world - STPM.

hmm...what's the toughest?

[EricFu]

The toughest paper is the entrance exam paper of Tokyo University (if I am not mistaken)

[wawa]

Have confidence and persevere!

I don't think STPM qualifies as the second hardest paper.

The hardest of course is the Tokyo exam, and I've seen the Chinese 'Gao Kao' exam, which is definitely harder than STPM.

[chenchow]

and I think IB qualifies to be somewhere up there too.

Nevertheless, just give it your best shot. There are some who have succeeded, so it means that it is possible to do so.

[greyhair]

is it physic very hard 2 score A? wat we study n exam paper r two different things.
bio more easy 2 get A. my memory is not good, even in malay, i find myself hard 2 memory the cell, organ, etc. now, english....... then how can i take bio

[chenchow]

greyhair, I think it is not too hard to get A. There are 12 students out of 52 students (23.1%) from my school get A in STPM Physics. Not that high percentage though, compared to other subjects like:-
Biology 22/74 (29.7%)
Chemistry 51/126 (40.5%)
Math T 65/126 (51.7%)
Math LT 4/6 (66.7%)
PA 164/237 (69.2%)

Anyway, this is just the statistic for my school in STPM 2003.

I think it is more essential to understand the material, even for biology, or even like Sejarah, than mere memorization. I didn't do any memorization for SPM Sejarah.

[gohweihan]

is it physic very hard 2 score A? wat we study n exam paper r two different things.
bio more easy 2 get A. my memory is not good, even in malay, i find myself hard 2 memory the cell, organ, etc. now, english....... then how can i take bio

Actually, what you study in STPM Physics is the same as the exam paper. They cannot ask you something which has no relation altogether to the syllabus.

The general notion is that to get an A for Biology is easier than to get an A for Physics. In a way, this might be true. For Biology, everything you need to know is in the books. Even if one cannot understand the subject, he or she can just memorise the book and there is a possibility of scoring an A in the STPM examination.

Physics is different in the sense that most of the questions requires calculations. This means, the lessons in class only teaches you the knowledge required to answer the question in the paper. The rest depends on your capabilities to analyze and sort through the information given (both in the question and from your knowledge) to come out with the final answer.

[DFish]

Today we are given a form to fill which subject combination we want to choose. There are only 2 choices: BIo package and physcis package. Bio package: bio, chemistry, general knowledge and Maths T. Physics package: physcis, chemistry general knowledge and Maths T. After tomorrow, we will not be entertain to change course... quite disappointed with this rule in my school, too strict.

Well, i'm a bit better in memory, and maybe i'll score better in bio. But, i only interested in a small part of biology. So, i opt for physics cuz my biggest interest in calculation. Though, i now fear that i cant cope with physics, and i'll regret in future. Hate to make choices... it determine everything of my future. Cuz i dunno how to make choice, i take both science and art stream subjects offer in my school during SPM. Now, i have to really choose to give up either physics or bio. Frustrating... :cry:

[gohweihan]

Today we are given a form to fill which subject combination we want to choose. There are only 2 choices: BIo package and physcis package. Bio package: bio, chemistry, general knowledge and Maths T. Physics package: physcis, chemistry general knowledge and Maths T. After tomorrow, we will not be entertain to change course... quite disappointed with this rule in my school, too strict.

Well, i'm a bit better in memory, and maybe i'll score better in bio. But, i only interested in a small part of biology. So, i opt for physics cuz my biggest interest in calculation. Though, i now fear that i cant cope with physics, and i'll regret in future. Hate to make choices... it determine everything of my future. Cuz i dunno how to make choice, i take both science and art stream subjects offer in my school during SPM. Now, i have to really choose to give up either physics or bio. Frustrating... :cry:

Shouldn't there be a timeframe where a student is allowed to preview the subject packages before submitting his or her final choice?

[DFish]

Shouldn't there be a timeframe where a student is allowed to preview the subject packages before submitting his or her final choice?
My school dont allow this. I think because they dont want us to be undecisive and always changing until wasting all the time. Last two years when i was in form 4, I enter the only class in my school for the package of 11 subjects. One of my classmates later found he dont like accounting at all, and decide to change to pure science package. My school didn't allow it. So, he challenged the school by ignoring all accounting lesson and failing all accounting test by passing up blank paper instead. Finally, the next year, he was allowed to change the package and class, he had to promise the school that he will do well in the new class. Anyway, he had wasted the whole year of Form 4 by letting his own academic result going as bad as possible.
Hope everything goes well now. I feel quite good today after submitting the form, and i'm very excited for lesson to start, we have orientation this whole week. Just bought the physical chemistry book today, 763pages, thicker than the telephone directory!

[DFish]

I'm out of topic, should put this at "Form 6", sorry.

My teacher told us a tip for studying today. Prepare own notes after each lesson, summarize all the notes given in your own words. Then after a section or a topic is taught, do own notes again on it. When doing notes, it is better that we try to recall everything that is taught and than jot it down, rather than mere copying the original notes. The original notes/text book can be used as reference when we can't recall it. After a month or two, try summarize the topic again on your own. These DIY notes can be stick all over your room, before sleep every night, glance at them. A modification of a study method used by an ex-student from my school who are now a famous physicist.

[KobeBryant]

what is IB and what is CAL ?

[chenchow]

There are 2 posts in another thread on same topic, so we should consolidate in same thread.

bluemarie: Hi,im a new user in this forum.I hv some few problem dat need the help.i wanna know some techniques to studi smart so dat i can score straight A's in STPM.Besides i oso wanna know that how v can get out all of our knowledge in our mind during exam as u all know dat STPM require lots of knowledge in every topic..Can anyone help me to solve my quetions??

kelvinlym: my secret is to 'understand' what you are doing. Not just memorizing the facts. I ask questions all the time about the facts cos every thing must have a reason or a link. And that's how the brain works. (at the very least, my brain)

[CyberJaya]

My maths teacher told me to study in bursts of fifteen minutes.

[Moozy]

My maths teacher told me to study in bursts of fifteen minutes.
What does that mean? Please enlighten me.

[CyberJaya]

It means that study for fifteen minutes and then have a five minute break and then study again for fifteen minutes and so. It is supposed to keep the mind fresh.

[MEW_MEW]

today, my school principal tell us about the way he study for mathematic..................do exercise and think for the question that you do not understand until you understand. If you always think about the question , you will understand it in the end and it will help you learn more than some people who just copy from friends.Last time, my school principal used about one month to think of a difficult question. But , i prefer to ask teacher if you really do not understand the question and learn from the mistakes. Last time, i just copied my mathematic homework from friends and i failed it for my exam. So, do not be a copy cat, agree?

[gohweihan]

today, my school principal tell us about the way he study for mathematic..................do exercise and think for the question that you do not understand until you understand. If you always think about the question , you will understand it in the end and it will help you learn more than some people who just copy from friends.Last time, my school principal used about one month to think of a difficult question. But , i prefer to ask teacher if you really do not understand the question and learn from the mistakes. Last time, i just copied my mathematic homework from friends and i failed it for my exam. So, do not be a copy cat, agree?

Well, used to do that when I was in Form 6. Still remembered the times where I would sit in front of my table till 2 a.m. solving a maths problem.

[MEW_MEW]

every i study, when i face a book as thick as a yellow page phone book, i suddenly become very sleepy and do nothing for the whole day, jusy sleep ! How can u all like study?read the books as you face your girlfrinds or boyfriend, feeling very enjoy. Is it related to interest? I every time tell myself that i should study but i just cannot control my mind when i face the books, so irritated !!!!!

[lzyee]

me too.......in matrik

[greyhair]

my bio tuition teacher told me 2 b very very fren wif ur science teacher coz they will evaluate ur projects n give u mark

[DFish]

my bio tuition teacher told me 2 b very very fren wif ur science teacher coz they will evaluate ur projects n give u mark
Not only science teacher, but be good to all teachers. Because all the teachers will evaluate your behavior in school especially class teacher and they will help you in your testimonials.
Study environment is the main factor. I always study on my bed, eventually i feel too comfortable until fall asleep. So, better dont study on your bed or sofa.

[lzyee]

30% will be given by college leturers and 70%thru the exam..in matrik

[KobeBryant]

so have to lick their boots ?

[pandaboy]

today, my school principal tell us about the way he study for mathematic..................do exercise and think for the question that you do not understand until you understand. If you always think about the question , you will understand it in the end and it will help you learn more than some people who just copy from friends.Last time, my school principal used about one month to think of a difficult question. But , i prefer to ask teacher if you really do not understand the question and learn from the mistakes. Last time, i just copied my mathematic homework from friends and i failed it for my exam. So, do not be a copy cat, agree?

is this a good method? my teacher once told me not to think for question too long. if we cant solve a question, ask our friends or ask the teachers to help, and find out what is the method to solve it. if we spent 2 hours for just one question, a lot of time will be wasted. it is very time consuming. we should do a wide variety of questions.... and if dont know, ask ask and ask...

[DFish]

is this a good method? my teacher once told me not to think for question too long. if we cant solve a question, ask our friends or ask the teachers to help, and find out what is the method to solve it. if we spent 2 hours for just one question, a lot of time will be wasted. it is very time consuming. we should do a wide variety of questions.... and if dont know, ask ask and ask...
It's better that we ask when we face problem. Teachers, friends, tutors or ReComers... and also reference books and website, there are so many ways that we can use to find the solution rather than just thinking of it. Dont simply copy the solution, of course. Try to do it again and again after a certain time, then you will eventually understand what the question ask.

[gohweihan]

It's better that we ask when we face problem. Teachers, friends, tutors or ReComers... and also reference books and website, there are so many ways that we can use to find the solution rather than just thinking of it. Dont simply copy the solution, of course. Try to do it again and again after a certain time, then you will eventually understand what the question ask.

Actually, it's better if we are able to think of the problem ourselves. Only when it takes too long (like more than 6 hours or so in total thinking time) that we resort to asking someone to help us. And that is just asking for help start us off - not asking for the other party to teach us the solution. If even after that, the answer could not be found (say another 6 hours in total thinking time), it is best then that we ask for help in solving the problem at whole.

Asking too often will psychologically disturb the confidence of the person who asks, because he or she indirectly feels the dependency on the person who helps him or her.

I think my advice applies more to mathematics as it is to other subjects. Of course in other subjects there are references everywhere to help and guide, as opposed to mathematics which relies solely on the ability to think and solve problems.

[Ic3b3rg]

hehe... not a math whiz myself... just some food for thought...
when you cannot solve a question after cracking your head,

ask other people ....

understand the solution and try to solve the question again without looking at other's solution.....

then try questions similar to the one you had problem with.....hehe... just a suggestion

but if you have an intelligent brain, go read up on advanced mathematics lar... why waste time on doing practices??haha... sorry i am a sour grape

:twisted: :evil: :evil: :evil:

[pandaboy]

asking ppl is a good way to learn.... besides, the person u asked can gain something as well....teaching someone is actually a good learning process too... We need good understanding before we are able to teach someone else.

What i think is....it is not practical for someone to crack his head for few hours just for a question. What if u've cracked ur head for 6 hours and still not able to get the solution? Then it will be a total waste of time. But of cos, we need to think a little first...bfore start asking questions. Dont ask people every single time u came to a problem. Think first....and then if u think u really cant solve it...ask.

[chenchow]

I would think that if you are trying to get help from others to solve or you are trying to help others, one good way will be to guide others to find it themselves. That will boost their confidence a lot.

Say you are helping your friend who gets stuck on a question, telling him/her the answer will not help, but on the other hand, guide him/her on the right approach to do the question. You can ask him/her, do you think it should be this way or that way? Why? or do you think it is like this? Why? You can guide step by step. I am doing a lot of tutoring over here and I find that most of the students like it this way, because when they find out how to do, they realize it is they themselves are the one find out how to do with some guidance.

