[size=7] I got 8A's from last year's PMR and i'm in science stream this year. Everyone is saying that starting from Form 4 its gonna be very very hard. Although its only 2 weeks since the first day of school, I'm already feeling a bit of the pressure from the all the subjects in science stream especially add math and 3 of the science subjects.Im taking ADD MATH.MODERN MATH, BIO , CHEM , PHYS , MORAL , ENG , BM , BC , HIST & ACCOUNTS.Unfortunately the Bio, Chem, Add Math, Modern Math teachers that are teaching my class for this year aren't so "professional" . So i guess i have to study by my own and that means working harder. Im gonna buy some buku rujukan and some exercises.

Any Big Brothers and Sisters out there who had done well in SPM ,STPM or something like that teach me ways to study? Cos Form 4 is totally different from what it is used to be in Form 3. Any tips and special ways in memorizing, studying?!?!?!? Anything related to this topic is welcomed, no matter what subject. I also need to know what GOOD workbooks to buy, what subjects to go for tuition, how to prepare before monthly tests and so on. It will be great if anyone of you can guide me if i happen to have any problem in the future.

Any assistance is greatly appreciated.


And please continue to post any useful information regarding to this topic, you'll be saving a lot of Form 4 freshman's life out there

EDITED 15/1

Im planning on buying work books for Add Maths and 3 of the Science subjects. Any recommendations? I remember last time the workbooks i bought before PMR, they are all crappy. Crappy in which i mean the answers are crappy, the questions are crappy, and the price is crappy. So please mention a few GOOD workbooks out there for me, Physic and Add maths are the killer subjects for me( i think ). So im gonna work really hard on this SPM thingy, or else my dream of getting scholarships to go overseas will be starting to fade away...

This post has been edited by kaiserks3338: Jan 15 2010, 06:35 PM

I remember pelangi books are good for reference :-) what subjects to go for tuition? add maths, chemistry and physics? What subjects do you like most? Maths? Special ways of memorizing.. hm.. subjects like chemistry..bio..add maths, its better to understand before you decided to memorize... you have to do more exercises then.. of cos u still have to memorize those scientific terms and equations...

at first will be quite hard.. guess its normal for everyone.. but months and months later.. you will find yourself adapt to those subjects.. and understand them better than now..

Thanks, and for your information my weakest subject is math and my favorite subject is chemistry and physics @@

oh then do more exercises.. keep practicing maths everyday :-) score A book is good for exercises.. dont know if its still available in the market..

One tip: The internet is the best resource. Tonnes and tonnes of guides, answers, and tips. Start googling on each subject or chapter Good Luck! Sometimes books might contain inaccurate information, for example, it is widely known that some details in our Sejarah textbook is inaccurate (if u know what I mean).

I recall most of the reference books are actually a copy of the textbook with extra diagrams and more organised. Do check if the copies you wish to purchase is one of that kind.

I will suggest that you look for tuitions if you find yourself cannot cope with the studies. Self-study may not work very well in some cases and you ought to make it a strong foundation so that you can proceed to Pre-U and further. You need all those knowledge eventually.

relax and play more... dont waste your youth studying so hard.. if its meant to be then its meant to be.. everything is fated.. dont push yourself too hard..

i have seen my firends last time who used to be damn smart until form 3 then suddenly drop off.. everyone has got a limit..

maybe go for tuition

For the 3 sciences, I suggest SUCCESS reference books. Honestly, these books are really detailed and the explainations in the book is pretty good. I didn't really pay atention in class as my 3 science teachers cannot teach at all. Not to say i'm a professional or anything, but it's true. No one in the class actually pays attention. However, I managed to get A1's for Chem & Bio because of these sucess books. As for Physics, I managed to grab only a B. That's cause I really don't like physics, so.. yeah.
DO MAKE SURE,
1. You understand the particular topic the teacher is talking about. Never EVER accumulate them then try to understand all at one go just before the exam starts. It does not work that way
2. History requires constant reading and understanding. Don't ever rely on all the tips/craps. Just read everything. Some topics are pretty interesting, so just read it before the teacher actually starts teaching them. Then when the teacher starts teaching that topic, you'll find it easier to absorb
3. Do pass year questions. Even though you're only in Form 4, just do them. They aren't tough, and you can roughly know the type of questions that'll be tested

Good Luck.

