Hi, I had received my SPM results on 20th of March.
I am now waiting for STPM.
Hence, I have some questions about STPM.
I decided to take PA, Che, Phy and Maths T for STPM.
Anyone have some ideas or tips on the preparations for STPM? Is it crucial to use reference books? or the textbooks are far enough to score A?
I am so worried as lot of people seemed didn't do well in the 1st semester of STPM and so I am confused now.
Please share with me if you have any tips to score well in every semester of examinations.
Thanks a lot for your kind deeds!

You took PA + science subject, what degree are you planning on pursuing?

An ordinary person would not do well for first term as ordinary people would have difficulty adapting to form 6 level questions + ridiculous syllabus.

There's NO textbook for STPM. You can rely only on reference books in the market, and that's why STPM is hard. Unlike SPM, you have no absolute reference to refer.

hi, i just finished my stpm this year. erm textbook is definitely not enough to score A, u have to rely on reference book to do more practices n past year( even u do so many reference books oso there will be no guarantee u will get A!). u just put in ur best effort. ermm tips, for me i do mindmap for my chem n bio n math t do a lot of practices while pa rely on tuition( since d essay scope is too big).

1st sem ppl dint do well in my opinion bcus we r 1st batch, there r so few past years questions for us to do even reference book oso very little + questions all cum out smtg we nvr see b4 in textbook. 1st sem chemistry teacher rush a lot since d syllabus is very long( 1st sem is physical chemistry need a lot of time to study but d sem is so short so nt even enuf time for preparation) math t 1st sem is nt easy as gt complex number all that physics i dunno...in my opinion if u can endure d 1st sem..d other 2 sem u cn handle ( just my opinion)bcus i felt that in my case when i got through sem 1, d other 2 sem i cn handle.. good luck to u

Check the learning outcome provided by MPM.

Ask yourself the question based on the learning outcome, and answer it.

Make notes for all the learning outcome is very very efficient for me .. but sadly I only realized this during sem 2 ..

So, good luck !!

Yeah, you guys will definitely have an easier time cos you're the third batch. Teachers will be more experienced and reference books should be touched up. And got seniors to advice you Somemore =)

Hi I am the first batch stpm white mouse haha and I scored 4 flat, so i believe my opinion would be credible for you?

STPM is harder than SPM ofcoz, just like SPM is harder than PMR, but overall, the difficulty is still manageable.

your choice of subjects belongs to the physic package in my school, when it comes to applying for degree courses, it shouldnt be any problem unless in certain Biology-orientated subs.

In my opinion, PA is pretty much the easiest subject to get A if you have a good teacher. My teacher focus on broadening our knowledge of current world issue and national ideology and such. In simple words, my teacher shares alot on general knowledge, which is the purpose of PA, and teach us on how to write a good PA essay. Instead of those old school essay memorizing and plain old point discussion, we focus more on practice and grouping of similar topics and related points together. As for the elaboration, you should show your high order of thinking skill as per the MPM which is just plain bullshit. Just bring up some facts, for example the United Nation(UN) and talk abit on what they did, thats all. No hardcore memory work is necessary. As for sem 2, it will be graph drawing which is plain stupid and easy marks for you as long as you follow the guideline and have some tiniest bit of simple logic.

For maths, well it certainly scares me the most but I obtain a principle A for every paper haha and for my sem3, I only use 30minutes to complete it and exit the hall 1hour prior to the end time. Practices and comprehension is very important here. But mostly, its the effort that matters. Do alot of exam-style model paper will do. Its much more effective than tedious drill on each topic.

For chemistry, sem 1 you should focus on the technical rules and calculation. Its pretty simple but technical errors can get you no mark. EG: equations must be written clearly for each answer whenever necessary, decimal places rule which you should confirm with your teacher later, and abit of revision will do. Be careful in your calculation though, sometimes the question like to trick you with the physical states which may affect your quantity in calculation.

For physics, unfortunately Im a biology students, I may not be that suitable to answre you. However, my advise is make sure you understand the concept completely and write every single calculation step that you made while answering, focus on the units and most importantly, do alot of exercises I may not take physics but just to let you know, Biology is much harder to get A than Physics, said by the stpm students though.

Lastly my general piece of advice:
1)Revise regularly, a little bit a day makes you go for a long long way.
2)Do alot of model papers before the actual exam.
3)Make sure you have the correct attitude in studying. Do not rely too much on tuition teachers and dont disrespect your teachers in class by doing your tuition work in school or whatever private institution you go for STPM
4) Dont be down just because you didnt do very well in sem1, theres always the luck factor and random ambiguity in the Malaysia general examination.

I did not take any tuition for the past 20 years, and Im not a study-grind freak, just manage your time well, spend an hour or so in after school revision, listen attentively in class and you shall do well in your exam

I believe the new STPM is far more easier than its precedents.

People who get A C B+ in their 3 papers can get an A as their overall grade too because of 2 words. Malaysia Boleh!

