Hi, friends. I have just gotten my SPM results yesterday. It's panicky enough, I would say. But the next panicky thing is I have to choose my path after SPM.

I got straight 10As.

I want to ask whether Form 6, matriculation or A-levels, which is the best option?

I would be really grateful if you explain what's the differences. I have been very confused with these.

And one more thing, I do not know why people said Form 6 is wasting our time. Is the duration longer or something? PLs tell me.

Thanks. ^^

If you think you're able, and you want to study overseas (it's also possible to win scholarships from a variety of sources with A Level), I recommend a very fair, widely used, and highly recognised exam -> A Level. Not easy, even good students can struggle. But if you're good enough or work hard enough, you could end up with really good results.

Form 6- Where poor students who couldn't afford A-levels take this. Some takes up as a challenge. People said that F6 is wasting time because the duration a little longer than A-level and there's no guarantee you can succeed. Form 6 is a very hard exam and if you are success, you can use it to apply overseas.

Matriculation is one year program. You don't have to waste much time. Hard to get in if you are non-bumi (but it's not impossible).

Thanks for your information. I'm not planning to study overseas because of financial problems. It seems that A-level is convincing enough though.

So, Form 6, matriculation and A-levels, all of them are equally difficult?

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Added on March 22, 2012, 5:36 pmMy parents still can afford me to send me to college. But I thought Form 6 will be a brand new challenging thing to me, but I'm a little afraid to give a try for it. I heard from my relatives and friends, Form 6 is very hard.

I am not bumiputera, so my chance to get in is slimmer? *sigh* I did applied for matriculation.

This post has been edited by jeongmal: Mar 22 2012, 05:36 PM

My friend who got into matrics told me she's fed up when someone always told her "waah matrics easy life lo". Matrics is not hard as A-level or F6 but if you didn't do well in it, you won't get into IPTA either. F6 is a little harder than A-level. Well, the point is doesn't matter which pre-u you going to take, just do well in it.

Just don't lose hope for matrics! If I remember correctly, three of my friends (non-bumi) accepted into matrics.

This post has been edited by mintyais: Mar 22 2012, 05:39 PM

I agree with you, must do well in whatever you're taking. ^^
I will keep an eye for matriculation( is only 1 year, right?)

For form 6, the duration is 2 years, right?

What's the difference between form 6 and matriculation? I am kinda blur. Do you mind explaining? Thanks so much!

Form 6's syllabus are much deeper than Matrics's syllabus. Hence the duration of Form 6 much longer than Matrics. People said that when you take Form 6, you will suffered and when you get into university, you will be just fine. Matrics life easy at first but get harder when you enter university.

This post has been edited by mintyais: Mar 22 2012, 05:54 PM

Do you feel like studying in overseas? If yes, get scholarship(or you can get it after A Level), take A Level, do well and tadaaa. Try KYUEM.

This post has been edited by Dagger69: Mar 22 2012, 05:58 PM

Okies, I got your point. Thanks for the explanation. ^^

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Added on March 22, 2012, 6:03 pmI'm not planning to study overseas. Thanks for your advice. ^^

This post has been edited by jeongmal: Mar 22 2012, 06:03 PM

Walao .. Thought of omitting Matriculation if I were chosen .. and going to form 6 for sure ..

But now .. I don't know .. I think I've a high chance to enter Matriculation(I'm non bumi) but my dad is a government-retiree and I'm financially challenged .. I'm not very competitive as well (just 7A)

i was from matriculation, doing fine now in uni. i think perhaps it depends on the courses .

TS, if u do not plan to go overseas, i recommend u to go for matric. it's easier to score and easier for u to get into local uni. matric is faster(duration) than STPM and u'll learn to be independent as well as to socialize with people of different races.

This post has been edited by Agent 45: Mar 22 2012, 11:27 PM

I say go for a-levels, if you have a change of mind, maybe a-lvl will give you boost. With your amazing grades, go apply for a scholarship with a college, but better do it fast.