Cool down . let me share my experience i am a straight a student too for pmr and i started my year just like you. i am not finish with spm but i think you can do it especially if u like to memories things like biology it quite fun actually. i think you have to practice more on addmath/ chem/ physics as practice makes perfect.

OMG I had already bought Chemistry and Biology reference books from Sasbadi!! Nexus PRO....

Nexus Pro is good for Mod maths. Others, please try to use success books. And for history- NO reference books. Read all from the text book The information is more than enough!

SUCCESS is better ... maybe u can sell those books to ur other friends haha. But i realise that SUCCESS books has a lot of additional stuffs though, good if you want to learn more =P

Yes, FORM 4 is much more different than FORM 3. I'm a science student too, pure science without account/econs/or perdagangan (cause I hate accounts). Well, I did took extra subject for SPM, that is Bible Knowledge =) I was facing the same problem too, when I was in FORM 4.

ADD MATH : You have to do tonnes and tonnes of questions, approximately 100 questions in 2 days, 50 per day. Especially past year question for add maths (Important)

Modern Math : Same as add math.

Biology : All you got to do is to memorize everything (including their scientific name), internet helps too! Don't forget, Discovery channel also helps! =) and of course you gotta use your KBKK whenever you do the questions..

Chemistry : I'm suck at it =( But nevermind. I used to go for chemistry tuition, and my teacher told everyone of us, we should do more exercises like Past year papers. and definitely, you must be good at their names, eg Hg= Mercury, Sn= Tin, Ag = Silver Al = Aluminium, Agcl = Silver chloride, SnO =Tin oxide and etc etc.

Physics : Same as add math. This subject is related to math/add math and it's all about calculation, application and how the thing works. You apply the formula and you will get the answer for calculation =)

Don't worry, you'll soon get use to it. You must have good basics (especially BIO,CHEM & PHYS) so you won't scratch your head when you're in FORM 5, cause form 5 is a bit tougher..

dun think 8As in pmr will grant anything for u ...spm is totally different story.

bt it is nt very hard oso, just play play flirt flirt and study can score well !

i seldom did the reference book coz too many mistakes. but what i did is went for tuition for addmath, physic and chemistry. form 4 usually would be tough a bit. but when u go form 5, u would feel a sudden relieve. duno this apply to u or not but i did.

I agree. 8A's is useless when you come to SPM. This is what happening to me. So don't be too happy or proud with your achievement. I am telling you the truth. Hope you can understand.

Modern Maths is an easy subject. It should not be a problem for you to study by yourself. If you face some problem, just ask anyone in this forum or your senior will do. Seeking advice and guidance from your senior is always a good approach to study well. I saw a poster recommends you Nexus Pro for Modern Maths but my teacher recommends us Pelangi. I used it for the past two years. Not bad though. If you want more examples, Nexus Pro is your choice.

Moral is the only subject which needs to memorize constantly 36 nilai definition and keywords. For KBKK part, it is not very tough. Common sense and general knowledge are needed.

My favorite subject is history No memorizing. Memorizing history facts is a VERY VERYstupid act. You just need to know or understand those ciri2, sbab2, faktor2, kesan2 and so on by making notes. You can make some short notes too if you find some parts are difficult to understand or remember by reading textbook. Make it short and simple for you to understand. I encourage you to use short form to save your time. Pay more attention on those important parts at every topic. Some chronologies and others are difficult to remember. For example, sistem kangani, sistem tiket kredit and more in bab 10 form 4. For me, I will draw simple comic to have better understanding. Study constantly and do more exercise is the key to get A. For sejarah exercise book, I strongly recommend you pelangi exercise book.