[DFish]

Most student (secondary school) give up thinking about a maths problem after a while because they get more and more confused.So, they rather ask people to help. In this case, if the "tutor" teach him/her how to solve and on the same time fear that it will disturb the confidence of the person who ask, the "tutor" can try modify the question or give the person another question of the same sort, and let the person figure out on his own again. I use this method to help friends.
IMO, we dont have to crack our head on the same question for 6 hours continuosly, we can put aside the question first and solve all others before coming back to the question again. Think of it when you eat, when you brush your teeth, when you are doing "big business" or when you are waiting for transport or class to start... this would save an amount of time right?

[krista]

Hi

Just want to add my two sen here. I took my STPM aeons ago when English wasn't in the syllabus.

It is not as tough as what others think. In fact, with the right notes, the right mindset, anyone can do it although lots of people get scared off even before they try it.

I believe constant studying and note-taking is key to doing well (I did get 3As and 2Bs). I cannot say anything about Science because I was in the Arts stream (General Paper, English Literature, Geography, Econs and Bahasa Melayu).

Also, group study is equally important because it motivates you and keeps you on your toes.

One last bit of advice: STPM is NOT difficult. Nothing is THAT difficult if you have the heart to do it.

[wawa]

just my two cents, asking is good only if you ask the right questions. I've noticed (through asking alot myself and being ask a lot too) that many people fail to see the big picture.

When asking, learn not only how to solve that particular problem, but also how the person thinks that leads him to solve the question that way. Many questions have multiple solutions as different people see differently.

STPM questions often contain all the information needed inside the question itself, so learn how to see through the mist, and you'll see a golden A sitting there, waiting for you to pick it up! :lol:

[ydho_6]

hm... quite often i think about a question for many many hours.. but of course i look up resources, in internet, books, etc... n when i finally got it, the feeling is rewarding. n trust me, the stuff stays in ur mind (cuz u spent blardeee long hours for it so it better be!)

seek to understand the material, not just to memorize. stpm is different from spm cuz understanding is the key.

[Daniel]

Do you think the form 6 students like me can finish the whole STPM syllabus(chemistry, math, physics) on their own without the help from the teachers, relatives, parents and friends before going to upper six?

[gohweihan]

Do you think the form 6 students like me can finish the whole STPM syllabus(chemistry, math, physics) on their own without the help from the teachers, relatives, parents and friends before going to upper six?

Not impossible, but not recommended. The whole STPM course is suited to a timeframe of 18 months, which means that the syllabus covers as much as students can possibly learn within 18 months. Forcing yourself to learn that much of information in a matter of 8 to 9 months is like exerting unecessary pressure on yourself. Moreover, you're thinking of finishing the whole syllabus without help from anyone else, which will add to the burden.[/quote]

[chenchow]

This is some sharing from me, on how I study, may be as a guidance to those who are looking for ways. There are many ways, and I think most importantly, it must suit yourself.

Personally, I like to pre-read what is going to be taught in the week, on the weekend, before the class is taught. So, that is round 1 reading. It could be 10-15 minutes per subject, just glancing through, to give you a better idea. (an hour or 2 per week on weekend)

Then round 2, will be on the night before class, or day of class, I would spend say 10 minutes each subject, to read through it. Know where you understand and where you don't understand. Make some marks about it and concentrate in class or ask in class in particular about those stuff. (I think you need to be consistent in doing this and not because I have exams tomorrow in that subject, so i am not doing it today...and you can keep on putting off). (not more than an hour a day)

Round 3, pay full attention in class and interact in class. Ask questions etc.

Round 4, on the same day after class, even in between class, read through what is taught. Jot down where you don't understand etc. (15-30 minutes per subject or so, an hour or two per day)

Round 5, get help from the teachers or friends on stuff you haven't understand.

Round 6, try your homework/assignments when your memory is still fresh. Try it yourself first and then yuo can discuss with your friends.

Round 7, revise it over the weekend. (say half an hour a subject per week).

Guess with these 7 rounds of preparations, you will be ready for exams. The time is just a guidance to show that you don't need whole lot of time to do it.

All those except homework could be done within 20 hours a week.

[ElansarGelmir]

Do you think the form 6 students like me can finish the whole STPM syllabus(chemistry, math, physics) on their own without the help from the teachers, relatives, parents and friends before going to upper six?

if you find that you enjoy this kind of environment of studying, if you feel that you can cope up with it, then why not? but then again, no man is an island... U need to get ur teachers to give u updates about the syllabus (there might be a change)... u need to do your lab works too, right? and u need help from friends, sometimes... Form 6 is not just about studying ahead of ppl and u are better than them... it's about learning, from theory to practical, and also a learning ground to enhance your social network with friends and teachers... and an opportunity to prepare more about adult life...

[chenchow]

I agree with ElansarGelmir, that it is possible to be done. However, why deprive yourself from others' help, when you can get them.

And this is an important lesson. Share what you know with others. As a Chinese idiom says, "Xue Ran Hou Zhi Bu Zu, Jiao Ran Hou Zhi Kun". After you learn, you know that you don't learn enough; after you teach, you know that you are stuck.

So, try to help others. If you can explain well to others, you help your friends. If not, it helps to point out that you still don't really understand and you can learn together.

[knkh_87]

Group discussions have always been useful. Though I am not in a position to comment about its benefit for Pre-U courses, as I am not through it yet, such discussions have always served as mind-challengers and a method of sharpening my communication skills (useful for the 'describe', 'explain' questions in exams) in SPM.

It would be very burdening to complete the STPM syllabus yourself, so I suppose that you can skim through it to have a rough understanding of the text before the teacher actually conducts lessons on that topic in class. Having a serious discussion group is always of immense help.

[chenchow]

I would say that group discussion is very helpful, with the prerequisite that the group members are committed and dedicated. Sometimes, some of the group discussion is not efficient, when the members start chatting around 70% of the discussion time.

I would say that it helps a lot. I use it for my SPM a lot and I use it now too. It is a good tool for understanding and you can help one another.

[ElansarGelmir]

I have yet to participate in group discussions... Got lar... once (i dun think that's even called a group discussion). The group members were depending on me and another guy to feed them with infos... so not that much of use to me, that's why quit lar....

[chenchow]

This is just to kick start this thread. Welcome to Guidance For SPM & STPM SIG. There are hundreds of ReComers who have done well in SPM especially, and many are under scholarships to study abroad. So, make full use of this opportunity to study together, ask your questions here!

[chenchow]

For discussion about STPM, please join the Guidance for SPM and STPM Special Interest Group, this thread will be moved in on Tuesday 1am Malaysia time. You won't see this thread if you don't join in.

http://recom.homelinux.org:8000/~recom/modules.php?name=SIG&id=SPM

Click on the top right, Join, to join the SIG.

[oinkoink]

So should we start sharing tips on how to excel in SPM? :D

[chenchow]

Yeah, definitely! And also everyone, try your best, to spread the words around your friends in SPM!

[knkh_87]

I will just start with something brief. One technique that I had adopted for SPM was studying in subtopics. I won't spend much time doing too much in one day, probably 30 minutes-1 hour , as I would like to completely master the subject in small sections. Then, I will just skim through a few specimen questions on the topic to get a whole picture of the topic and its important areas. 10 minutes before I sleep, I usually do some brief reading on the topic again.

In school, teachers have to report their progress in their lessons to their panel heads every Friday. At home, I record what I have done in a week. At the beginning of the year, prepare a planner for completing the syllabus as if you are doing self-studying at home. Then, your work will be more spread out and organised.

In school, I used to have a study group in which we designate different subjects' 'assignments' to different members. Biweekly, we have a comprehensive worksheet of the topic which was taught in school during that period of time. We wouldn't have specific answers. We just sit down, share our views and our methods of approaching the question and collectively, work out the best possible way to answer the worksheet's questions.

[kelvinlym]

Three words... Past year papers.

End.

[taufiq]

2 words... study hard


some people say: study smart.. don't study hard..
but i think, study hard is in the definition of study smart..
the thing is that we must plan what to study first
and what next..
bu still we can't just sit down and relax till the exam day

[chenchow]

This is some sharing from me, on how I study, may be as a guidance to those who are looking for ways. There are many ways, and I think most importantly, it must suit yourself.

Personally, I like to pre-read what is going to be taught in the week, on the weekend, before the class is taught. So, that is round 1 reading. It could be 10-15 minutes per subject, just glancing through, to give you a better idea. (an hour or 2 per week on weekend)

Then round 2, will be on the night before class, or day of class, I would spend say 10 minutes each subject, to read through it. Know where you understand and where you don't understand. Make some marks about it and concentrate in class or ask in class in particular about those stuff. (I think you need to be consistent in doing this and not because I have exams tomorrow in that subject, so i am not doing it today...and you can keep on putting off). (not more than an hour a day)

Round 3, pay full attention in class and interact in class. Ask questions etc.

Round 4, on the same day after class, even in between class, read through what is taught. Jot down where you don't understand etc. (15-30 minutes per subject or so, an hour or two per day)

Round 5, get help from the teachers or friends on stuff you haven't understand.

Round 6, try your homework/assignments when your memory is still fresh. Try it yourself first and then yuo can discuss with your friends.

Round 7, revise it over the weekend. (say half an hour a subject per week).

Guess with these 7 rounds of preparations, you will be ready for exams. The time is just a guidance to show that you don't need whole lot of time to do it.

All those except homework could be done within 20 hours a week.

[deaf-knee]

Does that not make you feel like you're studying 24/7?

..I would like to request for tips on studying history.

Thanks.

[david_david]

i think most importantly you should enjoy your studies, the passion for knowledge and understanding in specific fields .............but i really hate exams.

So to score you should know how to work your way round the damn system.....:(

like popular questions/topics, and the right format of answering

However SPM has been revamped, SPM 2003 was the first batch......(maths,add maths,and the sciences)

This year( SPM 2004) , I think History,Accounts and a few other subjects will be tested on a new syllabus..they'll have English for Science and Technology which is separate from english.

I heard that History has structure questions :)

However for history, the teacher's used to "ramal" the questions.sometimes they told us NOT TO STUDY CERTAIN TOPICS.
I think the next batch has to give emphsis on the whole syllabus.

Funny right, they changed the system part by part, not completely.

anyway the 1990s SPM questions are still relevant although certain topics have been thrown out.Do try them.

[Sylvia]

for history, i never really memorise the whole thing.

the most important part is to remember the keywords.i like to use highlighter to colour code keywords and do some simple notes/summary of the topics.

trust me it really works

[zillion]

for me, i used to love reading and depending on the history text book only though many of them don't make use of it. I really think u cannot abandon the text book because the content of revision books are incomplete or there are too many extra but unimportant things.

Besides, learn the history like a story.... what happen , who is involve, approx when, why it occur etc.
LOve the story, put interest...don't be influenced when ppl says its boring.

Many ppl like to skipped Bab 3 form 5 last time, which is about the ISlam. However, this bab always come out in the exam. SO DON't BE LAZY!!!
Besides, i saw the new syllabus history book. More Islam is added so DON't skipped.
Hmmm...another thing, read all of the STORY consistently, don't depend solely on predicted questions which i think got many into trouble. Not everyone is lucky!!!


Last but not least
I LOVE HISTORY!!!!!!

[deaf-knee]

Thanks for the advice-s. :D

[oinkoink]

for me, i used to love reading and depending on the history text book only though many of them don't make use of it. I really think u cannot abandon the text book because the content of revision books are incomplete or there are too many extra but unimportant things.

Besides, learn the history like a story.... what happen , who is involve, approx when, why it occur etc.
LOve the story, put interest...don't be influenced when ppl says its boring.