In a-level you only need to do 3 subjects but some take up 4. Taking 4 a-level subjects is going to be a tough challenge. I know two of my friends who change their minds and gave up one subject because it was too tough for them. When one chooses a-level, they will have a bit of idea on which path they want to go. Usually, you will either be in the arts or science stream.

it's pretty simple really...

if you want (or can only afford) to go to ipta, do matrik...it's the easiest, and the best chance of getting good results....and will get preference into ipta....

if you want and can afford to do private education, do a levels....it is also the easiest to get good grades, and most ipts are pretty lax on what they want from a levels....you will almost be guaranteed the course you want....even critical ones....

if no money, and not a malay and did not get a place in matrik, then do stpm, but be prepared for poorer results, and not getting the course that you want....

I would like to think that you study smart in your study so that you didn't lose out to F6 students.

Agent 45, if you don't mind can I know is there's a lot non-bumi students in your batch that time? I think the system is getting not strict now.

This post has been edited by mintyais: Mar 23 2012, 12:22 AM

Form 6 is a waste of time (ok too lazy to talk about the dis/advantages of this)

with 10As, you could try applying for scholarships to further your studies... To my understanding A-Levels/Matrics like OSSD, AusMat, SAMs/ADTP are all world recognised. But most would say that A-Levels give the widest platform to continue from to further your studies.

No doubt A-Levels is the best option, but it's also the hardest as it's all theoretical. Matrics like OSSD or AusMats tend to be slightly easier as they split their course to half assignment based and half final exams, so it focus on both theory and the application of theory.

The choice is up to you, you have to see whether are you a book person or assignment based person. Try going around Open Days or Edu fair to ask for more details about their courses

LOL . not really, for my course, i dont deal with physics(only a little), chemistry, biology, math(only simple one).

if i'm not mistaken, there were around 100 non bumis.

My dad is also a retiree but he's not government servant. I heard matriculation is hard to get in. Hopefully if I'm lucky enough, I will go for matriculation though. Good luck, yea!

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Added on March 23, 2012, 11:19 amThanks for sharing your thought here. I need a better understanding between matriculation and form 6. One thing, if I really got in, but they're giving me a place that is far from my home, will they offer me hostel or something like that?

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Added on March 23, 2012, 11:24 amSo, matriculation is the easiest one, I see. Thanks for giving your opinions to separate the line between Matrik, A-levels, and form 6.

I am afraid I can't get in to Matriculation(non-bumi). If really can't get in, I don't mind to choose stpm which I already predict it's gonna be very stressful and hard.

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Added on March 23, 2012, 11:27 amI have tried visiting some colleges websites. I think I can apply for scholarship for college. I heard my friends saying A-level is not as easy as we thought. It need a lot of thinking, erm... I can say we need something called, "think out of the box".

I am planning to go for education fair in Mid Valley this coming Sunday. I think I am more like a book person. Hehe...

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Added on March 23, 2012, 11:29 amHi, Agent45. Mind asking you what course you're taking?

I studied in pure science stream and took one more subject which is Accounts.
I am not sure whether to aim to art stream or science stream.

Hope to be one of those 100 non-bumis. ^^

This post has been edited by jeongmal: Mar 23 2012, 11:29 AM

u MUST stay in the hostel, last time was 4 person in one room, 3 bumis + 1 non bumi. thats why u will learn lots of stuff there.

I'm a quantity surveying student.

If you get matriks, by all means, go for it!

You'll have to stay in hostel, you'll learn to manage your time well (classes from 8am-5pm, plus night class from 8pm til 11pm if your lecturer is hardworking!), you learn to handle your studies in a short period of time (no such thing as the infamous matrik exam spot questions, lecturers will tell you to read everything), and you'll meet some of the best friends you'll ever have

As for that thing about matrik students having to work harder to survive in university, that all comes down to yourself. In my course, and from what I've seen from my friends in other courses, the matrik students are definitely on par with the STPM students. Yeah, it may come down to the type of course, but my matrik friends in chem eng and actuarial science courses are among the top students of their batch as well...

This post has been edited by kelvinthetermite: Mar 23 2012, 12:13 PM

Oh.. I see. It sounds pretty fun and interesting. ^^

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Added on March 23, 2012, 12:54 pmThanks for sharing me about the daily routine. I am praying to get into matriculation. Hope I able to make it!