I can't help you in Add Maths, Physics, Bio and Chem. I flunk them but not for others. Good luck to you

Ive gt 8As in PMR too but only managed to get 7As in SPM T_T
The important thing is dun feel that u aldy gt 8As in PMR and u goin to score well in SPM also..
My frens gt 8As in PMR and end up to get onli 3As in SPM..
Study smart and focus in your class..
Even tho ur teachers not profesional jux like u said..its okay coz in study we cant blame teacher..
They still get their salary every month and what do we gt by blaming them..
What u can do is go for tution,do more exercises and u can refer to other teachers in ur school beside ur teachers that teaching u..
When I was SPM,I used more than one published for revision books..
Since I weak in physics,so I bought 2 different books which was pelangi and longman..
Dun wory too much ^^..u still have more time to go..but still use the time well ^^v
Im sure u can score flying colour result in SPM as well..

You have to keep on practising, especially for add math & math subject. When teacher is teaching, pay good attention and don't dreaming. Finish all the homework. For extra self practice, buy a good workbook to practice further, anything don't understand can go ask teacher.

For the science subjects, I think physics is most difficult of all, 2nd is chemistry, easiest is bio. Memorising work won't help much here, understanding is the key to score! Understand the concept, get the idea, if just merely memorising its like half past six, very dangerous.

if want to go tuition, normally people will go for add math & physics, which are more challenging.

Just remember to pay attention in class, take good notes, do homework, put extra effort do extra practice, and not shy to ask teacher.

lols. seriously, u are pushing yrself abit too much dude. relax. You're still young, there's of course this strange feeling of suddenly learning so many things that you dont know.
For science, there's a suggestion. Unlearn what you've learned during PMR level. the concept of Physics, Chem and Bio maybe slightly contradicting to
your understanding of science. To input further, u have to forget/replace ur old theories. this is because when u study something into greater depth,
theories tend to contradict, and u have to update urself. Go like a freshie and learn what's taught.
And for addmath, ITS normal that you dont understand anythng, or cant puzzle out the solution as fast as ur friends did. Its common to fail ( yes, I am bloody telling u to be prepared and not break down) during ur 1st sem test, and doing well on yr 1st attempt doesnt assure a smooth flow til SPM.
I failed twice out of 4 test in form4. kinda cocky. but I topped the class when I was form 5.
You do need to work hard, practise alot, and DONT FEEL shy to consult anyone for help. Education is for us to learn.
Buku rujukan, u can consult other friendly seniors here, I am too old for this. But I can recall 40% of my books are still clean. lol

I admit Form 3 to Form4 is a damn big gap. Til now, I still think so. But that's just a part of life. What you think you are capable to do at this age may not be what you are capable of doing in the future, it may be even more beyond ur expectation.
When your thinking would have matured, trust me, everything will be a piece of cake ( to understand logically), but scoring is a matter to do with
how much effort u put in to study hard.

At this point of age, you will start inclining yrself towards the field that you like. A major segregation is between Art and Sciences,
if ur interest on science is strong, u may feel History and Accounting is not ur cup of tea ( not due to scores, but ur personal interest) or vice versa.
Dont limit urself, cause when your exposure is bigger, u interest concurrently changes accordingly.

Form 4 is the time you discover a bigger world, make friends with those around you as well as those form other streams.
Compare and chill out how miserable you and ur friend's life can be.learn the difference. lol.

Bout tutorials,
1st try out self learning by getting reference books.
If that doesn't work out well, go for tuition class.
Dont kill urself by registering for all subjects, just those that you can hardly understand what the textbook is writing about.

all the best.

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Added on January 15, 2010, 2:51 pmYea, As much as i recall.
keep saying that the Britains scam our government so much, and cheated on royalties.
They just dont wanna admit our Sultans are dumb, dont they?

This post has been edited by RyukA: Jan 15 2010, 02:51 PM

Don't Google cause the sources on the internet not accurate to the SPM marking schemes. The facts maybe correct, but the marking scheme uses very specific sources only.

For add maths, practice makes perfect. Tuition if u thinks its necessary.

History just memorize, no other way. memorize smartly with key words.

Chemistry, physics n biology study them normally like science in pmr, but keep doing the past years, most of the questions for the 3 science subjects repeat themselves or are almost similar, if u can notice the trend.