Many ppl like to skipped Bab 3 form 5 last time, which is about the ISlam. However, this bab always come out in the exam. SO DON't BE LAZY!!!
Besides, i saw the new syllabus history book. More Islam is added so DON't skipped.
Hmmm...another thing, read all of the STORY consistently, don't depend solely on predicted questions which i think got many into trouble. Not everyone is lucky!!!


Last but not least
I LOVE HISTORY!!!!!!

Yeah.. i believed in history text books too! Our teacher told us it's actually our "kitab suci". Besides, i found out by reading thru the text books, i can actually remember better and score in the essay, coz i find it hard to study point forms, can't go in my head!! Some ppl think studying the text books is like crazy, but it's not!

[chenchow]

Same here, I like go through textbook...Read it as if you are reading story books...In fact, I often put myself in their roles and whenever they do something, I always try to reflect why they so (at the situation/condition at that time), it gives you a whole lot more of understanding. Memorizing history is a no-no for me, and in fact, I never memorize for any subject.

Understand it, feel it and all will just come naturally when you need to write the essays... Yeah, read everything...and if you are interested in anything, no harm look for extra understanding on other materials...

[ElansarGelmir]

for history, i never really memorise the whole thing.

the most important part is to remember the keywords.i like to use highlighter to colour code keywords and do some simple notes/summary of the topics.

trust me it really works

For history, during my time, the best way to remember the facts is remember that People act for money. THen it will help me remember the Revolutions better.... The World War better... but too bad, i believe these have been scrapped off from your text books and are replaced by some detailed account of tamadun Islam.

[deaf-knee]

yeah...there's nothing about the world war(s) ...as far as I know anyway.

a lot of petty detail on the bani's though...bani umaiyah and all those stuff. They seem to think that they made the renaissance period possible?

<strike>such big heads...:D</strike>

[Sylvia]

then that's too bad for u guys

the world war is the easiest and the best part to learn.i can remember the whole sequence and series of event that lead to the world war 2 coz it is just interesting to know.

bsides,i never really study the bani thing,i jus pray for it to not come out in exam.

err...not a good thing to follow.

[deaf-knee]

bani is half a chapter. lol. the first part of the chapter is kulafah al rasyidin, then after that EVERYTHING bani.

and then the next chapter is EVERYTHING about islam and what good it brought to malaysia. omg.

and I wonder why I just got 61%.

lol.

[kevinkhoo1986]

hahahhah... I skipped chapter 2 which is about islam last year for my SPM and i still managed to get A1 for it. I found it kinda hard to remember those weird name and bani's stuffs. I wondered why the new history syllabus emphasis so much about islam, personally i think it is not necessary for us especially the non-muslim to study 5 chapter about islam civilisation. It would be not fair for the non-muslim since most of the muslim already studied about islam civilisation in Islamic study. It just like a refresher for them(muslim). I admitted that the fact where islam civilisation was once the greatest civilisation in the past but it is not necessary for us to cover 5 chapters for it. There are still a lot of great event in the past apart from islam civilisation. Wondered why the government change it...

[chenchow]

While I take SPM in the old syllabus, I think it is still crucial for us to learn entire syllabus. Build an interest in it. There is no limit in learning and I would say that the stuff in Islamic Civilization is essential for learning. Build an interest and learn it.

[zillion]

what? took off the world war?? but why?!!!
I think that chapter is very beneficial and interesting...

haha... everyone always skipped bani umaiyyah or the rest of the weird names...maybe that is the reason they make it half a chapter??? then mayb the students will finally study it?

Anyway...dun b intimidated by the names and the long chapter.. study with patient and interest............

[iQing]

I recommend u guys go to pusat tuision kasturi.
the sejarah teacher (cikgu daiva) tips are very accurate.....
under him i manage to write on 10 pieces of papers in my SPM Sejarah... tangan sakit.. wow.. hehe

[deaf-knee]

Could you kindly help me get Cikgu Daiva and Pusat Tuisyen Kasturi to move to Kuching? For 4 months. Not long really.

Cikgu Daiva will have so much fun swinging on trees with orang utans.

After all everyone in Sarawak live on trees, right? :D

*winks*

[zillion]

I agREE with iQing!

My sis n i went to Kasturi too. Mr daiva is great! besides, Sir Murugan is a good Eng teacher.

Form 6 students can also go for Peter Hong chem teacher...he is extremely good and uses simple teaching method. he taught form 5 too last year.

[iQing]

I have really good memories in Kasturi.. the teachers are so motivating that I love to study study study.. there?s not much homework there so dun worry..
better go there for tuition earlier as people tend to "take places" for thier friends.. sometimes the class is so full that I can?t get into the class... hehe.. full house.

[zillion]

YeA! full house...
always happen

but act...youwill be surprise how much changes made already.

They have extra building....renovated the old block... with some higher technology security...hhaha

They provided some tables outside the teacher's room where we can discuss with the teachers too.

Now, there are more space but still, i think the number of students are INCREASING faster.

[iQing]

did cikgu rahim still give quiz money?
is cikgu hashim still there? hehe

[zillion]

haha..both still there..

well unfortunately Rahim didn't give any quiz money during my few classes with him... hahah but if u count $1 (or sumting like that...yea once!)

[iQing]

hehe.. i got once too...
when rahim says something he will make the guys laugh and the girls always tak paham paham one...
I miss the kasturi days... taking endless trains and busses just to get there...
not to mention shopping around jalan petaling... hehe

it?s a great place to meet chong hua and jun kong people there... haha

[zillion]

cuz the girls are always the innocent ones....couldn't help it for not understanding them ( n their kinda dirty jokes.. ;P)

Yea...sometimes i feel so satisfy and proud of myself taking around 1 1/2 hours bus down to kl twice a week after school for 5 yrs

Have u seen the new look of 'Chi cheung kai?? '
haha..i always feel so awkward cuz only one or two from my area and the rest are ALL from schools around KL Pj and KEpong

[iQing]

hmm... kepong? that?s my hometown... form 5 I always tuition there.
there got one kimia teacher who?s a chieft pemeriksa SPM (top secret hehe..)
under him I always got abovr 90 for my kimia... hehe.. coz he knows how the exam questions are set...haha

So one of my important tips for SPM students..

get a good tuition teacher esp if he?s a ketua pemeriksa... it?s like kena lottery..

[zillion]

u mean in KEpong or kasturi??

true....
most important is they know what they are teaching and teach the right things

Don't waste time if you sense the teacher is lack of enthusiasm to teach...
( thats what you can find in all KAsturi teacher)

Btw, iQing u graduate from which year???

[chenchow]

I hope you guys can message each other and chat? :D

Hope that this thread could be used more directly for its purpose kay? Sorry...

Hope that others could introduce themselves too..

[Daniel]

I have been told today during the orientation week that it is not compulsory to join "badan beruniform" (St john, KRS, PBSM, SCOUTS and etc) but it is compulsory to join a club and a sport. I wondered would it affect my admission to local U in the future because i didnt join any "badan beruniform" ? I am trying to become less active in Cocu and concentrate on academic.

[chenchow]

Daniel, I think joining uniformed bodies would mean gaining experience and learning stuff. While it may help you in your university admission, I think if you want to make it a learning opportunity, then you should join!

Concentrate on "general study tips for SPM" for this thread. If relevant thread on the stuff you guys want to start is not available, please start one. This will provide easier reference for those who are in this SIG. Thank you.

[chenchow]

This is on the teaching part. The usage of creativity in classrooms to teach.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/6/19/nation/8249633&sec=nation

However, may be this could bring upon some intrigued minds to try out these stuff on their own too to learn!

[blumarine]

can anyone help me?I can understand the materials but i dun understand the question and dunno how to start answer the question..can anyone suggest any technics?

[gohweihan]

can anyone help me?I can understand the materials but i dun understand the question and dunno how to start answer the question..can anyone suggest any technics?

I can think of a few possibilities where one cannot start answering a question, so if you could tell me just how is that you cannot understand the question (perhaps like you cannot seem to find the link to the materials you know), maybe I can provide some pointers on how to overcome them.

[blumarine]

when i read through the material,i can understand.But when i do exercise i dunno how to start answering and how to understand well the question..so is that any skills or pointers for it?Any methods to understand well the material then can answer the questions?

[joebf86]

in ur opinion, izzit necessary 4 us to buy da past year papers?

[joebf86]

in most skools, the students complaint tat their teacher r lousy, thus, they go 4 tuition.
in kl, every1 knows that Yakin is good 4 PA, kolej bandar 4 Chem, Kita-physics....it's so famous...according to them, the teachers there r experts in their respective fields....
i need ur opinion, do attending these tuition guarantee u a good result?

[chenchow]

joebf86, I think your questions are for STPM, instead of SPM right?
So, post it at STPM section thank you.

On a different note, hope that more SPM students will utilize the resources in ReCom for Guidance For SPM.

[chenchow]

I think past year questions will allow you to have an evaluation of how tough the questions would be etc. I know of some schools, like those Junior Colleges in Singapore, my high school etc, the only homework they have are past year questions for the past 20+ years on each chapter. So, by the time they go for STPM, they have already gone through like 20+ similar questions from past year...

[USSDefiantNX74205]

Speaking of past year questions, are they available in English? I would like to try out some past year test papers, but I'm afraid they'd be in Malay and I won't really be able to understand them. Anyone bought any past year question books so far?

[chenchow]

I think any word that you can't understand in BM, you can just post it here, and other students could help to translate it.

[deaf-knee]

hey this is getting quiet :(

what about ... tips on doing well in BM?? :D:D

[iQing]

u mean in KEpong or kasturi??

true....
most important is they know what they are teaching and teach the right things

Don't waste time if you sense the teacher is lack of enthusiasm to teach...
( thats what you can find in all KAsturi teacher)

Btw, iQing u graduate from which year???



SPM2000

I find it weird that there are much more SPM bright students since the meritrocracy system is carried out...

[joebf86]

if i m not mistaken, past year questions 4 STPM only available for 1999-2003. anyone has any idea where do where get the question papers for years before that?
will they repeat question from 10 years ago?

[gohweihan]

when i read through the material,i can understand.But when i do exercise i dunno how to start answering and how to understand well the question..so is that any skills or pointers for it?Any methods to understand well the material then can answer the questions?

I would say since in your case you find it hard to understand a question, you can try asking those who can understand it to explain it to you in a way which you can understand. After understanding that question, you can try applying the knowledge you know through your material to answer that question. Also, while people are explaining the questions to you, try also to identify the requirement of those questions (eg. to explain, specify, calculate, etc.).

[gohweihan]

if i m not mistaken, past year questions 4 STPM only available for 1999-2003. anyone has any idea where do where get the question papers for years before that?
will they repeat question from 10 years ago?

There are some books by Federal Publications which compiles previous year STPM questions (way back to HSC) into chapters. During my time, it was titled "Pasport Kecemerlangan STPM (subject)". Not sure if they translated it to English, though.

[zillion]

hey this is getting quiet :(

what about ... tips on doing well in BM?? :D:D

FOLLOW the new FORMAT STRICTLY!! 8)
including SASTERA and RUMUSAN

[deaf-knee]

how do you follow format for sastera?

Dewan Siswa just 'BOOSTED' my confidence anyway.....by announcing to the world that this year's questions are gonna be harder.

[chenchow]

deaf-knee, invite your friends here, then this place won't be so quiet and also ask more questions.

[chenchow]

I think drilling with past-year questions would allow you to get used to all the possible questions. Whether the questions would repeat itself or not, does not really matter right? I think as the syllabus is limited, there could be shades of same topic coming out, but doubts that it would be word-for-word.

[zillion]

how do you follow format for sastera?

Dewan Siswa just 'BOOSTED' my confidence anyway.....by announcing to the world that this year's questions are gonna be harder.

hmm...
The novel part eg.... write one point one paragraph...(approx 5 short paragraph)
Make sure start first sentence by writing Berdasarkan novel....oleh.........,

The pengajaran, nilai etc must have examples.