This post has been edited by jeongmal: Mar 23 2012, 12:54 PM

From what i have heard now, they made form six only 3 semester (one year), that means there are no lower six or upper six for the 2011 spm candidates. I am not sure, you can consult your school teacher.

if your results are good enough, you can apply taylor's, sunway or KBU a levels, coz there are tuition fee waiver, kbu has http://www.kbu.edu.my/scholarships-2012/

Hi there , in the same situation with you . 9As1B in my SPM . Non-bumi . Hoping for matrix .

I am going to edu fair in Mid Valley this Sunday. Hope to get more information from there. ^^

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Added on March 23, 2012, 1:05 pmAww... that's close. Mind asking you get B in what subject? It's okay if you don't want to tell. I can understand. Let's pray to get matrik! ^^

This post has been edited by jeongmal: Mar 23 2012, 01:05 PM

It's a mix. Theory obviously (like Physics, Chemistry), facts (Chemistry and Biology), application (all three sciences). But the focus on application is relatively smaller.

@TS, here my opinion on the three systems. I'm previously a Form 6(Physics Stream) students and now currently studying Economics in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. So my view might be biased and also, a bit of my background, I also got selected into Matriculation programme at Changlun, Kedah right after my SPM. And below are the differences between the three :-

A-Level
- If you are financially sound, I highly suggest you take A-Level as the duration is shorter than STPM and also widely recognized like most people in the topic had mentioned.
- I also believe the syllabus in A-Level are slightly easier than STPM because I compare with my Form 5 classmates(who are not my class top 20) whom most of them entered A-Level actually managed to score all As easily compared to the top 10 students in my form 5 who entered STPM due to financial problems and only 2 only them score CGPA 4.0 while the rest not really doing it well in STPM. So my conclusion is that A-Level is easier than STPM(But that's my conclusion only, might not be true considering my sample size is quite small)
- But then again, who care whether is hard or easy, in the end, STPM and A-Level are both widely accepted, so if you are financially sound, go for A-Level as it is easier for you to score(which in a way increases your chance to apply for scholarships upon the completion of your A-Level) and also the duration is shorter.

STPM(Form 6)
- 1st, it is darn cheap ! But having said that, cheap doesn't mean good, there's always a trade off, it is tough and some of my form 6 classmates actually did badly in STPM and now some of them give up and start to work while some of them restart their Pre-U at foundation/diploma. So can you take the risk? Of course the usual rule, higher risk, higher return apply.
- Obviously the duration is longer than A-Level and tougher, but that is during my time cause starting this year, the STPM system had been revised into Modular System so I can't really comment on this "new" STPM much and I guess telling you about the STPM i had will be quite irrelevant now.
- But same as A-Level, it is internationally recognized, but not sure if this system will affect its reputation a not.
- But then, STPM can give you a wider choice cause you can also enter local uni with that which A-level cant. Cause some might have sufficient money to study A-Level but later to continue degree in private uni, its another huge lump sum to pay but on the other hand, studying degree in local uni is a lot cheaper comparatively.

Matriculation
- Actually, after I got selected into Matriculation, I went to my campus for a week but then later I left and joined Form 6 due to several reasons, but before I go to my reasons, let me explain some on Matriculation
- Matriculation is a special programme created by the government for students to enter LOCAL university in an expressway. However, the Matriculation Certificates are not recognized anywhere(someone plz verify this with me, but i think few private uni in Msia actually recognized it) and it is definitely not internationally recognized. One of the important reason you should join Matriculation is that you want to enter LOCAL university for certain courses that is super expensive if you don't do it in local uni such as medicine, dentistry and etc. As for the content, I gotta tell you, it is definitely easier and really easier compared to STPM and A-Level, by seeing how many ppl can get CGPA 4.0 easily in EACH matriculation campus you will know how easy it is to score and also my Form 6 Mathematics T teacher who was a head marker for Matriculation maths paper and she disclosed some info to my class tat to score a grade A in maths paper for matric is extremely low mark until around 50 marks.
- As for the facilities in Matriculation campus, i went there once and it was huge, lots of basketball courts, squash court, running track and etc.
- But then again, it is quite tough for non-Bumi to get selected into this programme. During my time in Kedah Matriculation's orientation, I was told that there's a total of 4K new intake and only 100 Non-Bumi and 1 Indian guy only(which i can verify is true cause during their prayer session, we non-bumi actually gather at one lecture theatre by the seniors and yes, there's only one indian guy)
- As for the reason I quit Matriculation,
1. I find it not suitable for me to have that kind of lifestyle[maybe for me living outside of city in KL making me feel the life there kinda boring + my room got no internet]
2. I wasn't really know where I was heading during that time, but finally I realised my ultimate goal is not to enter local uni, but I want to try my luck again in getting admission into overseas uni.
3. Taking courses like medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, engineering are definitely not what I want, so I guess i don't really find a reason to enter local uni since the courses i want are just business, finance, ecnomics and etc which deemed "not-so-prestigious and competitive" courses for uni courses application and therefore i think i can risk it with Form 6.


