Why Is STPM hard?

[Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya]

Hello fellow forummers, i'm new to recom and i'm here to know more about tertiary education in Malaysia.

I am a spm leaver last year, with a result of 8A1, 2A2 and 1B3 (chemistry). I applied for petronas, jpa, khazanah yayasan and matrix, but now all rejected me.

So i'm left with 2 options : form 6 / upu. (I think most likely upu would reject me too). As i'm now more convinced to going form 6, i've been bothered about people saying that stpm is hard, stpm is hard.. So, i want to know, why is stpm hard? is it because the syllabus is vast? or is it because the examination marking system is strict?

And i need to know, as i'm going for science stream, what are the subjects i'll have to take? (including optional subject).

Thanks in advance!

[SapphireDragon]

Hello fellow forummers, i'm new to recom and i'm here to know more about tertiary education in Malaysia.

I am a spm leaver last year, with a result of 8A1, 2A2 and 1B3 (chemistry). I applied for petronas, jpa, khazanah yayasan and matrix, but now all rejected me.

So i'm left with 2 options : form 6 / upu. (I think most likely upu would reject me too). As i'm now more convinced to going form 6, i've been bothered about people saying that stpm is hard, stpm is hard.. So, i want to know, why is stpm hard? is it because the syllabus is vast? or is it because the examination marking system is strict?

And i need to know, as i'm going for science stream, what are the subjects i'll have to take? (including optional subject).

Thanks in advance!

By the way, did u apply for matriks? yes, STPM is hard, dubbed the hardest exam in the world, but it exposes you deeply into the subjects you take and really prepares you for university studies. U can also use STPM to apply for admission into Singapore universities. The marking is also strict but hey, nothing comes free in life, right? We need to work hard and persevere to achieve something. Take this as a giant obstacle in life and sail through it with confidence. It will be a life experience you'll never forget.

[Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya]

yeah i applied for matrix and it rejected me.

btw, can i know what country recognize STPM?

hardest exam? is that true? I can't believe Malaysia can actually have something that high standard. :P

[Miracle_seed]

STPM remains one of the hardest exams because of the existence of matriculation...

[luminodreamer89]

It's the 3rd hardest in the world. Heard it many years ago. Didn't know whether still valid till now.
What countries? Practically all. But not too sure. Have to check up. The most common countries Malaysian students aim for are US, UK, Singapore, Australia.
If u can afford for private colleges, u can try on A-levels. With your results, perhaps u r able to get some tuition fees waived.
If not, go for STPM. Remember, it's tough, but it's not impossible.

About STPM, ask tsar or markwongsk or choogirl. They are the famous STPM leavers who sail with pride and honour. Lol. They might be able to point out some tips.
Good luck. =)

[nicodemus]

Hi Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya...

I'm a STPM leaver too, batch 2007, from Kedah...
Well, I think that STPM is the best thing that had ever happened in my life. The life in lower & upper six was my best schooling days so far... =D

STPM is the 3rd hardest examination in the world, and I think it still holds now. [WOW, Malaysia certainly have some high standards... ;-) ]
And basically, with a STPM degree, you can go everywhere with it. Just name it, Japan, Korea, Australia, US, UK, etc... (although some unis you need to check their special rerquirements)

The marking is kind of strict but if you put in a lot effort, then it's not that difficult to score... The syllabus I think is quite in depth and detailed, but I certainly learned a lot from it. But still, what we learn in STPM is still the tip of the iceberg of the vast knowledge waiting for you to explore... =D

Generally in Science stream, one needs to take 4 subjects with General Paper (Pengajian AM), Chemistry and Maths T a must. You can either choose Physics or Biology. If you want to take extra optional subjects, it depends what are you interested to do later in your life. For Science students, I recommend taking Further Maths. (*regret* *regret* I should have taken up FM... I drop it because I can't find any tutor in my area to guide me) Or if you want like both Physics and Biology, you can take both of them.

Well, that's all I wanted to tell you. If you have any queries, you can post them here. I'll be glad to reply them. =D

My advice is, go for it! STPM will be the next best thing in your life. I'm proud to say that I'm an ex-form sixer... ;-)
Form Six RULEZ!!!

[chongkeat]

STPM is the 3rd hardest examination in the world, and I think it still holds now. [WOW, Malaysia certainly have some high standards... ]
Okay, I've heard so many people repeat that "3rd hardest" thingy, I'm almost starting to believe in it. But the fact is that, even until now, I've never even heard anyone mention the source, so, I was wondering if anyone can clear things up for me?

Many thanks!

[kid]

the 3rd? i thougt the 2nd, btw, wat r the 1st and 2nd hardest exams anyway..

[Xon]

1st Todai Examination (Tokyo University Entrance). I used to heard rumours that STPM is 2nd.

STPM is recognised by USA, UK, Australia, NZ, SG, Japan, European Universities and *the list goes on*

Hard part: Dont study the way, we used to study for SPM. It won't work.

[Miracle_seed]

STPM is recognised by USA, UK, Australia, NZ, SG, Japan, European Universities and *the list goes on*
I think I've asked this before but I didn't get an exact answer. So far from those I know, students who get into universities of countries other than Singapore do take extra exam such as SAT...

Actually how many students successfully enter universities of these countries (Other than Singapore) without taking extra exam? (Except entrance exams and language exams)

[SapphireDragon]

So all and all, which is better: Matriculation, STPM or A-levels?

By the way, check out my blog I had mentioned 4748395677 times that self-promotion of blog is not allowed ~ Xon

[kid]

here's my opinion (under d assumption u will have good result in the pre-u program);

matriculation- easiest among the three, but aproved by local u only (d courses probably very limited..),
stpm-hard, but then you can choose where 2 study, local or ove c,
a level-hard and expensive, but well recognised and you can enter almost any uni ove c..

if u ask me, alevel first, stpm second, matrik laz... hrm...

well, i have a question 2, which is better? doing diploma in local u or matriks? since lot of my fwen said course 4 matriks is limited..

[SapphireDragon]

Good point u got there. A levels the best but u need the $$$$$$. Not like STPM and matriks free!!

[yanno_yamster]

Matric is for those intending to study locally while STPM is pretty well recognised overseas and thus the options are wider. A-level is pretty much the same as STPM I guess... Not too sure about that...

Taken from SapphireDragon's Blog:
"Before I end this article, I want to share something with you all. As I passed by my mum's school where she is a teacher, I saw the most beautiful sight I could ever hope for. A Malay girl running with adorable chuckles chased by an Indian and a Chinese girl who were laughing so happily, oblivious to the outside world without any worries whatsoever. They were playing a game of chasing, just like when I was young a long time ago. Immediately, the barriers of my emotions broke down and tears flew down my cheeks. You don't need a PhD in Psychology to know why I cried. Even a 17 year old like me understands that."

And I thought such Malaysians are a dying (if not already dead) breed.

[SapphireDragon]

Matric is for those intending to study locally while STPM is pretty well recognised overseas and thus the options are wider. A-level is pretty much the same as STPM I guess... Not too sure about that...

Taken from SapphireDragon's Blog:
"Before I end this article, I want to share something with you all. As I passed by my mum's school where she is a teacher, I saw the most beautiful sight I could ever hope for. A Malay girl running with adorable chuckles chased by an Indian and a Chinese girl who were laughing so happily, oblivious to the outside world without any worries whatsoever. They were playing a game of chasing, just like when I was young a long time ago. Immediately, the barriers of my emotions broke down and tears flew down my cheeks. You don't need a PhD in Psychology to know why I cried. Even a 17 year old like me understands that."

And I thought such Malaysians are a dying (if not already dead) breed.

Hey if u flip through The Star papers 16 April Thrsday at the opinion section, you'll find the same article. Its from me!!!I emailed to them

[yanno_yamster]

Currently I only subscribe to New Straits Times... Too bad... But who knows I might be able to see that article of yours somewhere someday (as nasi lemak wrapping maybe, jk).

[angina]

Hard part: Dont study the way, we used to study for SPM. It won't work. from Don...

i think this is much true...we no need to bother wheter it is the hardest exam in this world...but try our best....the most important is change the atitude of study in spm...during spm i used to be easy on going...just try to complete all the exercise given...but in stpm it wont work this way....you have to take some time to think about the concept...find the extra exercise to enhance your understanding of the underlying concept....forming a study group...but most importantly having a good teacher who are always concerned about his or her student....it take me about half year to change my learning atitude....haha...spm result easily deceive our mind that we are a quick learner!!!

[nicodemus]

Hard part: Dont study the way, we used to study for SPM. It won't work. from Don...

i think this is much true...we no need to bother wheter it is the hardest exam in this world...but try our best....the most important is change the atitude of study in spm...during spm i used to be easy on going...just try to complete all the exercise given...but in stpm it wont work this way....you have to take some time to think about the concept...find the extra exercise to enhance your understanding of the underlying concept....forming a study group...but most importantly having a good teacher who are always concerned about his or her student....it take me about half year to change my learning atitude....haha...spm result easily deceive our mind that we are a quick learner!!!

I certainly agree with angina here... STPM & SPM is 2 totally different worlds altogether. Your SPM style just won't work in STPM years.

My advice to those who are going to form Six is...

1. Do a lot of exercises. And I mean really a lot... Get many revision books or question papers and try to solve as many questions as possible. This is especially useful for Maths and PA.

2. For each and every topic, there's a core concept that you need to fully understand beforehand. Grasp the concept first. Memorising them is useless. If you understand the concept, then you're halfway there in remembering the thing you studied.

Good luck and all the best!!

[sugarspice]

Hey if u flip through The Star papers 16 April Thrsday at the opinion section, you'll find the same article. Its from me!!!I emailed to them

no wonder it looked so familiar! Ha!

Another important thing for those who wanna take STPM - you need to study consistently. Last minute revision won;t work.

[Xyi]

OMG i think i'm going to form 6 since that i didn't get matric or jpa. Haiz, what i heard about the discouragement of studying form 6 is that stpm student hardly can get their preferable course in local uni, even if he or she got cgpa of 4.0. That's really frustrating. I need to know whether it is a fact, For any 6 former, can i know why you consider studying form 6 indeed of other route like A-level, SAM, matriculation yada yada yada.

[Miracle_seed]

OMG i think i'm going to form 6 since that i didn't get matric or jpa. Haiz, what i heard about the discouragement of studying form 6 is that stpm student hardly can get their preferable course in local uni, even if he or she got cgpa of 4.0. That's really frustrating. I need to know whether it is a fact, For any 6 former, can i know why you consider studying form 6 indeed of other route like A-level, SAM, matriculation yada yada yada.This is not entirely true, many STPM leavers with 4.0 still get their desired course, just sometimes they don't get the university they hope for. In this case, co-curricular activities is really crucial. It doesn't matter whether you have 4A or 5A, as long as you score 4.0, you have already scored full marks for the 90% of academic part, and the determining factor is now down to the seemingly insignificant role played by the 10% co-curricular activities. Most of the time, many STPM top scorers just neglect co-curricular activities which is an important tie-breaker in this case. I have STPM friend who scored 4.0 and managed to get into UM medicine too...