This is what my teacher taught us....she said is important, to the extent of giving us 0 if we do not follow the format...

We practised different exercises with the same format every week.
and time ourself to make sure we answer fast enough.

Have time limit for each section
My time limit is 30mins Rumusan, 30mins novel, 30mins tata, petikan umum & kom 1,2,3 all 15 mins

It is actually up to you but this is what my teacher suggest from her experience.

[deaf-knee]

I was looking through my very sad 71/110 paper 2, and I noticed that I got pretty much all of the 'beri maksud bagi rangkai kata blablabla' questions wrong. So, any tips on how to improve that? For some reason mine is ALWAYS wrong.

And then there's those 'pada pendapat anda, mengapakah puteri gunung ledang menetapkan syarat...blablabla' questions of which answers need to be thought up yourself? IMHO my answers are pretty much correct (obviously lar if not I won't write it down :P) but teacher never accepts it.

So then at the end of the day it becomes 71/110. Heh. Any idea on how to improve those kinda things? :)

[chenchow]

I would say that maksud rangkai kata, should be looked into in these two contexts. You know the general meaning and you need to ensure that it fits to the context that is being used. Without using it at the right context, you can't get it correct.

In terms of your opinion-typed of question, try to think through. I am not sure about the marking scheme nowadays, but I think during my time, we can write as many idea as possible. I think the best way would be to really understand the passage and then try to think, why Puteri Gunung Ledang menetapkan syarat or anything... etc

Hopefully you guys can invite more of your friends to come in and discuss. The more brains put together, the better it would be right?

[zillion]

I was looking through my very sad 71/110 paper 2, and I noticed that I got pretty much all of the 'beri maksud bagi rangkai kata blablabla' questions wrong. So, any tips on how to improve that? For some reason mine is ALWAYS wrong.

And then there's those 'pada pendapat anda, mengapakah puteri gunung ledang menetapkan syarat...blablabla' questions of which answers need to be thought up yourself? IMHO my answers are pretty much correct (obviously lar if not I won't write it down :P) but teacher never accepts it.

So then at the end of the day it becomes 71/110. Heh. Any idea on how to improve those kinda things? :)

hmm...rangkai kata depends on the text... ( usually from sastera text right?? like the pantun... so you better understand every phrase in your book.. Do more exercises too.
I will try get eg when i reach home..

For the puteri gunung ledang, there are many answers ..
i think some of them are she wants to reject politely, wants to teach the sultan a lesson etc..
What did you answer??

Well, most important you try scoring at those Rumusan, Novel and sastera....easier..

[deaf-knee]

I can't remember what I wrote, but that wasn't the point I was trying to get through. :) It was just an example.

I don't know if the books in the market now are relevant enough or not but I doubt it since the format has changed and I think this year's questions are going to be harder (re: dewan siswa).

Nevertheless, I'll try to get myself to do latihans, latihans are more latihans...soon....

Three more months....*crosses fingers*

[deaf-knee]

Thanks so much for the tips, btw :)

[vseehua]

yeah, the spm's getting nearer.....but don get yourself too stressed by studying ALL THE TIME.....get some time off if you are tired......

[chenchow]

Hopefully more can utilize the resources that ReCom has --- Many top scorers in SPM... So, hopefully everyone could help spread the words around to get more SPM-takers to join ReCom and utilize the free Q&A etc available!!!

[kevinkhoo1986]

Ermm... i already invite a friend of mine which is in form 5 to join this forum.

[ingshan]

Here's my tips to study accordingly to each subjects i took in SPM:

BM - listen to your teacher especially the 'KOMSAS' component...they are bonus questions to get A1...then do teh homeworks teacher gives (e.g. karangan, rumusan)

know how the points are given (especially in rumusan and karangan) by the pemeriksa...and exercise, exercise, exercise...

BI - read read read English story books...newspapers helps too...summary section - you need to do some exercise...

MAT - easy...do latihan frequently
MAT TAMBAHAN - same here...more latihan...understand how to think to answer...don't give up...keep on trying until you grasp the basic...

KIMIA - remember the general 'prinsip', apply it to other...latihan latihan latihan
BIO - memorise effectively...love it!!!
FIZ - know the formulas, takrif, and the general 'prinsip'...latihan latihan latihan!!!!

P. MORAL - hate it...haha just joking...memorise...latihan latihan latihan...it's true...buy revision books...
SEJARAH - memorise as many as you can...pray to god...to get an A1...i also don't know how i got an A1 in sejarah last year...
AKAUN - latihan latihan latihan...so that you will do the questions more effectively and quick

GENERAL TIPS -
1) past year questions (though i didn't do any when i take the exam)
2) listen attentively in class...(though you understand it already)
3) do more charity (good karma, good luck)...lol
4) no lovey dovey things now (it's better to concentrate on study)
5) enough sleep everyday
6) meditation (optional)
7) seek professional tips in Recom
8) must relax too...go do some sports
9) keep a healthy body and mind
10) plan for your future...(college, JPA, Form6) after the test

[darkhorse_86]

Well I took SPM last year....although i'm not a top top scorer, I can give you guys good hints

1) Do NOT even think of playing a fool
- I understand that most of us played a fool during form 4.. well Form 5 is no place to do so!! Let's see, you have min 9 subjects, limited time, a heavy but tedious curriculum than before and you may have your to fulfil your parent's expectations.

2) Do a lot of PYQ's
- Well it is even better if you could do past year ques in an exam environment. Set the time, and make yourself comfortable. By doing this you are getting prepared for the 'real thang' and you get to acclimatize yourself to the exam environment

3) ASK ASK!!!
- Don't be shy.... nobody's gonna punish you if you talk too much in class.... or will they?! :D anyways if you have any ambiguities in your mind just ask away

4) Group discussions
- Just try to have one, and remember, the purpose of this is to brainstorm and exchange ACADEMIC ideas among members, not gossiping about a teacher's new wig or Spiderman 2 lol :?

5) Be 200% attentive
- The best position is to sit in front of class.. if not just bring your chair over. As the rate of attentives decreases further away from the board to the obvious reasons, it is very vital to always listen what miss.X says, but not crap haha

6) Tuition....take it only if necessary
- Take this only if you're very weak at a certain subject. Otherwise just study and you can ask your smartass classmate or your teacher any doubts....BTW you can make new pals at tuition classes too, just don't spend too much of money on it!

7) Don't grumble....just do it.... cheh advertisement
- I understand that there's a lot to cover, esp science students( Paper 3 mind you) but just work hard to do your best. Remember, even if you didn't do well, but you have put a tremendous effort in the exams, you will have obtained flying colours in your heart's satisfaction :)

8) All study and no play makes Jack a dull boy
- High school is not always about studies you know! Partake in some co-co activities and just take the time out to watch movies too. Enjoyed my high school days cleaning toilets and stuff haha.... just set your priorities right

9) Politics bla bla..... just ignore it and do your best!!
- Well, I have to highlight this plight, because it happens in most high schools.. Let's say you are in 5B and you have a lousy chem teacher than doesn't know how to teach, and you think the whole world is doomed.....wrong!! Sure the class that has teachers from the ivy league will have a slight advantage, but success or defeat is all up to the individual... I f you think that the teacher is inexperienced and uncapable, instead of grumbling with fellow classmates, why don't you just get notes or copy from the other good classes...remember, the effort comes from you, partly from teachers but just remember..... a slow horse with a nice harness does not perform well, and look at the bright side! I have a few friends that had a few friends that got a lousy chem teacher but they got 10 and 13 a1's respectively...it';s all up to you!!

10) And last but not least..... keep your mind strong, and do your best!!
- Remember, you must be mentally healthy to perform well... try to condition your mind for various subjects...e.g for physics, keep memorizing to a minimum and logical thinking to the max, and converse for sejarah haha.....keep creativity at it's peak for BM, BI and dare i say it....moral hahaha

ok good luck to all..hope y'all do well :) from your friendly bro down the block!!!

[darkhorse_86]

about what you're gonna do after SPM right?? I suggest you leave that aside for now, but if good oppurtunities come by, just think about it and keep focus

[vseehua]

one more tip for the moral studies.......make sure you know the keywords for every nilai.....that way, you can identify the needed nilai for each question...cozif you don't really know it, you may find that its hard to get the nilai right, the difference can be had to find out sometimes.........

General tips - past year questions can help you all tremendously in every subject.... :D

[kevinkhoo1986]

Here's my tips to study accordingly to each subjects i took in SPM:

BM - listen to your teacher especially the 'KOMSAS' component...they are bonus questions to get A1...then do teh homeworks teacher gives (e.g. karangan, rumusan)

know how the points are given (especially in rumusan and karangan) by the pemeriksa...and exercise, exercise, exercise...

BI - read read read English story books...newspapers helps too...summary section - you need to do some exercise...

MAT - easy...do latihan frequently
MAT TAMBAHAN - same here...more latihan...understand how to think to answer...don't give up...keep on trying until you grasp the basic...

KIMIA - remember the general 'prinsip', apply it to other...latihan latihan latihan
BIO - memorise effectively...love it!!!
FIZ - know the formulas, takrif, and the general 'prinsip'...latihan latihan latihan!!!!

P. MORAL - hate it...haha just joking...memorise...latihan latihan latihan...it's true...buy revision books...
SEJARAH - memorise as many as you can...pray to god...to get an A1...i also don't know how i got an A1 in sejarah last year...
AKAUN - latihan latihan latihan...so that you will do the questions more effectively and quick

GENERAL TIPS -
1) past year questions (though i didn't do any when i take the exam)
2) listen attentively in class...(though you understand it already)
3) do more charity (good karma, good luck)...lol
4) no lovey dovey things now (it's better to concentrate on study)
5) enough sleep everyday
6) meditation (optional)
7) seek professional tips in Recom
8) must relax too...go do some sports
9) keep a healthy body and mind
10) plan for your future...(college, JPA, Form6) after the test

Hahaha.... you took the same subjects as i do :D. I do strongly agree the method recommended by ingshan. Personally i think taking tuition is such a waste of time especially for those subjects where you can actually study on your own like biology, history,bm, and bi. A friend of mine who took tuition for form 4 and form 5 biology and yet he just get B4 for it while i could secured A1 by study on my own. I have a friend who took tuition for all the ten subjects above with the exception for moral. He just got 3A for all of it. So the gist of it is... it is all depend on yourself whether you want to struggle for it or not. No point taking abundant of tuition classes.

[chenchow]

I would say that for courses like Moral, you need to answer the questions. I have been out of the SPM system for many years, so not sure whether this is still relevant, but during my time (SPM 99), you really need to answer the questions.

For instance, the question asks:-
"Perlukah Ahmad menolongnya?"
--> Right Answer: Ahmad perlu menolongnya kerana...
--> Wrong Answer: Ahmad menolongnya kerana ...

The right one is Ahmad SHOULD help him because and not why Ahmad helped him

"Mengapakah Ahmad menolongnya?"
--> Wrong Answer: Ahmad perlu menolongnya kerana...
--> Right Answer: Ahmad menolongnya kerana ...

The right one is Ahmad has helped him, and you need to state the reason and not why Ahmad should help him...


For history, build up the awareness~! Love the subject matters~! I always foresee myself as one of the Ibnu or any character in history and try to put myself in their scenario, be it 100 years ago or longer and try to reflect and think through the situation. There is NO need for memorization. I didn't memorize even a little bit for history, and I got A1 too... And I know many others who never memorize and do well too~! Of course, there are many who memorize and do well as well~!