I recommend Pelangi revision books as I found most teachers were using them as the main marking scheme for school exams in my sch. So i think the teachers must be using them for a reason.

Read your reference books and do intensive exercises with your "soalan latihan" and you are good to go. SPM is not that hard to be honest.

Regards, Joey

Hi there, i finished my spm last year, and am now currently waiting for my results. So while my memory is still somewhat fresh, i would like to share my experiences with you.

Firstly, i'm a pure science student too, only difference between me and you is, i don't take Pend. Moral, Bahasa Cina and Prinsip Akaun. So i will have no comment on these subjects.

However for the other subjects, these are in my opinion and based purely from what i have experienced.

#Bahasa Melayu#
-to comment on this subject will only result in a biased opinion because i personally do not like this language very much. Its the only reason i got 3a and 5b for my pmr. But anyway, bm isn't all 100% pure language skills, there are tips and methods to get the proper amount of marka for certain sections.

Like in rumusan, paper 2, there is actually a formula or method to answer it. Even i as a total fail in bm find rumusan an easy way to get an extra 28 marks.

Bm in spm has two papers, no objective questions. In paper 1 you have to write 2 karangan. In paper 2 its divided into rumusan, komsas, tatabahasa and novel.

Basically, if you're weak in bm or just average, it'll be best if you started paying attention and putting alot of effort since form 4, unlike the easier subjects like modern mathematics and english.


#Bahasa Inggeris#
-Bahasa inggeris or BI is an easy subject, if you have a proper foundation in it. Judging by the way you type, its safe to say you have an upper hand in this subjects compared to those who aren't brought up in an english environment. It is, without a doubt, the easiest to get an a for the marking system is pretty lenient.(this is from what i've observed after spending a few months with my teacher who is an spm english paper marker and exercise book author. Feel free to deny this statement if you feel necessary.)

My tips for BI is, one to know the plot and understand the short stories in form 4 and in the novel, the pearl. If you understand the story and its storyline, it will be an easy task ahead. Believe me.

#Sejarah#
- please don't jump to the conclusion that sejarah is a very boring, waste of time subject. It is totally opposite of what you think it is. In my opinion, the form 4 text book is quite a bore if you ask me. A few pages and you'd go, tl;dr. So if you don't mind long walls of texts, then the form 4 textbook is fine. I notice that most of the buku rujukan for sejarah always omit certain crucial points in a certain topic.
On the other hand, the form 5 text book is very concise and not long winded unlike the form 4 text book. One advice i'd give to all my juniors is, READ THE FORM 5 TEXT BOOK NO MATTER WHAT. It definitely isn't a waste of time. If possible, read one sub topic once every few days.

In a nutshell, sejarah for form 4 can be quite a bore, but if you're used to the text book in form 4, form 5 would be a very interesting experience.

#Mathemathics(modern)#
Ah this is one subject you can afford to slack for one year, and still score in form 5. But don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean you should slack. I'm just saying you can catch up and score even if you slacked alot.

The only topic that's difficult would be angles i guess. Matrices, lines and angles, 3d planes are easy for me. If you're more of an observant person, these topics wouldn't be that difficult.


#Additional Mathemathics#
Yes, like everyone knows, this is the killer subject of all science students, where you spend 4 and a half hours, perah-ing your otak solve 25 + 12 questions.

Add math was tough for me i'd say. Practice is the key. A strong foundation in algebra will definitely help in form 4, but when it comes to form 5, topics like calculus and statistics will be a real prick in the butt.

Practice is the main key to score in this subject. I'm sure everyone will agree to this. But you need to understand the topic too. No understanding will definitely cause you to fail without a doubt. So make sure you understand the topic, and practice hard. Real real hard. Like 20-50 questions a day kind of hard.

Failing IS a very common thing in most classes. Don't get too shocked and traumatised when you get 28/100 or something like that. Never, ever be affected by the results you achieve in school. Spm is the final boss(lol it seems i've been playing too much borderlands) and throw up all 2 years of knowledge into the final moment.