I do remember there was a new last year, that a few STPM top scorers of the country complained because they didn't get their first choice - UM medicine, and were given UKM and UMS instead, even though they scored 5As, but later was revealed that some of them scored a low 4+ to 6+ in co-curricular activities, which is not good enough...

[sugarspice]

OMG i think i'm going to form 6 since that i didn't get matric or jpa. Haiz, what i heard about the discouragement of studying form 6 is that stpm student hardly can get their preferable course in local uni, even if he or she got cgpa of 4.0. That's really frustrating. I need to know whether it is a fact, For any 6 former, can i know why you consider studying form 6 indeed of other route like A-level, SAM, matriculation yada yada yada.

For matrics you may try appealing as it will usually be successful.

Those not getting their preferred course and uni with CGPA 4.0 probably have low cocurricular marks.

To add to what miracle seed has said, besides scoring high for coco, you need to get the right technique in filling the uni entry form, as in what to put as your first choice, second and so on. My counsellor did explain this to me but I still did get it though. But she literally meant putting your preferred course & uni as the first choice is very risky.

There are some reasons people opt for form 6. First, you save a lot of $$$. Besides you don't have to leave home and thus you spend less time in food and lodging. You get to go back to your sweet home everyday after school. Besides, if you already holding a probation driving license, these two years are golden years for you to gain more driving experience. Those staying far far away from home don't get to drive, you see, and the list goes on and on.

[bert]

I think a lot of people underestimate the non-academic disadvantages of STPM.

For one, I think the peer effect around you is a significant disadvantage. I have seen a couple of very dear friends fall into this trap. People who take STPM generally already have a mindset of aiming for Malaysian public universities. Yeah yeah, they say it's accepted around the world, whatever. I feel there is a significant cultural capital disadvantage here. How many people actually know about and aim to enter the top U.S. or foreign universities. Your peers would not know or apply for the financial aid at the top U.S or foreign universities, and you'll probably miss out on the bandwagon for them if you enter STPM not knowing about them already. If you haven't read gabrielle's story about this decision, read it here http://gabriellecyw.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/my-us-university-applications-a-personal-experience/.

A quote from Gabrielle's story:
"I knew that going to a local university or college would be the safest and cheapest route for me and my family, as there was absolutely no way that my parents could afford to send me to a foreign university. But at the same time, I also wanted something better than what my sisters had, so I took a gamble: I asked my parents to give me the chance to pursue Cambridge A Level. Apart from having the opportunity to study in a more internationally-renowned pre-university course, I knew that interaction with the middle and upper class crowd in Taylor’s and Klang Valley would give me the cultural capital that I was lacking in. My parents gave me full support, and sent me to Taylor’s University College Subang Jaya, even though it took a huge chunk out of their savings."

To add on to that, most your peers will be aiming for Malaysian universities, which also means that they won't be aiming to do the things needed for entrance to top U.S. colleges and Oxbridge, namely the co-curricular and leadership activities so essential for those applications. Again, if you don't already know these things before going to STPM, you'll be quite likely to kiss those dreams of Ivy League and Oxbridge colleges goodbye.

I mean, to those who keep harping on how hard STPM is, GET REAL. You think Harvard and Oxbridge will let you in just because you keep on emphasizing to them that it's the second or third hardest exam in the world? That's totally off track of what you should be trying to achieve for your pre-u level. How many of those top STPM achievers actually succeed in getting funding for top universities abroad??? In my humble opinion, most of those who start of thinking of big dreams abroad end up in Malaysian universities, not because they're not smart or intelligent enough, but because the peers around them cultivate a culture of ignorance and low aims, which does not prepare students very successfully at all for top foreign university applications and scholarships.

Hence, I suggest, if you are aiming high but you can afford it, try as much as possible to study in a place with high achieving and high aiming people around you. If you are aiming high and can?t afford it, put in as much effort as possible to finding out about these U.S. financial aid processes and overseas scholarships super early on in your STPM career, best, even before you enter STPM. Trust me, you?ll need that much time to learn about and navigate the foreign system. Don?t cry over not getting a scholarship after SPM, if you have the will and the dedication as shown by Gabrielle, it?s most likely that you will make it.

[Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya]

hey guys. sorry coz i was inactive for the past few days.

thanks to nicodemus and bert for such an eye-opener reply!

nicodemus : where did you go after form 6? did you get scholarship to study abroad?

and to bert, what exactly is the "cultural capital" you were mentioning? Sorry for being such an ignorant! :P

[nicodemus]

Hi Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya...

Well, I'm kind of a loser now after my grand ending of STPM...
I scored four-flat and have a considerably good co-curricular activities record but nope... I am still stuck in Malaysia...

My application for quite a number of scholarships are rejected. Well, in the end, I managed to obtain interview for the ASEAN undergraduate scholarship both in NUS & NTU... I went there and performed quite OK I guess given the competition all around me.. However in the end, i was surprised to obtain a letter from NTU saying that I got the scholarship to study Chemistry at NTU. I was so happy...

But, later when the public universities result were out, I got another offer letter from USM, to study medicine. So I was contemplating between both of them, and finally succumb to pressure from my peers and teachers. Believe it or not, I rejected the scholarhsip and went to USM. Now I'm stuck here in USMKK, a unhappy and depressed person . I regretted a lot for letting go the golden opportunity to go to Singapore. That's why I'm looking for alternatives now but it seems that I'm going have to finish going through this path that I have chosen...

My advice is... After your STPM, be sure to made your decisions wisely. Do not let other people influence you. Be strong and be brave in making your own decision and follow your dreams and passion. Don't make decisions that you'll regret later in life as regret is a very dreadful feeling...

But, Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya, that will have to wait after you finish your STPM right? :-)
Good luck!!

[bert]

hey guys. sorry coz i was inactive for the past few days.

thanks to nicodemus and bert for such an eye-opener reply!

nicodemus : where did you go after form 6? did you get scholarship to study abroad?

and to bert, what exactly is the "cultural capital" you were mentioning? Sorry for being such an ignorant! :P

About the cultural capital I was talking about, I can think of a couple of examples that stand out in my mind so far.

For me, what stands out among many Malaysian students is the lack of self initiative and drive. Malaysians students always wait for scholarships n information to drop into their laps instead of hunting for them the other way around. For instance, many Malaysians still have not found google yet. When faced with a lack of information, it can usually be easily solved through taking the initiative and reading and researching up on the topic. Don't wait for people to give you the answer. You don't know something, take the initiative to find out. Among the groups of high-achieving Malaysians I know, I think they have a pretty low tolerance with the lack of self-initiative most Malaysians have. Having good role models around you would probably encourage you to adopt these practices that might help you advance further in life.

Another example I can think about, is when I was an interning in Malaysia some time ago. There were some public local university students, and most of them didn't seem to be very driven at all during their internship, even though they were the best students in their faculty. For one, they always usually had meals together every single day, and didn't really understand the concept of networking to gain extra knowledge and establish good relations with other people in the company. In addition, they all usually came and left on the dot to work, according to their contract, and didn't really make any extra effort to work more, to take on more work and responsibility than is needed. It was quite a culture shock for me, as where I study, people talk about working a 70-100 hours a week during their internship and try to work as hard as they can to secure a return offer after graduation.

Many Malaysian students have the capability to act as good drones. They do what they are told to very well, but very few have the ability to reign over the drones. All our lives we've been told exactly how to answer tests and essays, and everything is spoonfed to us. If you don't want to be a normal drone, you have to get out of that culture of mediocrity, and STPM very often cultivates that very same mediocrity and rigid mindset. Often times, you don't get to learn the culture and best practices that students in top universities get ingrained with over there. Again, I want to emphasize that they're not necessarily smarter, but I think it's these soft skills and cultural capital that make the difference.

Also, I have yet to talk about social capital. The wealth of networks and acquaintances you form when you mix with people of wealthier and higher achieving backgrounds. People who have studied in great schools, with or without scholarships, are lucky, they benefit from their networks all throughout their lives. People they have had lunches and classes with go on to become highly successful politicians, business leaders and NGO leaders, among others. These connections enable you to be more aware of opportunities and things later on in life. Sad to say, the graduates from STPM and public universities don't really match up to the Malaysians or foreigners in universities abroad nowadays.

Again, as much as possible if you can afford it, get out of the system and learn about other ways of thinking. Even if you're poor, there are ways to get out if you're smart, worked hard and have a lot of self-initiative. There are quite a number of success stories out there, but it's really up to you to take charge of your own life NOW.

A few suggestions, some of which you may or may not already now:

1. When you don't know something, look it up on the internet first and try very hard to understand things before asking people straightaway. Questions that particularly annoy people are like Where's Argentina? which can be easily found out using google.

2. If you want to be successful, surround yourself with smart and driven people. Believe it or not, some of those driven people exist in Malaysia. Get yourself into those circles by attending events like UKEC's MSLS. (Now don't annoy me by asking me what is MSLS, type both UKEC and MSLS together in google and you'll find out.)

3. You can escape from Malaysia. By all means, there exist ways to leave and go to a place with very few Malaysians. You'll learn about a whole different worldview, maybe even a new language. Google and read malaysian education blogs/websites. You're already on recom, so that's already a good start. =)

This is not really meant to be a comprehensive list, but it's just some things from the top of my head, that I have experienced when helping fellow Malaysians out in the past, but kinda stopped when I got frustrated with their attitudes and decided it wasn't worth my time.

[Jonathan]

I have heard that STPM exam is very very hard. Btw, I am a SPM leaver, waiting to do Form 6. Although STPM is tough, I heard that we will be able to learn and study deeper in all the subjects. I would like to find out about the difference between Form 6 and foundation studies. Is it true that we will learn more in Form 6 compared to foundation studies or the syllabus in both of them are almost similar?

[Glassylicious]

Bert's post is awesome. Couldn't be closer to the truth!

I have heard that STPM exam is very very hard. Btw, I am a SPM leaver, waiting to do Form 6. Although STPM is tough, I heard that we will be able to learn and study deeper in all the subjects. I would like to find out about the difference between Form 6 and foundation studies. Is it true that we will learn more in Form 6 compared to foundation studies or the syllabus in both of them are almost similar?

You'll definitely learn WAY more in Form 6. It's a 1.5 year program while foundation studies lasts about a year.

[sugarspice]

I have heard that STPM exam is very very hard. Btw, I am a SPM leaver, waiting to do Form 6. Although STPM is tough, I heard that we will be able to learn and study deeper in all the subjects. I would like to find out about the difference between Form 6 and foundation studies. Is it true that we will learn more in Form 6 compared to foundation studies or the syllabus in both of them are almost similar?

STPM is not at any cost hard if you persevere. By the way, if you ever enter form6, i suggest you to take 5 subjects, if you're a science student, take triple science (Biology, Physics, Chemistry) because this enhance your chances of getting in singapore universities, particularly NUS.

Foundation studies? What kind of foundation studies are you referring to?

[Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya]

STPM is not at any cost hard if you persevere. By the way, if you ever enter form6, i suggest you to take 5 subjects, if you're a science student, take triple science (Biology, Physics, Chemistry) because this enhance your chances of getting in singapore universities, particularly NUS.

Foundation studies? What kind of foundation studies are you referring to?

triple science... later both riverside also can't reach :P

@<hidden> : thanks.. i think those are really what i lacked.. especially the social capital..

[bert]

@<hidden> : thanks.. i think those are really what i lacked.. especially the social capital..

well, I think the real question is what are you going to do about it, and if you really want to do something about it?

Again, from what I've seen, STPM might be hard in terms of amount of stuff you have to memorize?(Correct me if I'm wrong). But I hardly saw friends who did STPM improving that much in terms of analytical skills after they finished. So what does one really learn from this 'difficulty and perseverance', more memorization and regurgitation like SPM? only 'harder'? Maybe your time and effort might be better served elsewhere trying to acquire the other forms of capital and worldview.

[lawteoh]

But, later when the public universities result were out, I got another offer letter from USM, to study medicine. So I was contemplating between both of them, and finally succumb to pressure from my peers and teachers. Believe it or not, I rejected the scholarhsip and went to USM. Now I'm stuck here in USMKK, a unhappy and depressed person . I regretted a lot for letting go the golden opportunity to go to Singapore. That's why I'm looking for alternatives now but it seems that I'm going have to finish going through this path that I have chosen...


Just wondering.. why u r unhappy and depressed? Is medic ur first choice in the first place? Hmm..

Well, I might be facing the same predicament as you later.. cz public universities will be out soon..

Btw, that didn't mean that studying in NTU would be easy also right? I believe each course have its own difficulties..

[nicodemus]

Just wondering.. why u r unhappy and depressed? Is medic ur first choice in the first place? Hmm..

Well, I might be facing the same predicament as you later.. cz public universities will be out soon..

Btw, that didn't mean that studying in NTU would be easy also right? I believe each course have its own difficulties..


Nope.. Medicine was never my first choice... But I listed it as one of my first three choices due to pressure from friends, relatives and teachers... I never thought I would get the place but I did...

Yes, I believe studying in NTU wouldn't be easy too and I do believe every course has its own difficulties.. However, if you're studying something you like, then any difficulties would seem simple for you.. That's what I think at least.. Now I'm doin something I don't like, everything seems difficult for me...

[Trekk]

As I did not do STPM, I can't really say I'm qualified to comment on its level of difficulty. But IMHO this talk about STPM being the 2nd or 3rd hardest exam is nothing more than a legend now. It might have been true in the past, but not so any more. If you look at any of the academic requirements for any university, you can see that they require lower grades for candidates who have A-levels compared to those with STPM. For example, to read law at INTI UC (Subang Jaya), you need a minimum grade of at least CC for STPM students (EE if you sat for it before 2003), whereas students with A-levels only need EE. But A-levels is not considered the 2nd or 3rd hardest exams in the world, yet unis require lower grades for it compared to STPM. Based on this info, I think we can deduce that the STPM standard has dropped, and its not one of the hardest exams anymore.

[lawteoh]

Nope.. Medicine was never my first choice... But I listed it as one of my first three choices due to pressure from friends, relatives and teachers... I never thought I would get the place but I did...

Yes, I believe studying in NTU wouldn't be easy too and I do believe every course has its own difficulties.. However, if you're studying something you like, then any difficulties would seem simple for you.. That's what I think at least.. Now I'm doin something I don't like, everything seems difficult for me...

I see i see.. thanks for the enlightenment.. actually, now I don't really know whether want to go for bioengineering in ntu or not. cause firstly, I do not know how hard it would be. Next, I din even take physics during my form 6 years, except during spm. Although I like maths and thinking, should I go for it? Or perhaps I should go for science (NUS) instead?

P.S: I apply for medic too. If I get it, would go for that.

[nicodemus]

I see i see.. thanks for the enlightenment.. actually, now I don't really know whether want to go for bioengineering in ntu or not. cause firstly, I do not know how hard it would be. Next, I din even take physics during my form 6 years, except during spm. Although I like maths and thinking, should I go for it? Or perhaps I should go for science (NUS) instead?

P.S: I apply for medic too. If I get it, would go for that.


I see... Em, lawteoh, what is your interest actually? You should be able to answer this question first.. Then you should go pursue your studies based on your interest...

I didn't know much about bioengineering, so I couldn't tell you much... But if you opt for sciences, that would be a better choice if you really have no idea what you would like to study.. Science in NUS is very flexible, you only choose your major in later years, so you can try out what you would like during the first year..

From what you mentioned, you took biology for form six... Is that why if you got medic you'll go for it? If you go for medic because you like to study biology or due to any other outside influence, you might not enjoy your uni life...

In a nutshell, my advice is you have to get your thinking straight... What do you really like? What are your strengths? Play to your likings and strengths, and you'll be enjoying what you do... :-)

p.s. I enjoy maths, chemistry, thinking and analyzing.. But since I'm here, the only thing I have been doing is memorising... I don't like it.. Haiz...

[kokhong]

STPM is like putting all the eggs u laid into one single nest.ur entirely hardwork will be judge according to one final exam.it's either full effort or zero effort.therefore,stpm prevails true winner.

[bubblezlott3]

STPM is tough because of its syllabus.

As most recom-ers are all science students, I am from the arts stream. I did Economics, Accounting and Business Studies for my STPM. The syllabus is ALOT to study and the examinations are tough. The best way to study is to understand and don't memorize too much you know. I have a lot of friends who struggled through form six and they finished SPM with 10A1s? 11A1s?.

Don't be scared to take STPM. Take it as a challenge. People may say its the no money for college option but once you finish STPM, you feel like you climbed mount kinabalu.

[chocomaniac]

yeah i applied for matrix and it rejected me.

btw, can i know what country recognize STPM?

hardest exam? is that true? I can't believe Malaysia can actually have something that high standard. :P

Recently i came across a german website. Not sure whether you have heard of DAAD before...DAAD (Deutsche Akademisher Austausch Dienst) is actually helping malaysian students who wish to study in Germany. And apparently, they recognise STPM too. Visit this website: www.daad.de
and you will know the significance of SPTM :wink

[sugarspice]

To those who got medicine in local universities after STPM, may I know medicine was put as your first/second/third/etc choice in the application?

[Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya]

what's the difference between medicine and pharmacy?

[nicodemus]

what's the difference between medicine and pharmacy?

There's a lot of difference i.e. in what they study, the syllabus, the practicles, where they will work, what are their job responsibilities, and etc...

I would suggest you try and find out for yourself...
www.doctorjob.com.my is a good place to start... Or you can find them around here in recom, just search for the forums...

Good luck!!

[Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya]

lol okay thanks.

1 more question =X

do we have to learn Sejarah in form6 ?


Generally in Science stream, one needs to take 4 subjects with General Paper (Pengajian AM), Chemistry and Maths T a must. You can either choose Physics or Biology. If you want to take extra optional subjects, it depends what are you interested to do later in your life. For Science students, I recommend taking Further Maths. (*regret* *regret* I should have taken up FM... I drop it because I can't find any tutor in my area to guide me) Or if you want like both Physics and Biology, you can take both of them.


sorry for quoting an old post =X

What's further maths for? And why is it recommended to take?

[nickvl]

lol okay thanks.

1 more question =X

do we have to learn Sejarah in form6 ?

Erm..no but you'll study pengajian am which is a bit like sejarah +general knowledge+ malaysia



sorry for quoting an old post =X

What's further maths for? And why is it recommended to take?

Further maths is urmmm... further? LOL My teacher do not recommend it because with form 6 maths T is good enough even for overseas standard n is enough for those who want to do engineering. I feel if like dat unnecessary lor...since i dont want to expend unnecessary energy on an unnecessary subject...

Still, it's your choice...

[JenJen]

lol okay thanks.

1 more question =X

do we have to learn Sejarah in form6 ?

sorry for quoting an old post =X

What's further maths for? And why is it recommended to take?

Both sejarah and further maths are optional, but i do not recommend them unless u are well organized and ur tuition teacher is good :P

[nicodemus]

lol okay thanks.

1 more question =X

do we have to learn Sejarah in form6 ?

sorry for quoting an old post =X

What's further maths for? And why is it recommended to take?


Sejarah is an optional subject.. However, Pengajian Am is already part sejarah, general knowledge, and Malaysia. There's also some calculations, graph drawing, summarising and essay writing.. =D

Well, further maths is more advanced maths basically. I don't know the details but I think further maths would be an interesting subject to pursue, especially if you're a science student. =D just my 2 cents anyway...

So Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya, have you decided what you are going to do?

[Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya]

i'm going form 6. :)

unless matrix accept my appeal.. and also upu, if it offers me a good uni.

but for now.. i'm going form 6 next 11th may.

i'm afraid i might not do good in stpm :/

[Boyz_Zoo]

i'm going form 6. :)

unless matrix accept my appeal.. and also upu, if it offers me a good uni.

but for now.. i'm going form 6 next 11th may.

i'm afraid i might not do good in stpm :/
Relax, did you realise that some people who don't do well, can excel in STPM. I believe smart people can do better.

[Johnivan]

What's further maths for? And why is it recommended to take?

Hi Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya... I like your name, it sounds like Tarzan...

You can check out my post "STPM Further Mathematics T 2009" for further details. Don't be scared by it...

[Caprio]

Why? Because there are simply too many things to learn in a limited time.

[Scrmath]

So all and all, which is better: Matriculation, STPM or A-levels?

By the way, check out my blog I had mentioned 4748395677 times that self-promotion of blog is not allowed ~ Xon

If ur family income is quite high and u dun wan to go into local u,go for A lvl..it is internationally recognised and u wont suffer so much..

If ur result is enuf to get full tuition waiver,go for A lvl..stpm of coz u learn a lot and make yr first yr in uni easy rather than A lvl, but dilligence would pull u through this disadvantage..

If u wan local u for sure,go matri..if u wan graduate faster,matri too..if u r under the economic constraint,go matri too...

lol okay thanks.

1 more question =X

do we have to learn Sejarah in form6 ?



sorry for quoting an old post =X

What's further maths for? And why is it recommended to take?

If u take sastera,maybe..but must c the school package..

For fmt,is bcoz it facilitate u to score math in uni later..like enginering math..all these math are higher than fmt so taking fmt helps u..but warn u first,fmt is hard in terms of nt only difficulty,but also the normal distribution graph!cuz all ppl taking fmt r math geek and only abt 100 take fmt!!!consider!