[gohweihan]

For history, build up the awareness~! Love the subject matters~! I always foresee myself as one of the Ibnu or any character in history and try to put myself in their scenario, be it 100 years ago or longer and try to reflect and think through the situation. There is NO need for memorization. I didn't memorize even a little bit for history, and I got A1 too... And I know many others who never memorize and do well too~! Of course, there are many who memorize and do well as well~!

This I would say is a dangerous tip to dispense. History is not only about knowing what happened and why it happened, but also when it happened and who (specifically the individual) it involved. If you do not memorise the when part of it, there is no way you can speculate or imagine out the exact time of the incident, which is required in some questions, or to correctly spell out the names of the individuals involved. Of course, using your method minimizes the amount of information needed to be memorised, but still one cannot tackle history without memorising the key dates, and names of key figures. It is these specific information that needs to be memorised.

[chenchow]

Frankly, I don't think any question in SPM asks about names or dates right? May be I remember wrongly, but that was my impression about it.

[pandaboy]

Frankly, I don't think any question in SPM asks about names or dates right? May be I remember wrongly, but that was my impression about it.

Wow, i completely deleted my knowledge in SPM ....hehe...
But..if im not mistaken, we have to quote the right dates and names when writing essays rite?
Besides, if they ask something like:

Pada tahun 1411, suatu peristiwa yang penting dalam Sejarah Melayu telah berlaku. Apa peristiwa tersebut dan kesannya dalam Sejarah Melayu?

Er...btw, is there objectives in SPM? hehe..sorry. I'm nyanyuk already... Forget everything already though took my SPM in 2002....hehe...

[darkhorse_86]

erm...btw are you ppl taking or took literature in english as a subject in SPM... I took it and I enjoyed it most of the time.

[ingshan]

Practically we do really need to memorise sejarah...
At first i really do like sejarah vry very much...it's interesting as we are studying human history and nature...

but the downfall of my interest started when i did badly in my test (form 3)...that's the time it really pushes me to memorise the names...but not time (who cares about the timeline)...

For Pengetahuan Moral...it something that has no practical value but as a waste of time...PM is something to instil good value in the student but it turn out to force the students to try to answer it the 'pemeriksa' way...as chenchow said...a pain in the @<hidden>$$..

[ingshan]

Practically we do really need to memorise sejarah...
At first i really do like sejarah vry very much...it's interesting as we are studying human history and nature...

but the downfall of my interest started when i did badly in my test (form 3)...that's the time it really pushes me to memorise the names...but not time (who cares about the timeline)...

For Pengetahuan Moral...it something that has no practical value but as a waste of time...PM is something to instil good value in the student but it turn out to force the students to try to answer it the 'pemeriksa' way...as chenchow said...a pain in the @<hidden>$$..

i should not say such thing here...i discourages SPM takers...sorry...
i take back my words...

[kevinkhoo1986]

Practically we do really need to memorise sejarah...
At first i really do like sejarah vry very much...it's interesting as we are studying human history and nature...

but the downfall of my interest started when i did badly in my test (form 3)...that's the time it really pushes me to memorise the names...but not time (who cares about the timeline)...

For Pengetahuan Moral...it something that has no practical value but as a waste of time...PM is something to instil good value in the student but it turn out to force the students to try to answer it the 'pemeriksa' way...as chenchow said...a pain in the @<hidden>$$..

Yea.... I agree with it. Until today, I still do not understand why i must answer the essays part in one paragraph, why i must gather all the "nilai" at first, and why i need to memorise these useless "nilai". Does it make us have more Moral value by memorising it? I got 0 marks for the essays part in SPM trial just because i split it to more than a paragraph. Does not make sense at all. Learning Moral is just like learning the correct method to answer the questions or just like ingshan mentioned above "pemeriksa" way. In my opinion, Moral is a subject to keep the non-bumi busy because the Bumi(malay) have to take islamic studies.

[vseehua]

yeah...and sometimes ppl with the best moral studies score end up being one with the worst one.......knowledge can enpower ppl to do many things, be it is for the good or bad.....

[chenchow]

[quote="kevinkhoo1986
Yea.... I agree with it. Until today, I still do not understand why i must answer the essays part in one paragraph, why i must gather all the "nilai" at first, and why i need to memorise these useless "nilai". Does it make us have more Moral value by memorising it? I got 0 marks for the essays part in SPM trial just because i split it to more than a paragraph. [/quote]

If I am not wrong, and I am pretty positive about this, there is nothing in the examination scheme of Moral Education that requires you to either write all the answers in one paragraph or gather all the nilai first. I write in many paragraphs and I didn't gather all the nilai first, and I get A1 too.

That is at least what is in the schema in 1998,1999 time. I know this for sure, because I learn from the schema from a guy who sets SPM questions for Moral Education and has been Ketua Pemeriksa for Moral for many years.

[chenchow]

Pada tahun 1411, suatu peristiwa yang penting dalam Sejarah Melayu telah berlaku. Apa peristiwa tersebut dan kesannya dalam Sejarah Melayu?



I would look at this, by first understanding and have a feel of the timeline... 1411 is an important year and they don't usually bring out such questions in the essay for SPM Sejarah. It is more for the multiple choices questions.

I would say that if you thoroughly understand the history, you would know what happens at roughly which time frame and what is the reason behind it and what effects the event has.

Just curious, anyone else out there who study history without memorizing at all? Personally, I hate memorizing and maybe because I can't memorize at all. So, I have to act out, trying to think through all those historical events in the history books and try to get understanding...

[vseehua]

i don really memorize history facts....coz i have a little interest in the history of the world, i jus read it for the fun of it...and sometimes i discuss the effects of history events with my friends (wars seems to be a really interesting subject,esp ww1 and ww2)...then....history naturally get into my memory without me realizing it... :D

but that doesn't quite what happened when i'm studying the History of Malaysia.....coz perhaps i have lost interest in it then :evil:

[gohweihan]

I would look at this, by first understanding and have a feel of the timeline... 1411 is an important year and they don't usually bring out such questions in the essay for SPM Sejarah. It is more for the multiple choices questions.

I would say that if you thoroughly understand the history, you would know what happens at roughly which time frame and what is the reason behind it and what effects the event has.

It's not only about the dates and years, but also at times the names of people, places, key buildings, names of organizations, and other information that needs to be specific. And they do ask these questions for essay (although not all specific information will be questioned).

Understanding the timeline would mean that you can answer the question generally, but not necessarily specifically if required to do so. There is a difference between knowing, say for example, that an atomic bomb was dropped in Japan in 1945 (general) and that an atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima, Japan on August 1945 (more specific). Marks might not be awarded if the information is not specific enough to encompass the key phrases (or words) that are on the marking scheme.

Memorization can come directly (by purposely memorizing the facts) and indirectly (as in vseehua's case). Perhaps what chenchow did was indirect memorization, as it would be impossible to tackle history without utlilizing even a little bit of your memory.

[pandaboy]

After going through SPM and Alevels, I felt that these two exams really need memorizing power to get good grades. Merely understanding the subject is not sufficient. I dont really like this kind of learning. Like for now, I completed my Alevels one month ago, and I cant remember a single thing from my exam. I went through the STPM thread subject by subject only to realise how much I'd forgotten. I think my short term memory is good but my long term memory is bad. I felt that all the years spent were futile, now that I've forgotten most of it.

Albert Einstein once said that he dont memorize facts as they are easily available in books. Very true indeed. :wink: But try saying this to ur teacher, he will knock ur head and call u "lazy"!

[vseehua]

yes....i got some of those responses frm my teacher.....

but in my opinion, there's no perfect learning style which is suitable for everyone.......though i don't recomend memorizing to anyone,it maybe effective to remember things..but trust me...you'll forget it after a few days.......i think, understanding is the best way to learn things,when you understand the principle behind the concept, naturaly you'll remember the concept for a long time....coz you know how it works.....

hope that helps

[wawa]

Regarding getting the STPM past year questions, you could ask your school office. Schools usually do keep past year questions, only that many students do not know about it.

[reign226]

some things are just meant to be memorized. For me, mnemiocs (however the damn you spell it) has helped me tremendously. I can still spit out the Siri Kereaktifan Logam back at you, something I memorized with a simple mnwhatever in 10 minutes three years ago.

That said, I can never memorize bio stuff. It's like reading greek with english thrown in so you're not completely confused, but enough so that you get mental torture.

[reign226]

i doubt the difference in language will be much of a bother. Most of here already learn the stuff in BM right?

BTW, are our papers still in bi-lingual (STPM 2005)? My Maths teacher says yes, and my other teacher says no.

[zillion]

i think no matter how.. u have to memorize pLus understand and then refresh ur memory from time to time..

U memorize hard only - u stand a chance of forgetting
U understand only - u stand a chance not knowing how to do if u dun memorize those formulas or stuff

hmm...every student must be bz preparing for their exams now

chill n relax ppl!!

[ElansarGelmir]

Just curious, anyone else out there who study history without memorizing at all? Personally, I hate memorizing and maybe because I can't memorize at all. So, I have to act out, trying to think through all those historical events in the history books and try to get understanding...

I have a friend... rather, a brilliant and pragmatic one (hmm... really envy his brain)... he didn't memorize the thing... He's into business and economics (yeah, he's the MONEY MONEY guy), so he sees everything in terms of money. And his advice for scoring in history is "Everyone does everything for money (metaphorically, something that they like, ie fame, passion, blah blah)." Dunno how effective this is, but at least it worked for him.

I think Moral's syllabus has changed again. I guess it's due to the high number of students getting A1s in it. ONe thing i dislike about Moral in SPM is that it's not transparent. There's no standard format of how we should write our essays, how many nilais should we give them, and so on... different marker has his/her way of marking (depending on their ketua)...

[vseehua]

well,you know what they all said.....

"money makes the world go round"

:twisted:

[chenchow]

With SPM coming soon, hopefully all ReComers could help spread the words to attract them here and post questions here!

[vseehua]

yeah...spm and stpm is getting nearer and nearer......and like what chen chow says...hope you all can make full use of this thead, and tell your frens abt it too....all of us here are glad to help....

[jacyn]

oh.. nowadays moral paper requires student to read more. ..
it's no more like.. perlukah Ali berbuat demikian? but tuliskan 3 peranan SUHAKAM... NGO... things like that..


study study!!!!
time waits for no one.

[vseehua]

that was way better than my time..we really have to squeeze every bit of info into our brain jus to do the subject...at least it requires more critical thinking on our part now......hehe..now can use logic :twisted:

[chiunlin]

oh.. nowadays moral paper requires student to read more. ..
it's no more like.. perlukah Ali berbuat demikian? but tuliskan 3 peranan SUHAKAM... NGO... things like that..


How is the marking scheme like for such questions? Do you still need to give values together with your explanations?

[jacyn]

nope.. it requires no nilai murni for those questions..
as for the marking scheme.. i have no idea :wink: ...just answer what the question requires will do...

as for the SUHAKAM thingy... just write out the roles of it.. of course it has to be accurate..

sometimes the question might be asked in this way:
berikan contoh-contoh wanita yang berjaya dalam bidang
a.politik
b. sosial.

out of the 8 structural questions, only certain questions require values.. however the given marks are so little.. :?

[chenchow]

It is very nice to see that Moral Education has evolved and it is definitely a good start. Anyone in F5 could brief other ReComers more on this issue?

[chiunlin]

nope.. it requires no nilai murni for those questions..
as for the marking scheme.. i have no idea :wink: ...just answer what the question requires will do...

as for the SUHAKAM thingy... just write out the roles of it.. of course it has to be accurate..

sometimes the question might be asked in this way:
berikan contoh-contoh wanita yang berjaya dalam bidang
a.politik
b. sosial.

out of the 8 structural questions, only certain questions require values.. however the given marks are so little.. :?
Sounds more like pengajian am to me. But I think that it's definitely better than the previous format. No more nilai to hafal and all you need is just some general knowledge, which means that you all need to newspapers regularly to score in the subject.