So yeah, that's my opinion on the three programmes. Just to conclude :-
1. Got money, go A-Level, save time, save effort and who cares if it is not as challenging as STPM, in the end, both are internationally recognized.
2. Having financial problem? Go STPM, but can you take the risk? Remember, higher the risk, higher the return. Somemore you have more choice, continue degree at private uni, overseas or local u
3. Matriculation, this is a one way express to local uni. Much much much easier and faster, but the downside is only local uni.

This post has been edited by -Max91-: Mar 23 2012, 01:23 PM

I got B+ in my Chinese >< while I got 5A+ , 3A- , 1A

Thanks for your long comment. You have actually answer all those questions that I want to ask about matriculation, stpm and also A-levels. I'm afraid that I can't cope with the new surroundings(usually matrik as you said, they will send me to maybe somewhere out of the city) And I am a computer freak, I need to online at least one hour a day, I guess matrik life doesn't really allow me to leisure like usual.

I definitely agree with you that A-levels and stpm are both international world-recognized. STPM going to be tough, VERY tough life though. But at the same time, I want to challenge myself to study STPM and take the risk.

Mind asking you, what's your stpm results? I want to know so I can decide my path correctly and no feeling regretful for my rest of life. Thanks once again. ^^

And also, just to add on, besides these 3 courses, you can also opt for Diploma and Foundation programmes. But for you to choose these programmes, make sure you know what you want to do for your degree as these programmes are quite specialised and not as general as STPM, A-Level and Matriculation. But in a way, if you know what you gonna do, it is very fast and easy for you to graduate with degree. A real life example is that my best friend, who used to be my classmate during Form 5, he knows that we want to do something with designing and specifically Interior Designing, so right after Form 5, he went on continue in Foundation for Art and then continue his degree in Interior Designing at KBU and now, I'm still a Year 1 students at NTU but he's graduating with his DEGREE with June....

Aww.... that's close. I'm Chinese as well but I do not know how to write in chinese, fail. ^^

Your results are good. No worry, dear. Let's work hard to determine our future!

My STPM CGPA is 3.84
Pengajian Am : A-
Mathematics T : A-
Chemistry : A
Physics : A

But I gotta warn you though, the risk you want to take with STPM is very high, cause if you really want to get the course you wish to study in Local uni, your results need to be extremely good cause you will compete in the uni intake with the matriculation students which they are being prioritized 1st. Which most of the time we STPM failed to get the course we want and also another real life example, during my year, there's a 4.0 guy from Biology Class who applied for Medicine in few local universities but sadly, he wasn't given the course he wanted and you might ask about his koko, is it bad? Well no, he's the president of one club in my school and entered some competition. So I'm not sure if the allocation system is bad or just he bad luck. So the risk is definitely high

This post has been edited by -Max91-: Mar 23 2012, 01:51 PM

certain overseas institutions do accept matriculation students, and they offer scholarship for u as well. last time there's a list that shows overseas universities which accept matriculation students.

I understand the concept about Foundation, it's more specialized as you said. I am not too sure what I'm interested in, so I choose programmes like A-levels, stpm, matrik that are more general. Not many of my friends that opt for Foundation, unless they're very sure of what they want. ^^

Omg, that's good! I wish I can be like you too. You must be one of those brainiac. If you don't mind me asking, among your batch, out of how many people that actually able to score somewhere near your marks, as in all As?

Mind telling me the probability?

In my science stream class, only 1 got 4A but it's 2A 2A-. A few got 2As 2Bs, some only 1A, some all B. The brainy will score straight As while us, the not so Einstein like will score less than that.