[anbbly]

If ur result is enuf to get full tuition waiver,go for A lvl..stpm of coz u learn a lot and make yr first yr in uni easy rather than A lvl, but dilligence would pull u through this disadvantage..

i can gt a full tuition waiver 4 a lvl in INTI..but it jus including 3 subjects..
n INTI never offer GP for its a lvl..wil it affect my application for entry to uni overseas?(as i noe..sg do take consideration on GP result)

[sugarspice]

i can gt a full tuition waiver 4 a lvl in INTI..but it jus including 3 subjects..
n INTI never offer GP for its a lvl..wil it affect my application for entry to uni overseas?(as i noe..sg do take consideration on GP result)

If you wanna go overseas, take A level. iNTI has more and better resources.
If you aiming for local U, go STPM.

It's best to take 4 subjects in A level. Some unis, eg Imperial UK looks at 4 sub rather than 3 sub. (This was what my friend told me.)

[anbbly]

If you wanna go overseas, take A level. iNTI has more and better resources.
If you aiming for local U, go STPM.

It's best to take 4 subjects in A level. Some unis, eg Imperial UK looks at 4 sub rather than 3 sub. (This was what my friend told me.)

i m nt aiming foe local u..otherwise i wil go matric ..
i wish to go overseas..
yup..so if i take 4 subjects then i hav to pay for d 4th subject..
including all living expenses i need to pay 15000++(quite a burden 4 my family..:()
somehow i heard my fren said tat INTI lecturers nt really gd..(his senior jus finished his a lvl there)

[Rainbow91]

Hi, i am new here. Can i know whether STPM is recognised worldwide or only certain countries besides local uni?

[Boyz_Zoo]

Hi, i am new here. Can i know whether STPM is recognised worldwide or only certain countries besides local uni?
It is not recognised worldwide exactly but it is recognised in a lot of countries like Singapore, Australia New Zealand, etc

[Rainbow91]

It is not recognised worldwide exactly but it is recognised in a lot of countries like Singapore, Australia New Zealand, etc
Thanx for your info~~^^

[Eurytos]

If ur family income is quite high and u dun wan to go into local u,go for A lvl..it is internationally recognised and u wont suffer so much..

If ur result is enuf to get full tuition waiver,go for A lvl..stpm of coz u learn a lot and make yr first yr in uni easy rather than A lvl, but dilligence would pull u through this disadvantage..

If u wan local u for sure,go matri..if u wan graduate faster,matri too..if u r under the economic constraint,go matri too...



If u take sastera,maybe..but must c the school package..

For fmt,is bcoz it facilitate u to score math in uni later..like enginering math..all these math are higher than fmt so taking fmt helps u..but warn u first,fmt is hard in terms of nt only difficulty,but also the normal distribution graph!cuz all ppl taking fmt r math geek and only abt 100 take fmt!!!consider!

Factually incorrect, as of 2008 the official number of candidates taking Further mathematics stands at 34 people. This is sourced from the official website of MPM. And please do not mislead others by saying that Fmt is only taken by geeks. If you want a challenge or like mathematics as a subject, go ahead choose FM T as your optional subject.

On an overall , STPM isn't as difficult as people portray it to be. People tend to romanticize that STPM is the world's hardest examination when there actually arent any concrete facts to back this claim. Just like people will tell you the actuarial papers are difficult and the CLP examination cannot be passed. You don't know if it is difficult or not until you have taken the exam !! : )

[anbbly]

On an overall , STPM isn't as difficult as people portray it to be. People tend to romanticize that STPM is the world's hardest examination when there actually arent any concrete facts to back this claim. Just like people will tell you the actuarial papers are difficult and the CLP examination cannot be passed. You don't know if it is difficult or not until you have taken the exam !! : )
yup~mayb u r rite~~we don't know if it is difficult or not until we have taken the exam !!gambateh to all F6 students~~:nod

[terwei]

STPM is well recognized in commanwel country..

[sugarspice]

i m nt aiming foe local u..otherwise i wil go matric ..
i wish to go overseas..
yup..so if i take 4 subjects then i hav to pay for d 4th subject..
including all living expenses i need to pay 15000++(quite a burden 4 my family..:()
somehow i heard my fren said tat INTI lecturers nt really gd..(his senior jus finished his a lvl there)

Fork out RM30k, go Taylors do A level. It's worth it, I assure you. Taylors is definitely better than iNTI. It's more competitive over there, as they have ranking , sth like form positions, so you know where you stand - iNTI doesnt have this. Besides, Taylors sends armies of students to Oxbridge every year. The girl going to Harvard this year is also from Taylors.

[Trekk]

Agree with sugarspice

[Eurytos]

Fork out RM30k, go Taylors do A level. It's worth it, I assure you. Taylors is definitely better than iNTI. It's more competitive over there, as they have ranking , sth like form positions, so you know where you stand - iNTI doesnt have this. Besides, Taylors sends armies of students to Oxbridge every year. The girl going to Harvard this year is also from Taylors.

Taylor's college is renowned in producing world class students in pre-university level. If you have the extra cash, do consider Taylor's college as an option. If you don't have the extra cash, the only option you can consider is probably STPM : )

[Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya]

Hi Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya... I like your name, it sounds like Tarzan...

You can check out my post "STPM Further Mathematics T 2009" for further details. Don't be scared by it...

haha xD and thanks for the info :D

---

and gosh i just knew that form 6 class isn't starting yet. i'm informed that it'll start in june.. i'm bored :/

[anbbly]

Taylor's college is renowned in producing world class students in pre-university level. If you have the extra cash, do consider Taylor's college as an option. If you don't have the extra cash, the only option you can consider is probably STPM : )
yup..so i m doing STPM now..less one A1 to gt it full scholarship..sobb..
how valuable is tat few marks..:cry
anyway~i quite satisfy v my F6 life by now..:nod

[sugarspice]

yup..so i m doing STPM now..less one A1 to gt it full scholarship..sobb..
how valuable is tat few marks..:cry
anyway~i quite satisfy v my F6 life by now..:nod

partial scholarship is better than nothing. Anyway it's too late to apply for any scholarship now. Yes, enjoy your form6, like what I am doing. =)

[jaybee-hui]

Hi Hoi-Ya-Ee-Ya...

I'm a STPM leaver too, batch 2007, from Kedah...
Well, I think that STPM is the best thing that had ever happened in my life. The life in lower & upper six was my best schooling days so far... =D

STPM is the 3rd hardest examination in the world, and I think it still holds now. [WOW, Malaysia certainly have some high standards... ;-) ]
And basically, with a STPM degree, you can go everywhere with it. Just name it, Japan, Korea, Australia, US, UK, etc... (although some unis you need to check their special rerquirements)

The marking is kind of strict but if you put in a lot effort, then it's not that difficult to score... The syllabus I think is quite in depth and detailed, but I certainly learned a lot from it. But still, what we learn in STPM is still the tip of the iceberg of the vast knowledge waiting for you to explore... =D

Generally in Science stream, one needs to take 4 subjects with General Paper (Pengajian AM), Chemistry and Maths T a must. You can either choose Physics or Biology. If you want to take extra optional subjects, it depends what are you interested to do later in your life. For Science students, I recommend taking Further Maths. (*regret* *regret* I should have taken up FM... I drop it because I can't find any tutor in my area to guide me) Or if you want like both Physics and Biology, you can take both of them.

Well, that's all I wanted to tell you. If you have any queries, you can post them here. I'll be glad to reply them. =D

My advice is, go for it! STPM will be the next best thing in your life. I'm proud to say that I'm an ex-form sixer... ;-)
Form Six RULEZ!!!


yaya...many said stpm is the ?? toughest exam in the world..but then where v get de facts? hw to know that...
thanks for giving encourage for us- as f6 student

[youngyew]

Though it's been touted as the third hardest in the world for a long time, I have never seen an official verification of this claim.

[Glassylicious]

"Third hardest in the world"? I'm guessing most people got it from the Wikipedia page of STPM [I recall reading it there], but I would like to point out that the claim has long been removed from the said Wikipedia article.

[youngyew]

But I have heard of that claim long before wikipedia became popular.

[kokkeonggoh]

can anyone tell me the way 2 study in stpm?????

[subzero0c]

STPM student 99.99... or maybe 100% percent is non-bumi~~~
Think yourself why STPM so hard~
Plus STPM chance getting the course you want in upu = really less
90% of bumis in Matrik + 10% non - bumi in matrik get into UPU 1st!
STPM so hard to get 4.0 and go in to fill the minor empty space only~~
But if you do Best in STPM dun consider going into UPU who only let u in because of empty minor space cuz it is the 3rd hardest exam in the WORLD!
Probably SG will take you all to study @<hidden> NTU or NUS

[sim91]

before being the lower 6 student,i haven't think 2 study STPM.....coz too many teacher&tt advise me don't study stpm.....stpm is so tough n not easily 2 score ......for stpm student,the percentage enter the local u is not higher compared wit the student in matrik so that don't waste u time
hehe...but after entering f6,i just changes my mind about stpm...for me,stpm is didn't so tough n need more memorise(x2)

[erinkoo]

it's already june now, which you should already have decided on your path. if you have chosen form 6, i salute you and wish you all the best. not many have the guts to walk this path, not even my straight A1's friends. to say that form 6 is one of the hardest examinations, i wouldn't quite agree. it is tough but not to that extent. i Ascored 8A2 2A2 in my spm 06 and managed to get 3A 1A- in my stpm, so why can't you do it? i believe anyone can do it.

you're probably aghasted by the vast difference between spm and stpm level. it is true that spm seems like some kindergarten education when you embark on the form 6 journey. having brains of a genius is not enough or rather, is not the key to succeed in stpm. you have to work hard, really hard. once you have chosen form 6, you should aim for excellence because just scrapping by will get you no where. in fact, it is a must to excel in form 6. if you do, you will have unlimited options ahead of you. getting into matrix/foundations/colleges limits your options. matrix is only usable in malaysia. countries such as uk, spore with good education will only laugh away your applications to university. hence, without a doubt, form 6 keeps your options wide open.

form 6 is difficult due to 2 very simple reasons:
1)extremely vast syllabus (3chemistry books, 2physics, 2math and not forgetting pa, which i don't see the point of learning)
2)limited time to squeeze everything in your tiny brain

therefore, time management is crucial. constant studying with plenty of practices can do you nothing bad. remember, time and effort will never betray you.

why do i stress on the importance of obtaining excellent results in form 6? tis is due to the undeniable fact that stpm students are always, always at a disadvantage. we always lose out to matrix students and not forgetting other applicants from colleges. and the worse thing is stpm is the hardest exam among all those pre-uni exams in malaysia. it is unlike spm level, where strings of A's come out of no where. you can sleep in class the whole 2 years and yet get A. i seriously do not have much pride with my spm results for i surely didn't work hard and the results do not show the real picture. stpm is different because you have to sweat and stress over it to earn every marks.

lastly, all the best to you! if you have chosen form 6, i am very happy as fewer and fewer people are bold enough to choose this path. with hard work, i am positive you will succeed!