[leng_cyl]

o_O SPM is nearer and nearer.....!!! =.= all these days keep doing addmath, @<hidden>@<hidden> because Sejarah, addmath, BC and BM first, come before the short period of holidays...

[chenchow]

Good Luck to those preparing for SPM~! Feel free to pop by your questions, if any, here~!

[pandaboy]

When is the exact day of SPM? Is it going on now? Good luck to everyone who is taking SPM!

[oreo]

spm is going to end.. bless me=)

[chenchow]

Good Luck oreo and other SPM takers~!

Hopefully that those of you who have just finished SPM, could come to this site and share those information, tips, knowledge that you have acquired through this process to help those students who plan to take SPM in the future~!

[chenchow]

This may come a little late, but I just found out about past-year questions from some schools/states available at :-

http://www.tutor.com.my/tutor/content.asp?e=SPM&s=Others&m=&t=&r=&i=BS

May be this would be beneficial for those in Form 4 currently. Good Luck~!

[okaywhy]

anyone know when will the next year's form 6 new batch open school?

i heard that it could be very early (around april), and they won't wait for the students who go for NS....? how unfair!

[okaywhy]

sorry, should be...

'when will the new school session for the form 6 new batch begin next year?"

hope you all can understand my manglish.

[chenchow]

I personally do not know about it, and I think there hasn't been any public announcement on that matter yet. But I would believe that those who are going to NS won't be shortcharged. If you are really worry, then study ahead of time~!

[sno]

since i'm not doing anything right now(*bored), i wan to talk about the tips of how to score for the elective literature in english paper for SPM...... :D
i realised that a lot of ppl who wanna take up the subject are clueless about its format n answering techniques when i wen to the forum on Malaysian English Language Teaching Association site
here's wat i posted on www.melta.org.my

the SPM literature paper will be divided into 5 sections

section A: personal response---this is 20 marks n u can answer the question based on any relevant text that u have studied.

section B: novel(if i remember correctly) its also 20 marks.
u only have to study one of the three selected novels.
each novels will have three questions with question a(4marks), b(6marks) n c(10 marks) respectively

section C: short stories 20 marks--it s a good idea to study jus a few short stories thoroughly. i only focused on one. however, u must acknowledged the others as u might need it for section A question

section D: drama20marks---prepare for jus one. there will also be question a, b, c for each drama question. it is advised that candidates are better off not doing shakespeare's drama as it is quite hard to answer

section E: poetry 20 marks. there are many themes. but u must focus on jus one. there are also questions a, b n c like novel,short stories n drama section.

the key to scoring the literature paper would be quoting from the text. Put "quotation marks"to highlight ur quotation.

for example, question: Describe Salim's feelings towards his mother.
answer: Salim is afraid of his mother. He sees her as "a fierce tiger" that drives him to become "an accomplished liar" in order to escape her abuse.

well something like that. sometimes it's hard to quote from poems but try to rephrase the lines into ur answers. it's best that u memorise the poems. i did. it's like learning a new song without music.


i think this subject is very easy to cope with if u like to read n can write without stumbling on grammar, anyone wana know more like get a copy of past year paper feel free to contact me......

[day_dreamer]

any tips for studying accountings? it's a terrible subject..............
also is it possible to score 95+% in biology???

[nxwen]

any tips for studying accountings? it's a terrible subject..............
also is it possible to score 95+% in biology???

For accountings, just know the formats of all the accounts and do lots of exercise. When doing exercise, try to do it fast and accurately. And set time limit on every question, once you exceeded the limit, go to the next question.
As for biology, I'm not familiar with the new format so can't comment.

[Agnes]

Hello, day_dreammer...well, to tell the truth...it is possible to get 95+ in Biology. I have just graduted from my secondary school(spm 2004).....and i have met people who scored 90+ in every subjects that they took... but they are not nerds..infact, they are quite active!

For biology, i would like to advise you to do more past year questions and understand the technique of answering them. Read will help you with the facts.

[HappyCat]

any tips for studying accountings? it's a terrible subject...........
hmmm...actually accounting not such terrible...
i have take PA paper in spm 2004 as extra subject and i score well.
the tips which i use is make an easy note and try to understand how to solve such questions, always do exercise, then is ok. :)
don't be confused by the questions. :P

[jeszz87]

:?: I am jeszz n recently my fr invited me 2 tuition -form 6 n the sub i would like 2 take are bio,che ,mate ,n p.am .i went 2 jabatan pendidikan 2 ask 4 latest info bout form 6 ..i would lile 2 transfer school 2 sg.petani.i came fr perlis.so i dont know i should start 2 tuition now or start wen form 6 is started..
i hope 2 get more opinion fr u al ..thanks a lot.. :D :o :P
some people told me that i no need so anxious or ..to tuition now ..but some people told me that it s good if u prepare earlier so i dont know ..
besides ,now i am just staying at home do nth it s really a waste of time,,form 6 maybe start on june..it s really a very long long time..i am so boring ..now i should tuition or self-revision ???please give me ur opinion ..tq :lol: ..or should i start 2 do the muet exercise?? :?: :?: :?:

[petertok]

any tips for studying accountings? it's a terrible subject..............
also is it possible to score 95+% in biology???

Personally , i think 95% in biology is achievable.. the scoring systems lies in the technique of answering..

Study as many past year/sample questions as possible to know the technique well especially in paper 3 where u must know how to answer questions on inferens , pemboleh ubah , hipotesis and all those related to a scientific report.

For my school however , in the spm trials the highest was 78 only... but 20+ of us got A1 in spm anyway.

[yen_05]

any tips for studying accountings? it's a terrible subject..............
also is it possible to score 95+% in biology???

Tips to score for principle of accounts~ Basically...it is all about time management. For paper I(objective) it is quite easy.40 questions in 1/1/2 hours. Just read up more about theories and the basic things of accounting. The crucial part is Paper II. Well, paper II...there are two section....Bahagian A(5 question answer all) and Bahagian B(2 questions choose 1). The time given in answering Paper II is 2/1/2 hours which is 150 minutes. The marks for paper II is 100 marks....so you would have to spare only 1.2 minutes for every marks. For instance, question 1 would be a document question and the total marks of this question is 29 marks and you will have 34.8 minutes to answer this particular question. 100 marks would make it 120 minutes in answering all the 6 questions. Please reserve 30 minutes to do checking(important).

Studying account effectively~ The very first thing:please remember the format of any kind of accounts properly(especially a/k dagangan,a/k untung rugi, kunci kira-kira, penyata kewangan,etc..). If you find it difficult to remember, then take out a piece of paper and write it down. Try this a few times until you can remember clearly about the format. When you are clear enough about the format, take out another piece of paper, then time yourself(maybe about 60 seconds), write down the format again without referring within 60 seconds. Okey....if you manage to do that, try attempting a few question on it after that. And be sure also about all the kredit and debit account. For example, a/k belian berbaki debit; a/k modal berbaki kredit.....
p/s: If you totally have no idea what that question about...please do not leave the question unattempted....whatever it is just catat only. As long as it is under the right account and the right place where it suppose to be...marks will be given...


Just my two cents of it....ways may vary from different individuals...

[baby_ghost]

Hi there,I am a new user.Nice to meet you all(concern in study)!
I am a lower six student...just started a few weeks!
I have some problems:
I just can't study effectively...maybe due to lazy.I spend a lot of time sleeping,watching tv drama and surfing net.I often addicted to drama although I know I shouldn't!(I am trying not to)

When come to study,I often have day- dream and sometimes I can hardly understand so I need a lot of time for a pharagraph!

During tuition,sometimes I just can't catch what the teaher trying to say...slow reaction I suppose.But I do take notes and high light but those notes I just roughly write on a piece of paper thinking to rewrite it after tuition.But,mostly I will delay a few day or weeks to rewrite so sometimes I just can't make the notes because usually incomplete and some already forgotten.sometimes it will make me even more confuse!

Nowadays I have reduce my sleeping and tv times but still in process!

Besides,some targets which I made hardly achieve...is it less of self-dicipline?(eg.finish a chapter or homeworks at a given time)

Will a time table help me??Daily plan or weekly plan is better?

The subjects in STPM(bio,chemistry,PA,Maths&muet) is it more encourage to do exercises than to study?

For my year,should I answer the quesion completely in english or convert to Malay?(my bio teacher encourage us to convert the answer to Malay caz in our SPM still in Malay!The teacher says that in bio many science terms which will be difficult for us as we need more time to convert the sentence in english!)So any opinion towards it?

Last question,does form 6 student still have time to hang around or enjoy themselves?or their activities are mostly studying, doing exercises.....?Is group study an effective way to achieve high score?(for my opinion,it is hard to form a group study cause need to find suitable friends from academic and also personality)
Thanks for reading it and I will certainly appreciate any reply from you guys!!!!

[joebf86]

a form 6 student is still a student and a teenager. whether he/she spends how much og his/her time on studying really depends on the person itself. so we can say that form6 students must study all the time or become nerds. i hav frens who still hav time for hang out, movies, karaoke and yet they still manage to get good results. but, oen must realise that we must put effort in whateva we do, expecially in important exam like SPM. so i believe it's good if we can allocate time for study and play as well. dont force urself, dont give unnecessary tension to urself.

[baby_ghost]

Thanks for the advice!!!I will try to manage my time,hopefully I can!

[day_dreamer]

thnx for all the guides, i just sit my paper for the mid-year exam and i revise using your guides.
but now i have 2 problems, how to get yourself to study rather than day dreaming and how to focus while revising?

[lolilo]

thnx for all the guides, i just sit my paper for the mid-year exam and i revise using your guides.
but now i have 2 problems, how to get yourself to study rather than day dreaming and how to focus while revising?

erm...hit yourself hard on the head when you day dream. OR better, ask your friend to pinch +squeeze you.

Eih,, try to do questions la....revision is indeed boriiiing.

[yangyang]

any tips for studying accountings? it's a terrible subject..............
also is it possible to score 95+% in biology???


Basically, if u wan 2 score high marks in Bio, make sure u go thru a lot of exercise... b4 dat, u will hav 2 read thru ur bio text thoroughly (mayb some will find it quite boring, i even fell asleep whn reading it)... well da most important part in bio according 2 my previous bio teacher is the key word, if u miss dat, so do ur marks... when goin thru da exercises esp subjective part, pay attention 2 da ans and if possible, try 2 identify da keywords... Hope dat will help... :)

[iQing]

students are spending so much time on reading text books and doing homework (finish after SPM)

and they are spending so little time increasing ot traing thier intelligence, creativity, memory capabality, writing skills, photoreading etc. (can use for life)

Yuck !

[scorpstreet]

don't forget iQing, our Malaysian education system is academic and exam based. Students mostly study to score in exam rather than to gain extra knowledge.... :(

[iQing]

One eye man is the king of the blind people-

maybe if we really work hard in becoming real learners,
we can be the leaders of top students in Malaysia?

[Irresistible]

Hi there,I am a new user.Nice to meet you all(concern in study)!
I am a lower six student...just started a few weeks!
I have some problems:
I just can't study effectively...maybe due to lazy.I spend a lot of time sleeping,watching tv drama and surfing net.I often addicted to drama although I know I shouldn't!(I am trying not to)


I have the same problem. I always do last minute work, only serious study when exam draw near. I done quite fine in the lower lever exam, but my result is deteriorating at the higher level. :( :( :(
I have the tendency to memorize answer, or look at the answer b4 I attempt any questions. Is my study method incorrect? Maybe someone can help me out?? Thx

[day_dreamer]

how do you guys cope with stress ?

[youngyew]

how do you guys cope with stress ?
In order to cope with stress, I think it's important to recognize that stress due to exam is temporary, so be ready to face it and don't treat it as if the world is tumbling down before you.