#Chemistry#
Ah yes, my favourite subject out of the three. Why? Because its abstract and interesting. Chemistry is easy to score. Honestly. Why? Because its a study smart subject. Spm papers will most likely contain a very large amount of past year questions. Spm chemistry questions are easy to spot and understand.

If you can understand the concept easily, it will be a great help. Even a person with average memorizing abilities will be able to score, given they know the technique.


#Biology#
Yes, the english and more difficult version of sejarah. If you have a keen interest in bio, it would most definitely help in memorizing the facts. However, the questions in spm bio aren't easy to score. The questions require a certain way to answer, and require certain keywords in order to get full marks for one question. Bio requires alot of time to analyse and study for. Something i wasn't very good. At least the stories you learn in sejarah are more intersting and somewhat have a storyline.

#Physics#
Haa its not too difficult actually. The only crucial thing one will need in physics is the understanding of the topic. If you are able to relate the concepts you learnt to your current environment, it will most definitely be a plus for you. Not much memorizing, most of the formulas are given. You just need to know where, and how to apply them to in each situation. Most of the problems my friends face is the time to use the formula. Which is why, like i said earlier, grasp the concept fully first. From then on, everything will seem easier and clearer.


Thats about it i guess. And one last thing pertaining to the 3 science subjects, physics, bio and chem: learn how to score in paper 3. Paper 3 is the paper that decides whether you pass, or score an a.


With that, i'd like to wish the ts good luck and don't get too distracted with girls ah! Assuming you're a boy that is. Relationships are a no-no. But if you're seriously curious about girls, make sure you pay as much attention to your books just as you would with your girl. And don't regret if things go wrong. Never look back. Always aim for spm. Its the crucial forkroad of your future you're working hard for here.

Lol relationships are no-no xD
Well,if can laaa..dun involve in dis kind of lovey dovey rship yet lol
But if cant..well,u nid to knw how to manage time kk ^^v

This post has been edited by kairiRoxy: Jan 15 2010, 05:28 PM

The best solution is ask those teachers who are markers in SPM. They will provide to you useful and updated information.

Their BM and BI literature syllabi have being entirely changed. They don't study what we studied. I prefer their syllabus because they have drama in English literature.

lovey dovey rship is sweet

]After reading all the posts from you all. Im planning on buying work books for Add Maths and 3 of the Science subjects. Any recommendations? I remember last time the workbooks i bought before PMR, they are all crappy. Crappy in which i mean the answers are crappy, the questions are crappy, and the price is crappy. So please mention a few GOOD workbooks out there for me, Physic and Add maths are the killer subjects for me( i think ). So im gonna work really hard on this SPM thingy, or else my dream of getting scholarships to go overseas will be starting to fade away....

Thanks you all for helping, now I know what and how i will be studying. But feel free to post any comments relating to this topic, im sure it'll be able to help me a lot.

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Added on January 15, 2010, 6:28 pmThanks for this wonderful post


This post has been edited by kaiserks3338: Jan 15 2010, 06:28 PM

Hi.i would recommend FOKUS for chem reference book, SUCESS for physic and biology.Most of subjects in science stream require you to understand the subject well.Basic is very important though.Try not to set in your mind that you hate a particular subject.That will make you lost interest in even trying to understand the subject.Anyway,don't be so stressed out bout form 4 although it is important but i am sure u still can catch up at form 5 even though u were on your honeymoon at form 4.Good Luck

Take up tuition for science subject. its helps.

i mean FOr 3 BIo CHem and PHy if u Pro enough no need la.

But Add Math i really really recommend u to take tuition.

oh pleaaaaase.
trust me u will wanna get real friendly with those girls in class.
Getting along well with them feels sooo good. xD
but to do it well is to get the balance stil.

TS, may be you have no idea,
but you have no idea how these gals can turn out to be beauties when they graduate from SPM.
hehe, the school uniform degrades their potential. xD

Play hard, study hard.

Yea,play hard,study hard. It is ok to get in a relationship as long as u can maintain ur result.