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#71 (http://www.recom.org/forum/showpost.php?p=254686&postcount=71) http://www.recom.org/forum/images/statusicon/post_old.gif 2 Weeks Ago http://www.recom.org/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif Re: Why Is STPM hard?
can anyone tell me the way 2 study in stpm?????





i would just share some of my studying methods. if they are useful to you, im glad to hear that. i think the most important thing is to have a positive mind about form 6. it is surely an earful to hear ppl around you (even your close ones and teachers) condemn form 6. no matter how they discourage you, turn a deaf ear. who's the one studying form 6 now?? you, yourself. although i am never much an optimistic person, i always motivate myself throughout form 6, to keep me going. do not give up when you encounter difficult chapters or questions.

group studies worked well for me in chemistry and physics. i was sceptical about this suggestion which came from my chem teacher because i have never in my life studied in group. however, finding a small group of keen friends, group studies really clear many things for us. as you discuss, even on topics that you have already mastered, it helps enhance your memory on it. besides, it is time saving to assign each member with diff chapters to make short useful notes. of course, you may be afraid of ending of talking more than studying, therefore you should find friends who are disciplined enough to make this work for each of you. having fun once in a while in between does no harm, but it is up to you to dictate the direction of the group studies. be wise.

making notes of my own is also very useful. mainly because we do not have enough time to read all the chapters for the upcoming examinations (you have more and more to read as the clock ticks). hence, short notes help a lot because by reading them, you can refresh your memory on the chapters. with the time saved, you must really do plenty of practices. just reading alone will get you nowhere. familiarise yourself with stpm questions and this will help reinstate the things you have studied. i don't only mean mathematics. i meant every single subject you are taking for stpm.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

It is okay to forget the earlier chapters you have learnt, do not get frustrated at yourself. after all, you're just human. but believe me, practices helps TREMENDOUSLY. sacrifice some of your leisure activities if you do not want to weep over your horrible results at the end of it. im sorry if i have intimidated you but i know truely well, we have to be harsh to ourselves to not forget to work hard.

one important tip i would like to pass down to you. i was unable to revise everything before my trials and that was a mistake. preparations for trials should start as soon as possible eventhough your teacher have yet to finish the syllabus. when you have finished revising for trials, you can use the last two crucial months fully just for PRACTICES. yes, that awful, eyesore word again. it would be wasting time to only start revising because time is so scarce in form 6, so precious..

all the best!
p/s: find studying methods that suits you best=) (eg: i like to listen to music while studying)

it sadens me that form six is so poorly recognised in our very own country, in the eyes of our very own Malaysians. to all form six students, prove these critics wrong!! you won't regret it yourselves too! just like i didn't. if you're ambitious, i encourage you to go overseas with that good stpm results of yours (work hard, and it'll be in your hands!). many renowned universties across the globe are dying for our talent!

[angina]

hi, i couldnt agree more with what erinkoo say.
yeah,now i currently studying in UKM getting my first choice.
everytime when ppl turns to me seeking my advice wheter to study form 6 or not
my answer will be sureeeeee...why not?
i could sum up into a few points
1.the path after form 6 is very rewarding..plenty of choice...scholarship..world recognisation
2.you can take up the local university which is a blessing in terms of money...pays very less money...can take up JPA...plenty of scholarship for u to apply...
3.when u come out to work, you have to admit a very cruel fact...they actually wont see much on your academic result or which uni u come from..they just will overlook your knowledge...the way u brings up yourself...soft skill and so on...
4.the pressure of study very much less...you wont have the financial burden.....the syllabus design is rather very easy...(but u still have to work hard)...plenty of time joining various activity and developing myself...

sharing my some experience, i could only it is only fun in university....especially my first year...yet can maintain my result...joining many leadership camp..competition...activity..
my advicce......for those intend to take form 6 ..work hard and strike for the best...the rainbow should come after the rain.....cheers

[erinkoo]

just to share with you guys. the upu results were released earlier today and i got my 6th choice. with a cgpa of 3.92, i don't quite see this coming. anyway, im still not gonna put u off with stpm. it depends also on the course you apply for, with your results. we have to be realistic, that's the undeniable fact.

for example, a friend of mine has a cgpa of 3.5 but failed to enter any of the ipta. not even one. why? because irrational choices of course. medic, pharmacy, dentistry and the list goes on.. even with cgpa of 4.0, you are certainly not guarenteed these sizzling-hot courses. many regard my cousin as lucky to get medic in ukm eventhough he scored 4-flat. REALITY.. stpm are always, always at a disadvantage, like it or not.

Well, i took my chances by applyin courses which requires 3.92 and above (well, i thought i would stand a chance..) by applying for actuarial science. busted! lost out to the 'better ones'.. or are they really? i don't know.. none of us know.. from my 4th choice onwards to my 6th, it was chemical engineering with um, ukm, ums in order. got ums for chem eng. but before this i did reject usm for math n econs (1st choice, in favour of NTU sg=p). i was wondering upu would offer me either one of my top 2 choices, then i might reconsider not going to sg.

looks like im destined for NTU! NTU,here i come! since my very own country 'disowned' me.. haha..

the significant advantage of stpm is countries like singapore would welcome you with open arms. and the benefit of studying stpm to me, it creates a whole new me. i got tougher, more independent and happier. form 6 life was never somethin i could regret.

[mitsukolyn]

just to share with you guys. the upu results were released earlier today and i got my 6th choice. with a cgpa of 3.92, i don't quite see this coming. anyway, im still not gonna put u off with stpm. it depends also on the course you apply for, with your results. we have to be realistic, that's the undeniable fact.

for example, a friend of mine has a cgpa of 3.5 but failed to enter any of the ipta. not even one. why? because irrational choices of course. medic, pharmacy, dentistry and the list goes on.. even with cgpa of 4.0, you are certainly not guarenteed these sizzling-hot courses. many regard my cousin as lucky to get medic in ukm eventhough he scored 4-flat. REALITY.. stpm are always, always at a disadvantage, like it or not.

Well, i took my chances by applyin courses which requires 3.92 and above (well, i thought i would stand a chance..) by applying for actuarial science. busted! lost out to the 'better ones'.. or are they really? i don't know.. none of us know.. from my 4th choice onwards to my 6th, it was chemical engineering with um, ukm, ums in order. got ums for chem eng. but before this i did reject usm for math n econs (1st choice, in favour of NTU sg=p). i was wondering upu would offer me either one of my top 2 choices, then i might reconsider not going to sg.

looks like im destined for NTU! NTU,here i come! since my very own country 'disowned' me.. haha..

the significant advantage of stpm is countries like singapore would welcome you with open arms. and the benefit of studying stpm to me, it creates a whole new me. i got tougher, more independent and happier. form 6 life was never somethin i could regret.

If our local U doesnot acept us, is Spore offering us scholarships if we got cgpa 3.5 above?

[lawteoh]

If our local U doesnot acept us, is Spore offering us scholarships if we got cgpa 3.5 above?

SG only offer you a chance to go for an interview for the scholarship(nanyang/asean) if you get a high CGPA (preferrably 3.92 and above).. however, you could try applying singapore scholarship. view this link for singapore scholarship.

http://www.malaysia-scholarship.com/singapore.html

so far according to my observation, candidates with 4.0 has a higher chance to be successful in the interview..

And if u get CGPA 3.5 and above, u r already almost guaranteed a course there (based on statistics for this year) , which makes u eligible to get tuition grant, tuition fee loan and study fee loan.

So, do study hard and smart starting from now. =)

just to share with you guys. the upu results were released earlier today and i got my 6th choice. with a cgpa of 3.92, i don't quite see this coming. anyway, im still not gonna put u off with stpm. it depends also on the course you apply for, with your results. we have to be realistic, that's the undeniable fact.

for example, a friend of mine has a cgpa of 3.5 but failed to enter any of the ipta. not even one. why? because irrational choices of course. medic, pharmacy, dentistry and the list goes on.. even with cgpa of 4.0, you are certainly not guarenteed these sizzling-hot courses. many regard my cousin as lucky to get medic in ukm eventhough he scored 4-flat. REALITY.. stpm are always, always at a disadvantage, like it or not.

Well, i took my chances by applyin courses which requires 3.92 and above (well, i thought i would stand a chance..) by applying for actuarial science. busted! lost out to the 'better ones'.. or are they really? i don't know.. none of us know.. from my 4th choice onwards to my 6th, it was chemical engineering with um, ukm, ums in order. got ums for chem eng. but before this i did reject usm for math n econs (1st choice, in favour of NTU sg=p). i was wondering upu would offer me either one of my top 2 choices, then i might reconsider not going to sg.

looks like im destined for NTU! NTU,here i come! since my very own country 'disowned' me.. haha..

the significant advantage of stpm is countries like singapore would welcome you with open arms. and the benefit of studying stpm to me, it creates a whole new me. i got tougher, more independent and happier. form 6 life was never somethin i could regret.

I like what you wrote.. well, my own country 'disown' me too.. lolz.. =)

[erinkoo]

If our local U doesnot acept us, is Spore offering us scholarships if we got cgpa 3.5 above?

scholarship is hard to obtain. my senior also told me that you only stand a chance to be interviewed if ur cgpa is 3.92 and above. mine is 3.92 but i didnt get any call. neither did my friend and senior. so, it is highly competitive, without a doubt. one of my seniors got ASEAN but he's a level above me. haha.. he scored 4flat and his kokurikulum is well, erm, outstanding! lol.

but ders always loan.. not to worry, i'd say. it's quite affordable after loans.. so long you dun live a luxurious life in sg uni.. haha.. if your family can afford, dun let tis opportunity slip away.. opportunities wait for no man..

[Faker]

I don't think STPM is hard... it depends on how u handle it ^^

[rightthru]

jumping onto the bandwagon, stpm is hard because it is the only pride that a small nation like our country has, we suck in sport, suck in almost everything except education, so let us smile and raise our humble heads and show the world that we are not tiny as they think

Hello fellow forummers, i'm new to recom

So i'm left with 2 options : form 6 / upu. (I think most likely upu would reject me too). As i'm now more convinced to going form 6, i've been bothered about people saying that stpm is hard, stpm is hard.. So, i want to know, why is stpm hard? is it because the syllabus is vast? or is it because the examination marking system is strict?


Thanks in advance!
yes, me too, people keep telling me that "stpm is the long and never ending 18 months of hell, it's worse than prison and swine flu A/H1N1 combine"
and frankly i agree with that, it's hell alright
so you want to know, why is stpm hard? is it because the syllabus is vast? or is it because the examination marking system is strict?

both, actually, again, after all, stpm is the pride of our nation, so the standard is extremely high, over the years, it has been getting tougher as though it wasnt tough enough for us, the standard keep rising and the bar keeps elevating, why?
simple, because the government is doing their "job" trying to ensure our students are very good, trying to "melahirkan modal insan yang bermutu untuk masa depan negara" and pemuda like us who are going to "mengambil alih tampuk kepimpinan negara" cannot be too crabby and finally to "merealisasikan wawasan negara untuk menjadi negara maju menjelang tahun 2020" and to melahirkan more "angkasawan negara seperti dr. shukor pada masa akan datang"

the fact that all those people in the government, all the ministers earning more than c.ronaldo( mostly makan suap and duit kopi 0) doing the best trying to serve the rakyat and blah blah blah didnt actually take those exams before, so they dont really know how tough is it for us and it seems like the best strategy ever----trying to make stpm so tough for covering all the syllabus that is utter shit for us, which we will probably never gonna use it in real life or once we finished form 6, then try to absorb and enslave us to do "something useful in life, for example finding a decent job ,then pay a decent tax to accommodate the needs of our society and to raise our economy", but actually they are trying to say " help us find more money (as all of your income taxes are the ministers and all the dato and YB and tan sri and what nots income and salary) because earning c.ronaldo amount of wage is not good enough for us, we want to goyang kaki after we retire and we want to be the "bill gates"es of malaysia"

[Johnivan]

Wow peope... Be careful not to end up yourselves being caught by ISA...:P

I think STPM is hard because:
1. It's time-span. We are studying a 2-year syllabus in 1.5 years. Getting into these detail stuff (especially in Bio, Chem Maths & Phy) requires a lot of time to understand and digest...