[syahrul]

how about some tips to the lazy form 4 student like me? hahah... :lol:

[ohmygod]

how about some tips to the lazy form 4 student like me? hahah... :lol:


continue to be lazy and enjoy your form 4 year....

then study (or busy spotting question, analysing pastyear)like a nerd 2 months before SPM...)

well...you don't have to follow...haha...this is kind of misleading...just an idea.

[syahrul]

how about some tips to the lazy form 4 student like me? hahah... :lol:


continue to be lazy and enjoy your form 4 year....

then study (or busy spotting question, analysing pastyear)like a nerd 2 months before SPM...)

well...you don't have to follow...haha...this is kind of misleading...just an idea.

i hope i can follow ur advice. u know everytime is study, i'll feel sleepy.. that's crazy especially when the exam is getting nearer.. some say my teknik belajar is not good. so can someone suggest me the right teknik belajar? :D

[awesomeming]

Dear Recomers,

If you have only one month left to revise for your midyear exam, how would you plan your study timetable to cover 11 subjects? I've tried to squeeze all subjects (F4 & F5 syllabus) in one month, but I guess I would not be able to finish all. Could you guys give me some advice on planning my timetable as I'm running out of my time!

[day_dreamer]

well, just a suggestion .

Try to do lot's of exercise and learn from it. " even u don't know how to do them" , coz that makes you feel imperfect and it reminds you of working harder or else you will ~.~ , so happy studying.

[awesomeming]

How would you plan your timetable if you have only one month to revise all the subjects. Could anyone give me some pointers? Thank you.

[juventus]

How would you plan your timetable if you have only one month to revise all the subjects. Could anyone give me some pointers? Thank you.

Assuming there are 30 days a month, divide them with 11 and voila, you would get your timetable..

Nope..that's not very good advice.

Ok, assuming your weak subjects are Phys, Chem and Bio.

Study those subs first until you feel you are good at them. That's two weeks already. Then, you have the memorizing subs (Moral, Sejarah, BM Sastera and English Lit Component-like themes, moral values). Take about a week to study them. I usually take the week b4 exams to study them.

Now, there's a week left. For that week, study your Maths and Add Maths. If you are reall good at it, then, maybe a few days is enough.

Study ur weakest subs first (especially the science subs). Coz, it's harder to forget them.

Which leaves another sub (EST). There's no point to study for it. So, no days allocated for it.

Ok, hope it helps. Good luck.

[vseehua]

the technique of learning for everyone is different...

first of all, identify your strongest way of learning, some can just remember everything they read, like me, while others can visualize better...find out which every way is the best for you and use it often...

study by reading notes only can really be boring...here i have a way (and a good way to make use of your scarp paper :p )...while reading your notes, use your hand and draw out the concepts visually in a piece of scrap paper, to ensure that you get the concepts correctly and keeping yourself from getting sleepy...

reading only is a passive way of learning (only input)...

reading while visualizing and moving your hand to draw or write or whatsoever way u use is active (input and output at the same time)...keeps your mind active. ie. not sleepy...

after the session, you can either throw away the paper (like i do), or keep it for your future reference if it's nicely organized enough...hehe...
this is just one way of doing it... hope is helps :)

[crapzzz]

Well, first of all, jz 2 inform u tht i m not a top top scorer in spm........
this is how i study: focus on one subject a day ONI........

well, in my timetable, i din include maths, PA, PM, BM, BI, BC, SEJ adn EST........ My main focus put on physics, chem, bio and add math where 4 out of 7 days a week i focussed on biology(its real upsetting when i failed 2 secure an A1(got A2 for it:cry:).......................................... (1-1 1/2hours a day)

Somehow, i went for tuition for physics, chem, add math, PA(dont hv teacher in school) and bm.

I will do textbook or refrence book screening everytime i study (2 understand the topic).... then straight away i jump 2 exercises. I will refer to books 2 find for the answers if i cant answer them....if i cant find them too, i ll look at the answer provided and copy them down hehe....

For PM(B3, i m still dun understand y i got this!) and SEJ, i will oni read them the day b4 exam. PA and Math, i will do screening on the format/formula the day b4 the exam too while i do nth for EST(end up in B3), hah!

My advice for u: dont study the SEJ the way i do, i was very lucky to get a lot of soalan ramalan from many states(gerak gempur and percubaan) and wad i did in those papers came out in the real spm exam(around 30-40%), for those question i don know how 2 answer, i ll crap crap and crap with my logical thinking, write as much as possible!! Thts how i get A1 for my sejarah.. hehe

I get the soalan2 for other subjects too(their marking scheme as well)...... This is crucial!!

And most importantly(for all subjects), u must noe how 2 answer the question in the right format! If u answer in a wrong format, u ll be pinalised for tht by not gaining many marks...... beware........ *****spm is jz a test for the questions answering technique

And for Chinese, i hv no idea how 2 study it. I din study, jz read thru the ming ju jing hua... but then again i get 2A for this oni....

well, jz a two cents from me............ :wink:

[capablanca]

Anyone here take Ekonomi Asas as an extra subject. I wondered how you all study and answer this paper?

[bluegenie]

What I'd like to know is how people can get study without getting bored like mad within, say, twenty minutes?

[vseehua]

for me 2 mins... :p

[khiahsu]

hmm,I think it's better to study for short intervals instead of mugging it all in a 5 hour duration.

Yeah- and it's best to study far away from all means of distraction-like this laptop for instance. I've been procrastinating and reading online comics for 20 minutes straight now!

[yeithau]

hi hi
i m yeit hau

i m here to tell u all a very good tips when u r studying...

just get a nape after u all study/....
rest ur mind n don get too stress up...

thats is all i wanna share with u all...
thank you

[melancholica]

does anybody know minimum marks to get A1 for certain subjects?

[nicky_chin]

I've browsed through the whole SPM&STPM threads and couldn't find one.
I know there's one last time but its gone:cry So, I would like all the previous SPM students to share their views, tips and guides to study for our juniors here:)
Let me start with it:

In Class
-always pay attention to your teacher, be it a boring subject or not

How To Score As
Maths-Its one of the easiest subject for SPM standard, so just do lots of practice and you'll end up with a perfect score
Add Maths-The toughest(I suppose?), anyways just really pay attention to your teacher, discuss with other add maths teachers, ask for more exercises(starting with basic questions first and gradually increase the standard;If you ever start with advance questions first, you'll end up giving in to the difficulty of add maths). AND, please try to know the meanings of the formulas given on the front page of the exam papers.
Sejarah-Ahh, the pure memorizing subject:) There's just too many facts for you to memorize. So, go to your sejarah teachers(yeah, teachers not teacher) and ask for their spotted topics, go through these topics and make a mind-map(Its faster for you to revise compared to browsing through text books). Be sure to grasp the whole picture of these topics and you'll do great in the exams
Biology-Some people do like it, some don't. Nevertheless, each of us can score A too. First, its pointless to do notes on science subject. You need to understand and memorize. Therefore, see your bio teacher every alternate day and clear up your confusions:)
Chemistry-You could just follow the Biology way, but keep in mind that you need lots of patience in this subject. Most chemistry teachers are bullies(in a sense they bully the students-you don't get his/her questions right, you'll get some lecturing which demoralizes you).
Physics-If you're a maths wizard, this subject would be nothing to you. For those average students, you need to treat this subject as one of your maths subject. It isn't much on the science part, so you have little worries on memorizing a whole lot of definitions(only some)
Moral-Some says that we need to memorize all the exact definitions, some says otherwise...I stick with the latter, you just need to remember the key words, but if you have a big storage up in your head just do the former:)

I would not like to include BM, BI and EST because it doesn't have a specific style of studying. Take BI for example, I never put any effort on it but still got A1

Other post-SPM students please share your experience here on the subject you've taken

P.S:Mods, please sticky this so that the future SPM students can benefit from it:)


Title edited. Thread stuck as requested. this thread is General SPM study tips. There is a bunch of respective subjects threads in this corner.

Xon

[Gabrielle90]

add maths is not the toughest subject... u just need to do more exercise... do correction when u did wrong...

my sejarah study method is READ... i didnt do any notes... i did exercise once in a blue moon... but i did read it... highlight and underline the important part will help u to study easier...

for moral, i personally think that memorise the definition is very important... there are question asking for definition... so, memorise will help... moral text book and teacher's notes will be sufficient for u to sail through spm... no reference books required for moral...

[vseehua]

So everything in SPM just goes down to memorizing? Definitely not recommended as you will return what the teachers had taught to you back to them right after SPM (Read: forget everything)

[wilson]

I agree with Gabrielle90 that we have to memorise the exact definitions for each and every nilai. This is the best and safest way to do in order to prepare for your SPM moral paper.

Every subjects require understanding. If we do not understand, how possibly could we memorise? But then, the subjects that require the most understanding are all the science subjects, Maths and Add Maths.

For Add Maths, some find it easy, others find it tough. So, if you think you are weak in this subject, please do as many questions and model papers as possible for this subject.

As for Sejarah, there is one and only way to get an 1A - memorise the facts. But I was told that the marking scheme for Sejarah paper 2 is very lenient. So, don't be too worried about it.

Then, we already had a thread for Biology.

All the best to all candidates of this year's SPM

[fyza]

i agree with wilson.. sejarah u gotta memorize.. but not just memorize.. try to relate it as part of life.. make it into a story so that u'll understand better.. chapter 9 in form 4 can be made into a story telling so it'd be easier to memorise..

likewise, with bio too.. all the terms are extremely important!

chemistry-master your form 4.. it's the basic that u have to master on so that u have no trouble for ur form 5..

other than that.. it's effort, exercise and study smart!!!

[Lalala11]

Agree with nicky_chin bout paying attention in class. Especially for those who malas want 2 do revision at home. For biology (my fave subject), u'll definitely benefit by making mind maps. It'll make understanding way easier.

For pendidikan islam, memorizing the ayat hafazan may be a little hard 2 do. So, i suggest read one ayat hafazan every day. No need 2 memorize. (but if can memorize of coz better la). The islamic history basically needs memorizing especially bout the different kerajaans. Stuff lk akhlak , if knot remember, just use common sense. Haha.

BM- know current issues! Need em 4 'kick-ass' karangans =)

[Gabrielle90]

So everything in SPM just goes down to memorizing? Definitely not recommended as you will return what the teachers had taught to you back to them right after SPM (Read: forget everything)

of course not... understanding is far more important... especially for math, add math, bio, phy, che... u need to understand the formula instead of memorise it...

but then moral and sejarah need to be memorised... u can link the sejarah fact like a story... it will be easier to study... the moral definition is best to memorise...

understanding alone is not sufficient... many students can understand but cant remember... understanding must be accompanied by memorising to strike... this is wat my teacher said during the taklimat...

[WinnieH]

for moral, if you memorise, you'll get A. that's the secret. same case with history.

for biology, chemistry, maths, physics, understanding is the key. if you understand how things work, then you'll be able to answer in your own words no matter what. but do memorise the formulae and such.

for bm, bi... read more contoh karangan. enhance your vocabs and such. its easier to write the essays when you have good grasp of the language. for sastera thing, memorise the nilai, tema and such. make sure u understand the story, poems and such too.

[vseehua]

of course not... understanding is far more important... especially for math, add math, bio, phy, che... u need to understand the formula instead of memorise it...

but then moral and sejarah need to be memorised... u can link the sejarah fact like a story... it will be easier to study... the moral definition is best to memorise...

understanding alone is not sufficient... many students can understand but cant remember... understanding must be accompanied by memorising to strike... this is wat my teacher said during the taklimat...
It's called remembering. Memorizing is just another word that means gulping everything down and vomit everything out later on.