Don't be surprise if there's one or two always fail in the exam. Most probably the person has long given up STPM. My friend gave up on that exam on the real exam date itself. She knows she's going to fail so after STPM, she took foundation in science.

This post has been edited by mintyais: Mar 23 2012, 02:04 PM

I'm not sure if I can use my school's Form 6 data to represent the average cause my school had very little Form 6 students.(Small sample)
Anyway here is it,
Bio Class : 33 students
Physics Class : 15 students
Art Class(As in Economics, PP and Accounting) : 25 students

During my year, only 3 get CGPA 4.0(2 from Bio and 1 from Art), as for my range, only around 6 students(Excluding the 3 4.0) get above and = 3.84 CGPA and most of them got an average of 2.5 to 3.2 CGPA

Despite getting 3.84, I get all my 1st choice for my application in USM[Which is Management] and UPU[Which is Kewangan at UUM], maybe like I've mentioned earlier, these courses are deemed as "less-competitive and prestigious" so I can get it easily although i din't get 4.0. But later I applied NTU and get my second choice, Economics (1st being Business but the Nanyang Business School admission's requirements are very high as it is the top 3 Business Schools in Asia). So conclusion is I get all the courses I want whether in USM, UPU or NTU.

But this might not be the same, lke I've mentioned, in fact, 2 4.0 from the Bio classes did not get their 1st choice in UPU application. One applied for Medicine and UPU gave him his 5th choice which is "Biomedical Science" and one applied for "Pharmacy" and UPU gave her 4th choice which is Dietetics" but on the other hand, the girl from Art school who scored 4.0 applied for Law and she managed to get it. So the courses you want to study in uni is depend on popularity, cause if very popular, high chance a STPM student will not get it. Cause although both of them scored 4.0 CGPA, but when being arranged in the admission, they are ranked the same as Matriculation 4.0[despite it is a bit unfair but yeah, tats the system] and there's a lot 4.0 matriculations students. So if you aim to study for popular courses in local uni u can opt for matrics

This post has been edited by -Max91-: Mar 23 2012, 02:04 PM

I see. Is that fellow classmate that score 4As is Max91? hehe.. joking.

I think I am in the not so Einstein category, but I'm willing to give it all in if I opt for STPM.

The probability is like 0.1

Just to add on, as for Engineering courses I guess it's pretty easy for you to get it as in my class of 15 Physics students, including me, 2 of us went NTU, 1 went to USM doing Medicine[His CGPA just 3.92 and from Physics class and surprisingly he managed to enter medicine in USM], 5 did very badly[2 gave up and work, 1 go to HELP for Foundation in Art, 1 go to TARC for Diploma, 1 go to Sunway for ACCA] and the rest all get the engineering courses they want, a lot was sent to Sabah[UMS], 1 at Melaka and 1 at Pahang. I guess maybe the "supply" of Engineering courses are high and the "demand" for Engineering courses are low thats y it is quite easy to get tat courses although those who managed to get engineerings all below 3.4 CGPA as compared to courses like Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and etc.

This post has been edited by -Max91-: Mar 23 2012, 02:11 PM

Nah, she's female. But the downside about STPM, you can't get the course you want sometimes. The girl couldn't get the course she wants and given unrelated course to her field of study. They gave her physic (mechanical related course), she has no choice so she's now in UTAR doing what she want.

Not only her, a few of my friends got physic courses instead biology courses.

This post has been edited by mintyais: Mar 23 2012, 02:13 PM

True that, that's why engineering courses I think is easier to get in my opinion.
And from my observations among my Form 6 friends, I can conclude that:-

Bio Class : All sad case, 4.0 cannot get Medicine and Pharmacy, a lot was given Physics courses like engineering, and some even were given courses like "Pertanian", dunno wat "Industri ikan tawar", "Penternakan"

Physics Class : All good case, most of them get engineerings and one of my friend get Medicine also !

Art Class : All good ending, most of them get perniagaan, e-dagang, law. ekonomi, kewangan, pengurusan

So I guess Bio-related subjects are more competitive in local uni

This post has been edited by -Max91-: Mar 23 2012, 02:14 PM

A Level is unbiased. I cannot say I believe STPM is completely egalitarian. It might be, it might not be, I'm just saying I don't think it is.