2. A very wide syllabus. It is a super big jump compared to SPM level. Am i exaggerating if i say that the SPM syllabus for pure sciences is only less than 20% of what STPM has? Unless you start early, if not it is really stressful to make yourself remember what you studied for the past 1.5 years...

3. There are only a few questions in STPM for such a wide syllabus. You study from head to tail, all you will answer is only 24 questions for Maths T!! Not to mention focusing on 36 chapters of Physics but only a little comes out...

4. The questions are tough. I think the questions' standard is a little bit too high... I think there's no point coming out with super hard questions so that only 5% of the people can answer all of them easily.

5. I think (not sure whether it's true, but it applies to people around me...) most students end up taking STPM as their last choice. Most people end up in STPM because they have no where to go. So i think they are either mentally not prepared, or they can't focus (still waiting for application to somewhere...). so at the end, they say it's tough.

6. I think it is also tough because STPM students are required to study so much and at the same time, be active in their co-curriculum. We are already struggling in STPM when we still need to make sure that our Koko marks are above 7... Well, hard...

Anything else?

[kaiyi]

and some schools already start 2 change...
eg my school, we need to study from 7.30 am to 3.40 pm three days a week
horrible, the lower 6 will use the time to do the so-called research n co-co
we, the upper 6 -----extra classes.haiz

[Gabrielle90]

and some schools already start 2 change...
eg my school, we need to study from 7.30 am to 3.40 pm three days a week
horrible, the lower 6 will use the time to do the so-called research n co-co
we, the upper 6 -----extra classes.haiz

Same case here. I study until 3.45pm four days a week, means except friday la. We cant even go out to eat. Gee!!!

[Li Shan Shung]

My friend is studying at a rate of 7 hours on weekdays, 10 h on weekends and 15 h on holidays for stpm!!! Shows how tough it can be.

STPM students need more time to understand and prepare for that dreaded final exam. If we get bad results, the whole 2 years of form 6 is basically wasted.

[Gabrielle90]

Omg!!! 7 hours on weekdays? Does it include schooling hours?

[kaiyi]

i can never do that, not even imagine!

[lordfoong]

My friend is studying at a rate of 7 hours on weekdays, 10 h on weekends and 15 h on holidays for stpm!!! Shows how tough it can be.

STPM students need more time to understand and prepare for that dreaded final exam. If we get bad results, the whole 2 years of form 6 is basically wasted.
wow! he/she did tat frm lower6 to the end of stpm? hws his result? crazy meh...nid so much effort meh..walao...

his/her life sure is a piece of shit la like dis...couldnt imagine i do tat at all...:notrust

[chongkeat]

What?!! I don't even play games for that long.

I think I might've studied 15h once before. 15h a week, that is.

[Li Shan Shung]

Omg!!! 7 hours on weekdays? Does it include schooling hours?

It's all after school. around 3 to 12 minus daily activities.

wow! he/she did tat frm lower6 to the end of stpm? hws his result? crazy meh...nid so much effort meh..walao...

his/her life sure is a piece of shit la like dis...couldnt imagine i do tat at all...:notrust

Starting straight from lower 6 till end of stpm. Then the same through university. His idea of fun is indulging in more books. Reference books before stpm and reading finance, business, economics after stpm. Where's the life in it?

At least he did get 4.0 for 5 subjects though. If I had studied that hard and had gotten even an A-, I would probably die from regret.

[teenjay]

I think STPM is hard because:
1. It's time-span. We are studying a 2-year syllabus in 1.5 years. Getting into these detail stuff (especially in Bio, Chem Maths & Phy) requires a lot of time to understand and digest...





if u say STPM is finish 2 year syllabus in 1.5 years then i will say in university is finish stpm syllabus in 4 month, stpm giv u mentally prepare in uni, dun be afraid. In the past, I enjoyed 1 year of form 6 life and another half year of study, pls dun think STPM hard, it is hard but not as hard as u all think. Like some of u say, oli students who noway to go end up in stpm, make stpm seem to be very less ppl getting 4.00 . wat i know is many form 6 student too enjoyed their form 6 life.

[lawteoh]

Agree with teenjay, and if you think STPM is hard, think about Hwa Chong Junior College A levels standard in Singapore. (for your info, Hwa Chong is one of the top junior college in Singapore, and their paper is more difficult compare to uni exam first year) .. at least that's what my Singapore friend said after we sat for our first bio exam in uni..

And in uni, yeah, 1.5 years of studies will be compressed into one sem.. and if you don't have any background in any subject which u take in uni, it will be tough to catch up seeing the speed here is like 'bullet train' :(

[subzero0c]

Bro..Uni study finish can throw already
STPM is collection of studies in 1.5 years!

[Aced]

your results same with me.finally i study form 6 as the last choice.STPM is the second hardest exam in the world.As form 6 students , we must empower ourself with numerous knowledge. STPM is totally different from SPM,we must try to adjust our studying skills for SPM to STPM and STPM is hard as its marking scheme is strict and so on........

[Eurytos]

your results same with me.finally i study form 6 as the last choice.STPM is the second hardest exam in the world.As form 6 students , we must empower ourself with numerous knowledge. STPM is totally different from SPM,we must try to adjust our studying skills for SPM to STPM and STPM is hard as its marking scheme is strict and so on........

I used to be an STPM candidate myself, but I find the claim it's the second hardest exam in the world completely baseless. In my knowledge there is no list that ranks STPM as one of the most difficult pre-university courses across the globe. Then again, perhaps i might be wrong and you can enlighten all of us :)

Anyway good luck for all STPM candidates out there! :)

[Young]

In my humble opinion, people like to exaggerate ordeals intimate to them.

STPM students derive pleasure from claiming that they're doing the X hardest exam in the world the same way medical students say their course is the most stressful, engineering students touting that they suffer from the hardest maths/physics, law students saying they read the most, etc.

It's all done to achieve some form of personal gratification; to stroke our own ego and to convince ourselves that we're heck special because of what we're doing.

Yes, I do not deny that STPM is very hard but without an empirical study on the difficulty of exams worldwide, all the claims about STPM being the X hardest in the world should really be disregarded.

[hadis]

i was goin' to choose Form 6 as my best.but many's say that STPM was hard,it's true? how if i get A in my additional mathematics(SPM),it's still goin' to hard? pls answr

[Critical]

You must understand that you excel in SPM doesnt mean that you can excel in STPM, many 11A's or above spm top students screwed their stpm, while the so-so students that are not so good in spm level get better stpm result.
Because spm level isn't equivalent to stpm level, there is a big gap at the beginning when you just study in lower sixth, some can cope up, but many of them are struggling, because they are not aware of the precious time.

It's the matter of altitude, mentality and time management.

[Miracle_seed]

Thread "Stpm?" merged into the existing thread.

[freakyz]

Critical is right. Some of them think once they excel in SPM, they will still excel in STPM. Hence, they just play all the way and study last minute like their previous government exam hoping to score it. So-so students scored in STPM because they are very determined and diligent to do it. If you're very hardworking and manage your time very well, it's unlikely that you will flunk the papers unless you constipate during your exam. XD Anyway, there's no rule saying that only so-so result in SPM will score while good one will not score. It's only matter whether you put sufficient effort to it or not. Time management in exam is also vital.

[kaiyi]

i was goin' to choose Form 6 as my best.but many's say that STPM was hard,it's true? how if i get A in my additional mathematics(SPM),it's still goin' to hard? pls answr

to get an A in add maths is easy, 60++ is also A. if you get about 70++ in your school exam, then i think you can follow STPM maths, provided you have to work consistently.

[teenjay]

Bro..Uni study finish can throw already
STPM is collection of studies in 1.5 years!

yo bro, after finish STPM also can throw......

[kaiyi]

but i think STPM is the basic for uni's courses

[Miracle_seed]

but i think STPM is the basic for uni's coursesYou may throw some parts, depending on the course you study in university.

[markwongsk]

Better not to throw, as you gonna use it again...

[aaronpoh92]

Hey guys, may I ask what are the subjects that can be chosen from in Form 6 science stream? And can we only choose 1 science subject, for example only physics but no bio and chem??:)

[lowxuan]

phys chem or bio chem....u wan take all 3 also can== depend on ur school

[vseehua]

Please keep to the topic!

[LLCH]

Well..its tough because like i usually get 70+ and touching 80 sometimes and when my stpm results came out i got c+ for my biology.

[adele123]

I was a stpm student. yes... stpm was not easy... what i learn in 1.5 years in form 6, is way more than what i learn in form 4 and form 5 combined together.

But then again, in uni... you will learn alot more things within a shorter time too...

Spm was really easy compared to stpm... doesn't mean stpm is very hard. I know some of my friends, kinda slacked abit in form 6, cause they did well in spm... dont make that mistake.

I was in science stream, i took physics chem. What i notice was, the questions being asked each year in stpm, requires abit more thinking. no matter what, STPM results will be scaled... It's not like in school, a certain percentage need to be obtained a certain grade...

Someone mentioned about 7 hours of study a day... kinda insane... work smart =D

spm was alot of memorising... stpm... still u have to memorise... but good thinking skill, i believe, distinct you from others...

[Destiny_Child]

the answer is not quite hard. i was an stpm 2006 leaver. the key here is u hav to work hard and yes, a lil bit of intelligence will do. i tink its v interesting esp chemistry. u dun have to memorise just understand....=)gud luck!

[kaiyi]

Well..its tough because like i usually get 70+ and touching 80 sometimes and when my stpm results came out i got c+ for my biology.

i usualy score 60+ and twice i score only 40+ in my biology tests but i end up all 3 papers in biology A in real exam.

STPM is tough because the marking follow skima strictly. the marking teachers are few so most students do not get the "tips of answering the questions".

[markwongsk]

Wow Kaiyi your school must be really strict in their questions!

I think STPM is more about understanding than memorizing though...

[kaiyi]

I think STPM is more about understanding than memorizing though...

both are needed but if you memorize without understanding your answers will sure only partly correct. And wrong in concepts will let you lose lots of marks...