I don't think these subjects are hard at all, sejarah was one of the subjects that I have had most fun with. I just love the knowledge of how the human civilizations came to it's present state passing through lots of great ages, light or dark.

[nurwany]

I am quite lucky because I used to study in a boarding school in Langkawi..

Why? Because it's easier for us to study in a group or study in pairs.

Anyway, here is how I studied for my SPM 2007.

BM: Know the current issue. Know LOTS AND LOTS of peribahasa.

English: Increase proficiency by SPEAKING english and LISTENING to people speaking in english.

Math: do it at least once in three days.

Addmath: Do it, do some more, and do again~ :cry (there's no other way to deal with addmath~)

Physics: UNDERSTAND the keywords. :)<--my fav subject!

Chemistry: RELATE what you learn in form four with what you learn in form five.

Biology: HAVE DEEP INTEREST:nuts. it encourages you to study~

Agama Islam: Just practice what you preach.

Sejarah: READ and then ASK yourself QUESTION on what you have read.

For subjects that require me to memorise, I practiced the following:

1. Set a SMALL FOCUS. Eg. Now, I want to read about 'Perjanjian Hudaibiah' (sejarah form four). Focus on that, read no further and read no less. It just takes you less than ten minutes to read through.

2.After reading, close the book and try to recall or write back what you have read.

3.then go do something else.

4.After that, repeat step one.



Try it!:))

[extreme]

hmmm.. for EST i suggest write as much science term as possible...
done that and got an A1 is EST. It shold be easier for srudents know since all your science subject are in english now..
i do not know why, i memorized all the terms for Moral but got a B3 the cursed subject..
hehe.. maybe pure memorizing is not enough i do not know.. the style of my teacher and examiner is different i think..

For Sejarah u may just focus on a few topic that is 100% wil come out for SPM in example chapter about all the islam 1 sure got 1 question come out for essay from there(i forgotten the exact topic but it should be that 1). TArget those that sure come out. Another wayu is to do lots of exercise for it. Whether u realize or not when you answer the same question for around 2 to 3 times ypu'll remember it well.

For math subject. Just do more exercise.
Other than what mentioned above no more comment.

[nicky_chin]

Thanks sooo much Xon...I'm worried that our juniors will be too lazy to search for this thread.
That's why I suggested it to be stickied:)

[Banificio]

in my opinion, don't pay too much attention on the science and maths subjects.. coz u can easily get an A1 even though u never get A in school exam.. pay more attention to your languages though, for example BC and BI(GCE-O) .. i learn that from my personal experience.. i pay too much attention to my bio, phy, chem, add maths, and maths ( although i admit it's better for u if u master them to sucure A1 ) , as a result my languages like BC can only manage to get A2 and GCE getting B3 .. sob sob sob ..

i thought i hv no chance achieving my dream studying in overseas , but guess what ? i got jpa scholarship to study in UK !!!!!!!!!

[lvting]

tis yaer bm will focus in wat topic... who know can tell me?pls..thx a lot..

[CCY_to_the_top]

im a f5 student here..and lately,i heard lots of "cara menjawab" and tips from frenz and speakers and markers from all around malaysia..

i would like to share what i heard ,and in return,i hope u guys would not mind to gv what u know...THX beforehand..[

EST
for this sub,u need a long essay..its written on the question ABOUT 200 WORDS,but u nid to write As Long As Possible..i heard from a marker,he said that an A band essay must have at least 40-50 elaboration pt,and lots of facts and terms..ur language stand only 6/30,so dun mind if u are poor in writing bombastic eng..btw,its not needed..
besides,state ur choice in the 1st paragraph or u will be mark down to a C band for a no-choice essay

conclusion,write ALAP and u will score an A1..for the obj parts,try to avoid doing careless mistake..it hurts man...

SEJ PERD E.ASA
read ur text book..nth other than ur text book will be tested..NOTHING..

MTT PHY
if u are gud,spend less time on it..the A1 marks is damn F*** low..60++ for MTT and a bit more for PHY..

dis wad i can help..hope u recomers will be a good Samaritans..

[vseehua]

Thread [SPM] How to score on certain subject merged

[aizawhizz]

Hi all,

SPM is not entirely about memorizing. It is about constant studying. There are different shades of 'memorizing' i think. For instance take these steps:

Try answer past year questions
Compare your own answer to the answer scheme
Memorize and understand answer scheme if your answer is too different
Try answer again without looking at the answer scheme and see whether you can give a better answer than before
Study different types of questions that might require more or less the same answersHope that would be helpful.

[senksiang90]

tis yaer bm will focus in wat topic... who know can tell me?pls..thx a lot..

I sat for SPM 2007 and based on my year, its nearly impossible to predict wad topic will arise nwadays... jz b prepared with anything tat'll come ur way and u shall do fine.

[yanno_yamster]

I've got a few tips on general answers to questions on precautionary steps in experiments (Particularly for Physics Paper 2/3). Since they're taken from my notebook, faham-faham sajalah what I'm trying to say.

Any experiment which requires measuring instrument
- Avoid parallax error by placing eye perpendicular to the reading
- Determine zero error and make the necessary corrections (if any)

Springs
- Spring length is measured after it stops vibrating
- Spring is not loaded beyond elastic limit

Requiring heating
- Stir liquid for uniform heat distribution
- Immerse thermometer bulb in the liquid

Using light
- Carry out experiment in a dark place
- Object, lens and the screen must be in a straight line when object/image distance is measured

Using electricity
- All wires are to be connected firmly for smooth and constant current flow
- Turn off the switch after taking meter readings to avoid overheating of circuit

[geline]

form 6 is a good course arh???
if i decided after spm straight way go college??
will better??
or???

btw,how the pathway after spm???

[conanlover]

straight away go to college got its pros and cons.
pros are tat u can do something useful while waiting for the results and learn something else while ur frens are stil enjoying life,haha.
cons are tat u dun hav time to enjoy much lo,hav to face the books again.
anyway,i hav started my college life after the spm.
i think i din regret bcz i learnt a lot of things and din waste my time.while studying in the college,i m oso enjoying my life at the same time,so jz try to balance lo,haha.:P
hope this can help u.:)

[theOne]

You all need tips then I will gib=ve u want based on my experience. By the way I scored straight A1 so this method is proven.

1) If you had a hard time of remembering stuffs such as maybe Physics stuffs, what u must do is take any blank small notebook apen up your big huge thick Physics reference book and try to read from start to the end and while reading state down points you think that need to remebered and write it down in the notebook.
[ What I did is I wrote all the points and definition that must be memorized according to chapter and every day try to spend time read the little notebook u had created it will save a lot of time rather u read the huge reference book. Everydat I spend time 30 min for one subject by creating this notebook each for every subject.]

2) Do a lot of repeated question exercise. What I meant is do the same exercise over again and again until you are really mastered it.

3) For essay, try to read others essat and take all the ideas from the essay and try to create your own essay by using the ideas taken. Read a lot of book. And one tips for those who are weak with their BI, just memorize one interesting essay and answer the question which they asked u to write a story. Try to manipulate the question given and create an interesting story. Sure score one.

4) Do a lot of past year question starting from now you can obtain it here http://nurazri.com for free. And don't be stingy, share with others.

5) Do not have a stressfull life. Play a lot and concentrate during class unless u are a bloody smart person u will not need to concentrate in class and are allowed to sleep. Cool.

6) Sleep a lot. 6 hours minimum. Sleep help you memorized.

Okay maybe tomorrow or 1 month before exam I will give the nicest tips ever. Hope can help.

[michelle_k]

Hey!
To those taking their SPM this year, let me give u some useful tips:

1. Start attempting all the past years paper now, do not wait till you have only little precious time left b4 spm.:wink

2. Since it is now the month of june, and you r oni left with few months to revise, it is always better to make sure you really understand all the chapters that u hv learnt for the first 6 months. Or else, seriously, :amazed you r goin to struggle in the next few months as everything is on the fast lane, with teachers rushing to cover the syllabus.

3. As what theOne said, it is always better to jot down some important notes while studying. This will be very convenient especially when you need to do some last minute reading.

Hope these help.:)

[Scrmath]

form 6 is a good course arh???
if i decided after spm straight way go college??
will better??
or???

btw,how the pathway after spm???

Let me interpret some for u,after spm,

1.f6
-The hardest among all pre-u course in terms of knowledge.
-if u r nt strong or v interested in sci and math,better don take.
-but,this is the only way to go ipta if u din gt ipta and matri.
-u would build a strong foundation in sci and math.
-all the syllabus is tested in only once.(like yr spm..)
-recognised worldwide.

2.A-level
-the syllabus is tested for twice.(means yr burden is cut down.)
-recognised worldwide.
-u no nid to do any project.
-easier than stpm cuz it is tested in twice.
-costly and cant go to ipta.
-1.5 yr

3.Matriculation
-1 yr
-much easier than stpm and a lvl
-the syllabus is tested twice or more(kinda complicated to explain here.)
-u will b given 250 for food allowance
-accomodation and elec bill all free
-cheaper than f6.
-fastest way to go ipta
-stand higher chance in securing a place in ipta
-but,hard to gt the offer,smt it dpends on yr luck
-u cn only go into ipta,and a few other like IMU.

4.Ipta diploma
-3 yrs
-u graduate at the same time with those taking f6 for yr degree
-expensive than matri

5.Sg poly
-don noe so much,jz heard that only 10% diploma ppl cn go degree..

6.Ausmat
-50% assignment 50% exam
-1.5 yr

7.SAM-almost same as ausmat

8.gt others too,lz to post anymore..zzz...

[CourseConsultant]

I just called Raffles International College, it seems they do not require STPM nor the need to do pre-u or foundation. Just straight into Advance Diploma then 1 year top up degree. Not bad pretty fast track.

[jisu]

hello all!
im private candidate! P.AM B.MELAYU SEJARAH KESUSASTERAAN MELAYU AND GEOGRAFI in my mind! but im not sure it suitable combination for me as private candidate..someone can help and give some tips.. whre i need to go for tuisyen?(klang)and online tuisyen?..wich books?
i need to study hard 2kali ganda from normal student..recom member please help me!
sorry sorry for my english!

[love_seeker]

Let me interpret some for u,after spm,

1.f6
-The hardest among all pre-u course in terms of knowledge.
-if u r nt strong or v interested in sci and math,better don take.
-but,this is the only way to go ipta if u din gt ipta and matri.
-u would build a strong foundation in sci and math.
-all the syllabus is tested in only once.(like yr spm..)
-recognised worldwide.

2.A-level
-the syllabus is tested for twice.(means yr burden is cut down.)
-recognised worldwide.
-u no nid to do any project.
-easier than stpm cuz it is tested in twice.
-costly and cant go to ipta.
-1.5 yr

3.Matriculation
-1 yr
-much easier than stpm and a lvl
-the syllabus is tested twice or more(kinda complicated to explain here.)
-u will b given 250 for food allowance
-accomodation and elec bill all free
-cheaper than f6.
-fastest way to go ipta
-stand higher chance in securing a place in ipta
-but,hard to gt the offer,smt it dpends on yr luck
-u cn only go into ipta,and a few other like IMU.

4.Ipta diploma
-3 yrs
-u graduate at the same time with those taking f6 for yr degree
-expensive than matri

5.Sg poly
-don noe so much,jz heard that only 10% diploma ppl cn go degree..

6.Ausmat
-50% assignment 50% exam
-1.5 yr

7.SAM-almost same as ausmat

8.gt others too,lz to post anymore..zzz...

for a-level, is it true that one doesn't have to do any project?

[Zwitterion]

for a-level, is it true that one doesn't have to do any project?

Yes. A-level is a fully exam based pre-university course.

[Caprio]

Yes. A-level is a fully exam based pre-university course.

One point to add, you need to carry out experiment under the invigilators.

[huyuki]

Any Bio tips? I need it very much