Don't underestimate A Level. A lot of people overrate STPM and say it must be harder in some way. Let me tell you A Levels are not child's play. But it is quite fair in the grading and a decent student will not have problems getting As - A*s are a bit harder, you basically need to be amongst around the top 10% in the world for a subject to get that grade (for CIE).

Created an account just for some questions haha. Hopefully my situation might relate with yours somehow, OP.

My father is half-Malay and my mother is pure Chinese. But because of that little bit of Malay blood in my father, I'm still a Bumiputera. Therefore me entering Matrikulasi will be somewhat easy. I also got 9A's 1B+ in my SPm recently, so I could say that my Matrikulasi spot is already confirmed.

However, I am not satisfied with this. I don't want to study locally. And STPM lets me study overseas and I'm up for the challenge even if it's much harder.

I don't want to do A-levels because of the new STPM format. If you read the news recently, the government is under a lot of pressure with the steadily declining number of people taking STPM. Hence the new system, and I also hope, advantages for the new batch of STPM students (us). The standards might drop and there might be scholarships exclusively for STPM students. But all these are just my guesses and might not come true. But knowing the government, they'll go for some great incentives for the first batch of STPM students so that the next batch might be more.

That is a reasonable assumption. The government's behavior is not unpredictable. Although I can't say I would support something like that, given the way they've been handing out funds to SPM students before getting their 6th Form done, they would want to defend their own exam, the STPM, and no one can or should expect otherwise. At least we can say there is a private education industry.

Like I've said in my previous post, I want to go overseas. I do hope that STPM really lives up to it's reputation as a passport overseas as well as locally. I've did some research and all Commonwealth countries have a treaty to recognize STPM, but whether it is really adhered by, I do not know. It's a gamble.

I reason myself not taking A-levels as I don't want to burden my family with the tuition fees and I hope to fit into that quota set for STPM students by foreign universities (if they even exist). Again, a gamble.

What do you guys think on this?

Was not aware such a strange treaty existed. Nonetheless as I've explained previously, universities in the Commonwealth have lists on their websites of "international qualifications" and STPM will undoubtedly be among them. Since it is ABC rather than a number you just need to ensure you have a lot of the As and pluses or whatever.

You're going to try and get a scholarship. Can you afford living expenses if you only got a tuition scholarship? A Levels do not change so radically, and you can expect good results based on historical standards and predictions of your own ability to write the exams. The same definitely cannot be said for STPM, judging from my observations and of course this "change". Maybe what I'm trying to say is more people get A*A*A*A* in A Level than those who get the four highest As in STPM, and that might be why people claim STPM is so hard, but that even BBBB at STPM may not be worth BBBB at A Level (which is not worth much at all), because of differences in grading/assessment. To be sure, A Level has difficult content too, but if you outperform your cohort you'll get a good grade, regardless of where you did the exam or where you came from.

I don't think schools have a quota for STPM. That would be unreasonable. They don't prefer A Level over STPM, or IB over A Level. But having STPM makes it more difficult for them to judge you against the rest, so your overall application, your profile, needs to be fairly convincing. Because like I said, they won't necessarily look at AABB in STPM and consider that to be AABB at A Level, regardless of the difficulty of the exams (which they don't care about, there are so many GCE A Level boards and so many different types of A Level!).

I spent my 30 minutes to read this thread @@

My eyes really like @@

Same situation as I.

I will post a new thread because i don't want my eyes become @@

if you want to study outside msia, it is NO point doing matrik, so your decision is correct....

if you are not aiming for critical courses, then stpm is a good and cheap compromise....it IS recognised by all unis in uk/oz/spore....

the main problem with stpm is the difficulty in getting good grades, as it is purposely marked down at the top to give advantage to matrik students...

that factor will be crucial for critical courses even outside msia, and you will also loose out to a levels students in foreign uni selections....

but for non critical courses, the cut offs are usually pretty basic, so it matters not whether you get aaa in a levels or bbb in stpm.....you will still get in.....

hey i wanna ask. if lepasan spm 2010 apply for matriks for 2014/2015 session, is it possible? late already to apply 2013/2014 session..what's the age limit to apply matrix anyway?

but duration of forn6 and alevel is same ( 1.5 yrs ). so why form 6 is waste of time but alevel isn't?