STPM , 5 subjects or four

hey,qould u guys encourage me to take five subjects or four.And if i take chinese as 5th subject , can it be used to replace science subjects when i apply for local u?

[kevinkhoo1986]

Personally i think it is useless to take chinese subject. Just in case you want to become a chinese teacher in primary school or secondary school. I think none of our universities willing to take chinese as a replacement for science subject. By the way, chinese is a language subject while science is a science subject. Both are not relevent at all. I doubt they would accept it.

[chenchow]

Personally, I don't think it can be used as substitute, and taking a mere Chinese subject, may not be sufficient for you to go for Chinese Major too. So, check for details first.

However, if you just want to take for mere learning, then no harm.

[chenchow]

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

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

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

[baby-doc86]

i am stil considering if i want to take further maths........does anyone know about tat subject? is it very difficult to get a? i heard most of d ppl said tat it is extremely hard......thanks

[chenchow]

baby-doc86, I don't have the national statistic of it, but I look at the statistic of my school for Lanjutan.

6 students took it STPM 2003, and 1 get A, 3 get A-, the other two I know they pass based on the stats given by the school, but not sure what grade they get.

[kevinkhoo1986]

By the way, what is the difference between Math T and Math S??? Which one is tougher?

[wawa]

Math T (Tulen) is for science students. Maths S is for arts students, I think.

My friends (5 of them) used to complain how hard Lanjutan is, but all of them got A for it (100% A for school), so i guess its a relative matter. Be prepared to put in a lot of effort. :D

[chenchow]

Wow!!! Chung Ling must be doing very well for their MLT... All As!!! I guess those who wish to challenge themselves in the learning should take up the challenge, but remember that only the top 4 courses would count, at least based on the current system. So, you don't take it because you think 5As are better than 4As, but if say you are not too good in Chemistry, but very good in Math, you can take 5 courses including MLT, to get 4As(PA, Math, MLT, Physics). So, you are still perfect scorer.

[Daniel]

Wow!!! Chung Ling must be doing very well for their MLT... All As!!! I guess those who wish to challenge themselves in the learning should take up the challenge, but remember that only the top 4 courses would count, at least based on the current system. So, you don't take it because you think 5As are better than 4As, but if say you are not too good in Chemistry, but very good in Math, you can take 5 courses including MLT, to get 4As(PA, Math, MLT, Physics). So, you are still perfect scorer.

Is there any difference in term of GCPA if i got 4 A's for STPM while in another case i got 4 A's and a B ?? I would still get Maximum 4.0 for both of the cases? or lesser for the second case? I am thinking to take an extra Subjects.

[oinkoink]

I think taking four subjects is enough, so tat you can focus on these subjects more and excel in it. Unless you're aiming for some scholarship or need some outstanding results to apply for certain uni or courses, take 5 la.. but u're making a risk also.

[chenchow]

Daniel, I think it is 4.0 for IPTA purposes, but double check with the ministries to be double sure.

[pandaboy]

i think.....its good to take 5 subjects if u can manage ur time...
there will be some kind of advantage with extra subs..
like for example for uk unis, they do lower the requirement if u take extra subs for their alevels...like 4 subs instead of the normal 3 subs they required.
furthermore, u can gain extra knowledge by taking the 5th subject for stpm, aint that a good thing?

but then again, if u think u cant manage to cope with it, take 4...

[irislow87]

hello everyone..i'm a new member n i am planning to go 4 f6.
i hv a few question here...hope anyone can answer me...
I hope i would be able to get into NUS in sg n from wht i found out from the website,for the STPM students must hv taken at least 4 advanced subject including Pengajian Am.Does this mean tht i hv to take altogether 5 subjects?N izzit true tht mathematics T is for science students ?i am a science students n planning to take biomedical science or biotech in future..If i hv to take 5 subjects,taking bio,physics n chemistry izzit a wise choice?I am only interested in bio n chem though.
Anyone can answer my ques?

[chenchow]

irislow87, welcome on board ReCom.org~!

I think you have had a typo in your post, you say 4 advanced subject including pengajian am, and from what I deduce from your post, you want to mean excluding right?