[LLCH]

yup.its strange.i got lower for my physics too but i got a for that. well, in my class chemistry ppl got 90+ din get a too so im wondering how horrible is your chem for being top in stpm.haha..

[kaiyi]

i screwed up my chem 1.top in stpm just mean i got A in every paper, doesn't mean i score the highest mark.who knows some of my papers just 1 or 2 marks higher than the A grade-mark?

[Vanmie]

yup.its strange.i got lower for my physics too but i got a for that. well, in my class chemistry ppl got 90+ din get a too so im wondering how horrible is your chem for being top in stpm.haha..

You sure?
I normally get 40++ to 50++ during my school exam and get slightly higher which is 60 in trial.But I got A for all the chem papers in STPM.(But I really work hard on it :amuse)
Besides that,almost everyone in my class got improvement in STPM compared to the trial 1 especially PA!I still remember only 1 or 2 got A in trial,but it turn out 70% of the class get A for PA in STPM.So I guess the they actually lower the criteria to get A in STPM.

[LLCH]

well, its strange in our school. I was expecting A for my chemistry and my friend too as chemistry is our best sub among all subs..In our school the actual result is not as good as the real one..

Btw our teachers are all experienced teachers who have many years of teaching experience in their field. They had always been able to predict the grades accurately and they said that this is the only year that their predictions went haywired..

[markwongsk]

Maybe to put what LLCH said into limelight:

There were no As in the whole town of our school, not only our school...

Besides, I came from that school so I know that the teacher's prediction are pretty accurate... and the papers are definitely no walk in the park...

[LLCH]

Yup. You can definitely trust in our teachers. No one even got A for chemistry..scary..

[adele123]

Something to add, I think stpm used be harder. Imagine, back then, STPM candidate took 5 subjects, now so many people complained about 4 subjects. And when i was doing passed year questions paper, i do feel that those questions asked back in the days of 5 subjects, seem a little more challenging. STPM still hard now? worse back then.

I had a friend who studied in singapore JC (junior college - their pre-u). She gets to used graphic calculators (GC), we stpm students dont get the chance. Some calculations, using GC is really much easier and way faster but by using GC, meaning they probably dont know the idea behind certain workings. Another friend, did IB... also get to used graphic calculators. Then... I thought about it. Kinda proud to be stpm student. Though i have this feeling STPM is getting easier.

[Vanmie]

Yes!I totally agree with you.
When I look back to some of the 198X questions,I just got stuck and didn't know how to start ( I emphasize on Maths,other still okay)
Well,I think the questions in 1999 and 2000 in longman 6 years series were challenging but still consider quite easy as it compared to the 198X questions.
STPM is really getting easy...

[markwongsk]

Something to add, I think stpm used be harder. Imagine, back then, STPM candidate took 5 subjects, now so many people complained about 4 subjects. And when i was doing passed year questions paper, i do feel that those questions asked back in the days of 5 subjects, seem a little more challenging. STPM still hard now? worse back then.

I had a friend who studied in singapore JC (junior college - their pre-u). She gets to used graphic calculators (GC), we stpm students dont get the chance. Some calculations, using GC is really much easier and way faster but by using GC, meaning they probably dont know the idea behind certain workings. Another friend, did IB... also get to used graphic calculators. Then... I thought about it. Kinda proud to be stpm student. Though i have this feeling STPM is getting easier.

You know what? I'm now studying in America and my friends are like... how can you graph something without a graphics calculator??? :laugh Be proud you're an STPM student =)

I think the questions are getting easier too... kinda sad come to think of it. But what can we do? STPM syllabus needs to be somewhat dependent on SPM syllabus too. So like, SPM students used to learn exponentials, and crazy mechanics...STPM students used to learn polar coordinates, crazier mechanics (all of newton's law and stuff)... but we can't do that now, can we? PC is in FM now btw...

[helmet]

haha...laz time i tot i was so dumb cuz i owaz failed 2 answer the graph question well...im feel bttr aft i read those posts....

[LLCH]

hmm..my math teacher said that yeah..the question are getting easier and the question standard are lower..but the percentage of getting a is still rather low. saying the amount is still about the same..

[RevolveR]

can anyone prove STPM really THAT hard if you don't study very well or THAT easy if you have high interest?

and does taking 4 subjects is safer or taking 5 subjects much better?

[markwongsk]

By generality:

All exams are hard if you don't study. STPM is an exam. STPM is hard.

When there's a will, there's a way. If you have the will, STPM will be easy (comparatively).

Depends on what you're aiming for. If you want to keep your overseas study option open, 5 subjects. I personally encourage 5, coz you may never know when you'll screw up one of them.

[lowxuan]

I think it's the best to take onli 4 subjects...coz...if u take 5 subjects , u nid to "divide" ur concentration on 5 subjects equally...which mean 20% for each subject..if u take 4 subjects onli...then there will be 25% for each subject....maybe that 5% seems to be a small amount for u ....but i think it's better to score 4As rather than getting 3As 2B+ right? getting 4 flat is not an easy job...not to say getting 5As~_~...

so...wat's ur choice...if ur choice is ....GOOD AND STEADY....then 4 subjects...
if u wan RISK and the BEST...then 5 subjects =)

ok then..let's see...wat happen to 1 of my fren is...she took 5 subjects...she was a bio student and took phys as the 5th 1...

so..her result end up with. ....3As , 1B+ in physics and 1 B in bio...

try imagine...if she actually took 4 subjects onli (in physics stream)....she will definitely get CGPA 4.0....since that she self-study physics and yet she can score B+ ...(i'm not saying B+ is good nor bad) =)

ok..another story...y issit STPM hard...ok

1 of my fren....he/she scored 11A1 and 1A2 (chinese) in SPM 2007...then...he/she ended up with form six (i dunno wat's the reason la)....

then he/she chose to study bio...then..in my oppinion...he/she kinda playful throughout form 6 =(
guess wat...he/she ended up with CGPA 3.40...

he/she was actually a very very inteligent girl...he/she was the top among the top..in the school ever since primary school....

so...from that story...do u think that STPM is easy without study hard ? =) i will leave that to u.

hmm...actually STPM can be considered easy if u have the will...

another story...1 of my classmate...she is actually not a intelligent girl...but she is sooo dammm freaking hardworking during STPM......her result in the class is quite bad during lower six...then start from june of 2009...u can see her result improving...start to get B+ in chem and physics (she actually scored C b4 that)...

then in the end...she got A in chem...and others i 4get...but her cgpa is definitely above 3.0..

hmm...ok...personally...i think that STPM is based on 举一反三...coz, in my opinion...the questions i get from the real exam...is sooo much diff from the normal exercise we done....STPM is soo diff from SPM...

SPM's questions are sooooo direct like HIGHWAY...while STPM's are like 迷宫...for stpm...u nid to think deeeeeply into the questions in order to get the right answer...while for SPM...u onli nid to "Swallow" all the things in the book,...and juz "vomit" out during the exam...

if u r trying to do that in STPM...i advise u better jus 4get it..

then, during STPM...ok...eg: maths paper 2...there are some questions...u nid to make use of the knowledge from paper 1...not onli paper 2....soo....it means that u nid alll ur knowledge about everything (even physics...like the velocity thing =x) to solve a question...on the other hand....SPM's questions are sooo direct until u might even found similar questions from the exercise boooks=_= and the questions are CHAPTER BY CHAPTER...

(if u are post-spm-er..and denied wat i said....juz wait until u end up in form 6...and tell me wat u think =p...i'm experienced =_=)

so...STPM is SURPRISE~ if your heart is strong enuf to overcome the SHOCK....then STPM shud be no problem to u...and...congrats to u too...u will nvr ever get heart attack in your whole life... (ok..it's juz a description==)

Don ever ever try to SPOT questions during STPM...i noe most of SPM-ers do spot questions during SPM and yet they got it right...but...u will nvr nvr expect wat will happen up during ur STPM paper =)

Hmmm...talk bout my personal experience...Physics....for me physics...u must always always built urself up with the BASIC knowledge of physics ><
Eg : STPM 2009, physics paper 2....Q6...bout the so-called-complicated-circuit and calculate the current de... (check the paper up urself)
alot ppl find that it's a COMPLICATED circuit...but actually== if u noe the BASIC thing about electricity >>> d.c current doesnt go through capacitor...then that stupid circuit board is sooo dammm freaking easy liao..honestly...i cracked my head for this question during the exam...in the end i gv up that question== 5% flied~ i realised it after i stepped out from the exam hall~_~ soo early but yet too late~_~....

so..do i think stpm is hard??? yes and also no =)

[vseehua]

Here's a reminder to all to use proper English in the more serious sections of ReCom

[markwongsk]

Well, why not a story of my friend who took Physics as his extra subject, and got A for it. Whereas Bio he got B+...

Think what would happened if your friend AND my friend both didn't take Physics. It doesn't mean they would score better in Bio. STPM is not only about effort, it's a bit about luck. Sometimes, no matter how good you are, the examiner just doesn't like your writing. My friend's Bio is always 80+... so there's no reason a B+ was there. A- is still believable. But yeah, I'll leave it as that.

As for 20% and 25%. I'm not sure... but personally if you have gotten straight aces in your SPM, there's no reason 5 subject should be that hard. Sure, you need to push yourself, but then again it's only for your own good. And universities in UK such as Cambridge, Imperial prefer 5 subject students. Also, admission to NUS favors 5 subjects. But if you're aiming for local Uni, 4 would probably be the best, but don't even think of screwing up now haha

[lowxuan]

Well, why not a story of my friend who took Physics as his extra subject, and got A for it. Whereas Bio he got B+...

Think what would happened if your friend AND my friend both didn't take Physics. It doesn't mean they would score better in Bio. STPM is not only about effort, it's a bit about luck. Sometimes, no matter how good you are, the examiner just doesn't like your writing. My friend's Bio is always 80+... so there's no reason a B+ was there. A- is still believable. But yeah, I'll leave it as that.

As for 20% and 25%. I'm not sure... but personally if you have gotten straight aces in your SPM, there's no reason 5 subject should be that hard. Sure, you need to push yourself, but then again it's only for your own good. And universities in UK such as Cambridge, Imperial prefer 5 subject students. Also, admission to NUS favors 5 subjects. But if you're aiming for local Uni, 4 would probably be the best, but don't even think of screwing up now haha

FYI...I didnt screw up any of my subjects in STPM 2009 =x
Then..it doesnt mean that they WONT score better in Bio if they didnt take 5 subjects at the first place =)

I got 7-8 friends who get straight As in SPM2007...and yet...they don even get 3.5 in STPM 2009 =) so...SPM means nothing in STPM

nah...i don reckon the university above PREFER 5As student...who care about biology when you want to study Mechanical Engineering =_=

[markwongsk]

FYI, I took STPM too ^^

One STPMer took 5 subjects in STPM 2008 and is now in Cambridge Medicine. Another is in LSE doing Acturial Science. Yet another is in King's College doing Medicine. And there are NUS students with 5 subject, although GPA 3.5, getting admitted.