Lol haha..well I gt to admit that is true
TS,jux study smart..if u wan to flirt2 thingy oso can but jux nid to handle it well kk ^^v

I wanna get chicks but no chicks want me, cant get along with girls in my class, some of them look good but i can guarantee most of them have mental problems, serious one.

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Added on January 15, 2010, 10:41 pmThanks but what about exercise books?

This post has been edited by kaiserks3338: Jan 15 2010, 10:41 PM

Dang.. TS i think i know you.. exactly the same name in Youtube.

I'm form 4 this year too, and from the comments here it seems like most people here deemed physics and additional maths as tough . IMO, physics isn't really that hard, or maybe i'm just talking about the earlier chapters since it's just the 2nd week of school, so not much exposed yet. As for additional maths, really require more practices and it can get really confusing. When i look at the working steps, i understand it after taking some time to comprehend it.. but when i were to do the exercise my mind go almost totally blank.. and i need to refer back . It's one of the subjects that i feel insecure in.

And i would also like to suggest people to stop stereotyping about students not liking Sejarah. It's a very old stereotype already. I like Sejarah over many other subjects and i've many many friends who share my views, or should i say the majority. This "Sejarah is boring" sentiment is actually passed down by the elder students, either passed down through the elder sisters/brothers and then keep on transmitting to the rest of the students , and end up that these students who say that sejarah is boring are actually just trying to adapt to what other people tell them. But in the end, people who are willing to learn and do not let others influence them will eventually realize that Sejarah is not boring. History is merely a story except that it really happened and it's the past.



And yes i'm quite interested in History myself. No past no present. I'm actually quite happy with the first few chapters of the form 4's Sejarah textbook, which included more world-wide things such as early world civilizations and such. Unlike all the Form 1-3 Sejarah where only Malaysian history is taught, but sorry to say though, they're trashy, and as someone mentioned before, many of the contents are biased and inaccurate.



Yeah i've many teachers who aren't so "professional" as well, but fortunately my additional math teacher is quite professional enough.

Well actually I'm not planning to buy any reference book, cuz if i do my mom will surely tell me to use my sister's old reference books . But i thought of buying some workbooks for additional maths, well at least to increase my understanding. I'm not struggling too hard currently... I'm unfortunately in the lazy category. I just wish i've at least half of your hardworking-ness.

Are you taking Accounts + BC? Then you must have 11 subjects? I took Accounts too and i'm considering another subject, bible knowledge that is.

LOL, dude.

with ur liking to History.
I am pretty sure you will like the chapter where the Tamadun Tamadun stuffs come in. Good luck with the names. xD

For the seniors out there: We seem to enjoyed it quite alot.

I'm talking about the first few chapters where it's about the ancient civilization. Not much names to remember there. I actually flipped through the chapters already and... why the hell is it all about Islam. I know, i will get bored when i go further into the chapters . The textbook should be labeled "Sejarah Islam" and not "Sejarah".. *sigh*.

Dont worry.. we had gone through it.. and we survived. ( most of us, i hope)

So will you.

Treat sejarah like a story book xD
Like form 4 bab 4 - bab 6 (nabi muhammad's journey)

YUP! ACC + BC all 11 of them.....WTF moment...whats your youtube username?

I don't have time to go through all the posts but this is what I have to say, start early, be consistent, and most important UNDERSTAND what you are learning, don't learn blindly.

Derive your own concepts which will help you to understand concepts in physics, add maths, chemistry and biology. Many people say Pelangi is useless, too thick, information overload but I beg to differ. They go into great length in explaining every reasons, like why size of elements increase across the periodic table, etc.

You know me . Check your pm.

This post has been edited by M1dN1ght: Jan 17 2010, 01:30 AM

form 4 form 5 need go tuition.
the easiest way to score As.

For maths that u said ur weak in,theres only way to memorize the formula but not to solve the questions so constant practice is needed.For Chemistry,its important to know what is the outcome out combining the 2 substance most of the questions are base on that.for physics and bio,i have no idea because im not taking bio and i sux in physics..haha:)
bout the buku rujukan,i think pelangi is quite good.as for exercise,i think most of it are the same. all the best