I think NUS would expect students to take 5 subjects, but I think they do take students that took 4 subjects. If I don't remember wrongly, wawa (Lin Lee, a ReCom member who is currently at NUS)took 4 subjects right?

I will let other ReComers to respond to the other questions, since I don't think I know sufficient to do so.

[nxwen]

I think it's including PA. That means you just need 4 subjects for your STPM. Do correct me if I'm wrong as I'm going to try for NUS.

Yeah, Math T is for science students. Triple science will do nicely. You will have more choices when applying for uni.

[stevemc90]

IF you're planning to enrol in foreign unis (overseas not their branches in Msia), you MUST take FIVE! :)

[chenchow]

IF you're planning to enrol in foreign unis (overseas not their branches in Msia), you MUST take FIVE! :)

I am not too sure about elsewhere, but if you are looking at enrolling in universities in US, there is no need to take 5 courses in STPM. Basically, the more courses that you take in STPM/A Level, would help you in getting advanced placement credits, but in terms of admission, there won't be much difference.

[stevemc90]

oh, five for unis in UK them coz it's stated in their booklet. sorry for the error :D

[Jin]

Erm, I want to ask if I take 5 subjects which are PA, Econs, Business Studies, History and Chinese in STPM, how does the GCPA count? divide the 5 subjects i took or divide 4 of the best among 5 subjects? I hope to study law after STPM... :roll:

[seahjiachen]

i think u should refer to this thread http://recom.org/forum/showthread.php?t=8529
what are u planning to do next time anyway?

[kaiyi]

if u r taking 5, CGPA is counted from the best 4 result.
anyway, taking chinese as fifth subject is not a sin(that's what im doing though im a science student).
your CGPA will be more beautiful, haha.

[han72890]

it would be great for having the ideas of taking chinese as fifth subject.It will definitely grants you something more than just another A in stpm.

well,for 5 subjects,PA will be included in CGPA and 3 other best subject to be taken .

[tsar]

There is only one question you have to ask when taking 5 subjects - Why am I taking 5 subjects?

Remember, MPM only allows you to take 1 additional subject. That, while essentially meaning we won't see a 20A STPM student anytime soon, also means that you're given a bit (not much) of flexibility in the breadth of subjects you choose. I say this only because most schools package it to suit IPTA requirements (hence science and arts streams).

So if you're merely taking an extra subject for breadth or because you simply enjoy studying a particular subject (economics, literature, chinese for example), then by all means go ahead.

But, if you're tailoring your subject combination to suit university requirements (let's face it, we're in STPM to go to university), then you might want to think long and hard, especially since different universities have different requirements. Does the university prefer breadth? or does it prefer a more academic approach? If it's the latter, you might want to consider Further Maths T or Physics for a Bio package, since an arts subject is unlikely to enhance your application. It may even be detrimental - you might not meet the subject requirements. Some universities require Further Math for their Mathematics course alongside Maths T and Physics, so if you're aiming for those universities you might want to take up Further Maths as your extra subject.

[markwongsk]

An extension of tsar's comment:

Most Malaysian universities that require Further Mathematics as a requirement will have an alternative to Further Mathematics. However, if you are trying to apply to UK universities for example Cambridge, it is advisable for you to have Further Mathematics if you are doing engineering course.

Also, do keep in mind that if you're going to US you can transfer your credits from STPM to your university.

If you're planning to go to Singapore a triple Science is better than double Maths for Chem and Bio field, but if you are going into something Physics/Maths related, take double maths instead.

Good luck ^^

[icy]

Erm, i want to ask if I take
5 subjects which are PA, Prinsip Perakaunan, Econs, Business Study and Maths S in STPM, how would the CGPA count??? Which is divide by the 5 subjects or the best 4 subjects among the 5??:amuse

[lowxuan]

Erm, i want to ask if I take
5 subjects which are PA, Prinsip Perakaunan, Econs, Business Study and Maths S in STPM, how would the CGPA count??? Which is divide by the 5 subjects or the best 4 subjects among the 5??:amuse

best 3 (except PA) + pa are taken to calculate ur cgpa