Of course all these are overseas students, again reinforcing my previous comment: If you want more options (read, consider overseas), 5 subjects is the way to go, because that's normally what's expected of their students in the first place.

What I'm trying to raise with the Bio part is that it doesn't mean taking 5 subjects is necessarily gonna "split your attention".

For Engineering, it's preferable to have Further Maths then.

For Medicine, it's better to have Physics.

For Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, it's better to have Physics + Bio.

It is true that SPM means nothing in STPM, only if you don't study smart. What I'm saying is that everything builds on the other. STPM builds upon your SPM knowledge and if you have shaky foundations that's going to be evident in STPM. If you got good grades in SPM, you should push yourself harder to get even better grades in STPM. Without motivation, you slack and you rot. One way to motivate is taking extra subjects, for the fun of it, and for the knowledge. That of course doesn't mean that students not taking 5 subjects
slack and rot. But if you're already the type that don't slack and don't rot, why not take 5 subjects in the first place?

[kaiyi]

SPM questions are like highway whereas STPM are like maze...interesting metaphor ^^

STPM does not only require understanding, but also memorise. That's why you have to work hard. Do well in SPM doesnt mean your STPM result will be good.

i took chinese as my fifth subject.so, it's quite 'useless' as i'm in science stream, is it?

you wont know the result when you decide to take either STPM or certain subject. But as long as you give all the best you can, it's a success already.

Your life wont be ruined just by not doing well in an exam.

[Eurytos]

Personally I feel that specific examples of "friends" are very inaccurate. Who knows i might have a "friend" that got 15 A1's in SPM and 5 F's in STPM. When discussing the pros and cons of a subject, in this case STPM, we take into account the hard facts presented by rules first.

When choosing between 5 subjects and 4 subjects for STPM, only 4 of the best 5 scores are used to calculate the GPA of your results (Local Universities). But then most overseas universities assess your overall results and relevance to degree programme applied. Yes, divided attention might be a factor that can be taken into account. But in the case based on hard facts alone, this factor depends more on one's perspective.

Then again, my "friend" could score 0 A's in SPM and win all 3 major science olympiads :)

[lowxuan]

FYI, I took STPM too ^^

One STPMer took 5 subjects in STPM 2008 and is now in Cambridge Medicine. Another is in LSE doing Acturial Science. Yet another is in King's College doing Medicine. And there are NUS students with 5 subject, although GPA 3.5, getting admitted.

Of course all these are overseas students, again reinforcing my previous comment: If you want more options (read, consider overseas), 5 subjects is the way to go, because that's normally what's expected of their students in the first place.

What I'm trying to raise with the Bio part is that it doesn't mean taking 5 subjects is necessarily gonna "split your attention".

For Engineering, it's preferable to have Further Maths then.

For Medicine, it's better to have Physics.

For Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, it's better to have Physics + Bio.

It is true that SPM means nothing in STPM, only if you don't study smart. What I'm saying is that everything builds on the other. STPM builds upon your SPM knowledge and if you have shaky foundations that's going to be evident in STPM. If you got good grades in SPM, you should push yourself harder to get even better grades in STPM. Without motivation, you slack and you rot. One way to motivate is taking extra subjects, for the fun of it, and for the knowledge. That of course doesn't mean that students not taking 5 subjects
slack and rot. But if you're already the type that don't slack and don't rot, why not take 5 subjects in the first place?

1st...y i don take bio in STPM..becoz i onli score B4 in SPM2007==

2nd...y i dowan take 5 subjects...becoz i took 13 subjects in SPM and onli get 9As and 4Bs in moral,chemistry,biology, chinese.

3rd ... during form 4 n 5...my result for all 3 sciences in school never ever exceed 50%==seriously...i don even noe how to calculate no. of moles during form 5 =x i learnt it onli until i was in STPM ><....and...i don even noe how to name ester during SPM == aiks...regret...if i put more effort in spm== i don think i'm still who i m now...aiks ><

4th...i never ever DARE to expect myself getting 4.0 in STPM ==

5th...i'm sooo lucky not to screw my STPM again as in SPM==

6th...thxx too my playfullnesss-attitude during SPM~_~

7th...awww ur fren areee sooo lucky to get Cambridge Med...aiks...my senior STPM 2008 cant even get med in any pub uni of msia~ he onli managed to get UKM Med after he appealed...hais...so sad...msi policies~=x

oh ya...pls don tell me ur 3.5 fren was admitted to NUS Electrical and electronic engineering or famous courses like medicine,pharmacy and so on~_~

if not...i think i better suicide.=x coz..sounds like my stpm cert are sooo CHEAP=_=

anyway...sry to offence u =x
SPM questions are like highway whereas STPM are like maze...interesting metaphor ^^

STPM does not only require understanding, but also memorise. That's why you have to work hard. Do well in SPM doesnt mean your STPM result will be good.

i took chinese as my fifth subject.so, it's quite 'useless' as i'm in science stream, is it?

you wont know the result when you decide to take either STPM or certain subject. But as long as you give all the best you can, it's a success already.

Your life wont be ruined just by not doing well in an exam.

seriosly...i feel my life was ruined when i screwed my SPM 2 years ago~_~..maybe becoz my mum always wanted me to get JPA scholarship and my SPM result doesnt secured me that JPA....and i feel sad to break my mum hope >_< i love my mum

u areeee soooo awesome to score welll in STPM chinese >< omg...it's like achieving the GREEN sky (ok== direct translate from the chinese's peribahasa)

Personally I feel that specific examples of "friends" are very inaccurate. Who knows i might have a "friend" that got 15 A1's in SPM and 5 F's in STPM. When discussing the pros and cons of a subject, in this case STPM, we take into account the hard facts presented by rules first.

When choosing between 5 subjects and 4 subjects for STPM, only 4 of the best 5 scores are used to calculate the GPA of your results (Local Universities). But then most overseas universities assess your overall results and relevance to degree programme applied. Yes, divided attention might be a factor that can be taken into account. But in the case based on hard facts alone, this factor depends more on one's perspective.

Then again, my "friend" could score 0 A's in SPM and win all 3 major science olympiads :)

anyway...i catch no ball~_~

[RevolveR]

I think it's the best to take onli 4 subjects...coz...if u take 5 subjects , u nid to "divide" ur concentration on 5 subjects equally...which mean 20% for each subject..if u take 4 subjects onli...then there will be 25% for each subject....maybe that 5% seems to be a small amount for u ....but i think it's better to score 4As rather than getting 3As 2B+ right? getting 4 flat is not an easy job...not to say getting 5As~_~...

so...wat's ur choice...if ur choice is ....GOOD AND STEADY....then 4 subjects...
if u wan RISK and the BEST...then 5 subjects =)

ok then..let's see...wat happen to 1 of my fren is...she took 5 subjects...she was a bio student and took phys as the 5th 1...

so..her result end up with. ....3As , 1B+ in physics and 1 B in bio...

try imagine...if she actually took 4 subjects onli (in physics stream)....she will definitely get CGPA 4.0....since that she self-study physics and yet she can score B+ ...(i'm not saying B+ is good nor bad) =)

ok..another story...y issit STPM hard...ok

1 of my fren....he/she scored 11A1 and 1A2 (chinese) in SPM 2007...then...he/she ended up with form six (i dunno wat's the reason la)....

then he/she chose to study bio...then..in my oppinion...he/she kinda playful throughout form 6 =(
guess wat...he/she ended up with CGPA 3.40...

he/she was actually a very very inteligent girl...he/she was the top among the top..in the school ever since primary school....

so...from that story...do u think that STPM is easy without study hard ? =) i will leave that to u.

hmm...actually STPM can be considered easy if u have the will...

another story...1 of my classmate...she is actually not a intelligent girl...but she is sooo dammm freaking hardworking during STPM......her result in the class is quite bad during lower six...then start from june of 2009...u can see her result improving...start to get B+ in chem and physics (she actually scored C b4 that)...

then in the end...she got A in chem...and others i 4get...but her cgpa is definitely above 3.0..

hmm...ok...personally...i think that STPM is based on 举一反三...coz, in my opinion...the questions i get from the real exam...is sooo much diff from the normal exercise we done....STPM is soo diff from SPM...

SPM's questions are sooooo direct like HIGHWAY...while STPM's are like 迷宫...for stpm...u nid to think deeeeeply into the questions in order to get the right answer...while for SPM...u onli nid to "Swallow" all the things in the book,...and juz "vomit" out during the exam...

if u r trying to do that in STPM...i advise u better jus 4get it..

(if u are post-spm-er..and denied wat i said....juz wait until u end up in form 6...and tell me wat u think =p...i'm experienced =_=)

so...STPM is SURPRISE~ if your heart is strong enuf to overcome the SHOCK....then STPM shud be no problem to u...and...congrats to u too...u will nvr ever get heart attack in your whole life... (ok..it's juz a description==)

yep.i will going for form 6 this year.my spm result not that bad but two science subs not pass D.math and addmath i got B for both.so i will head for art stream taking account one.well I do have the passion to aim 4 flat score since i did not do very well in spm last year.

oh yeah.one thing you reminded me.thanks though.i used to study like last minute in spm.XD of course i won't repeat for stpm again.i don't want to get horrible result ever again U.U

i envy your classmate's friend.i wish i could have the same hardworking ability like her.I don't know yet if i want to take 5 subject.i do think carefully its tough to cope all of them..tomorrow i will be buying stpm books.lol.revising early should be better for me before the game starts like hell in may.:cry

anyway,i am loyal to the gov.rofl.im not that rich..so even if god grant my wish getting 4flat,i would still taking for public Universities. ^_~

thanks for clearing up my worries!

[markwongsk]

3.5 friend is now studying in NUS Life Science which is quite a popular course (I was actually doubling in Chem E and Life Science in NUS before I came to CMU). And he is living in the best campus housing on NUS =)

But don't commit suicide seriously...

And congratulations for making a comeback despite the less-than-perfect SPM results! That's really an achievement!

And Kaiyi, A in Chinese is @<hidden>@<hidden> totally phenomenal =) I salute you!

And what Eurytos is trying to tell you is:
Don't give examples of your friends scoring Straight As in SPM but less than 3.5 in STPM because those are subjective. He wants us to look at the facts first which he points out are:

(a) The extra subject does not affect your GPA because you take 3 best subject + PA when considering local uni.

(b) Your extra subject WILL play a role in overseas uni evaluation (Eurytos is now in NTU studying Maths under scholarship. He took FM in 2008 yay =) )

(c) It is true that there will be more division of attention and you have to spend time to balance your CCAs. But given (a) and (b), (c) is really a perspective. For example, I took 5 subjects and was still a Head Prefect, involved in Boys' Brigade, taught Violin and Piano as a part-time teacher, taught Bible Knowledge in my school, was the Chess Club President and was the Conductor for my school's choir club. It's really how passionate you are about what you do. choogirl and tsar also have their lists of CCAs too. 5 subject is not a hindrance to do what you like!

Lastly, Carpe Diem, Per Aspera Ad Astra!