Hi first batch sem system stpm student here.. There is text book for stpm definitely. But textbook itself id definitely not enough. Text book is only for during classes for you to understand... i usually use extra notes from my tuition.. stpm is actually ok if you study hard. relax haha.. But yea students always dun score well in first sem because u havent adapt to the stpm, ur brain is still in spm standard haha. But then sem 2 will be better .. Dun worry!

I wish to be a lecturer so there is no specific course that I wish to take.
But I have selected some includes the science in physics, chemistry, maths, geology, language, education and maybe music.

Oh I see! Thanks for the reply.
Do you have any reference book can be promoted to me?

Thanks for the information.
Tuition is important here. Ya, my senior also said that her teachers rushing a lot. Ermm, I think I will try to make my own notes with thinking maps too. I thought chemistry will be the easiest among these subjects......It seems like I have to pay more attention in chem too.
And also good luck to you!!

Thanks for the tips!
I have downloaded the syllabus for these subjects in MPM page.
I agree with that. I also find it efficient as my Sejarah teacher asked us to do the notes by using the questions found in the Sej textbook before. And now you remind me of this!
Therefore, I will go and make some notes about the learning outcomes soon.
Good luck to you too!!

Haha, I think so too!
Since we are the third batch, we can have more preparations compared to the seniors.
And I hope that we will really have an easier time......as the last year spm paper especially moral and sejarah gave me a big shock! Hence, I realised good preparation is important. Thanks for the advice!

ya tuition is important . if u r living in kl i suggest u go kasturi for pa n math t ( my pa i got c but when i enter kasturi i got A, d pa teacher make d scope smaller so u no need focus so many topic wich save u some time to study other subject) n math t oso d teacher explain very well make u understd..chemistry i didnt go for tuition.

chemistry, for sem 1 have to do a lot of practice as physical chemistry have a lot of calculation, sem 2 involve understanding n memorising d theory (inorganic chemistry) n 3rd sem must make notes to shw d connection how to convert frm alkene to alkane , vice versa for organic chemistry

so all the best to you

Thanks a lot for your help!!! And congrate to your excellent results!!!
You have good teachers and I agree that respect to the teachers is very vital. Biology is quite difficult for me and I even left the answer spaces blank during my previous SPM. So I just can't imagine how I endure the Biology in STPM. However, my results are quite weird and strange. Biology get A and Physics get A-...I don't even know what is going on and maybe it is because MALAYSIA BOLEH

I am a white mouse too with the first year using bilingual maths and science in standard one...BM version textbooks learning Maths and science in form four (luckily I was from convent school and my teachers don't even know how to teach in BM so the school has no choice but to gave both malay and english textbooks)First year that Sejarah is the must pass in SPM and kbkk is more than the facts First year essay in moral paper didnt ask for nilai but ask for ways/steps and teachers didn't know that before...And oh yeah my school was chosen as one of the ten sekolah rintis for i-THINK programme in the whole Malaysia...And so I am one of the white mouse to test whether the i-THINK maps from UK are useful in our academics

I take my hats off for you for getting the results with flying colour without tuition for the past 20 years!!
I am not sure whether this question is inconvenient for you...But where are you from? I just can't believe that I chat with a 4 flat science student!!!!!

Again, thanks a lot! And good luck to you for the next chapter of liife!

Oh I see! Thanks for the tips!
Ya, lots of my seniors and friends didn't do well in the 1st semester even though they have excellent results in SPM and even some of them got straight A's in SPM.
And so my friends are going to study foundation and A-Levels instead of going for STPM.
I think I will be one of the three students in my class who are going for STPM. The worst result may be only me going for that as they said STPM is too hard to study. People around me keep on telling me to give up on STPM and get the scholarships as my SPM got straight A's.

Haha, but though the sky is falling down, I insisted to go for STPM. Hence, besides the studying tips, I am now busy to explain to others why am I going for STPM. That is more challenging I think. But I agree with you that study hard will make my STPM better than it seems will be.

Thanks a lot again!! Good luck to you for your next chapter of life!!

I'm not sure how A C B+ made it an A ..

But please be reminded that this is possible as it's calculated using RAW marks .. the A obtained may due to really high marks or even 100% which contributed a full weightage to that subject .. do not forget about PBS too which contribute to the A as well ..

Here's another piece of advice,

2 A 2 A- can give you an A too .. so if you got A- for the hardest sem, just forget about it, do not retake

I would like to point out that limit07065's comment is misleading. 'Far easier' is a plain stupid comment. He probably is a genius but he needs to understand not everyone is as smart as him, if he is. A C B+ but get an A? First of all, weightage is different from each paper, and they calculate the final grade based on the RAW marks. So after compiling the marks for each papers, it is possible you first paper mark is so high it brings your overall marks to an A grade in the final grading.

Do remember, for the new modular system, the TERM results are the WORST in the past few years.

Getting 4 flat in STPM need hard work, and some luck. I say 'some luck' because the marking scheme for STPM is really demanding and weird, so it's quite unpredictable.

Hard work is necessary. PA requires wide exposure to happenings around the world, Maths need lots of exercise, and a true understanding of the concept. You can't study Maths like you did for SPM. STPM is a whole new level and it truly assesses your ability to grasp the concept of the subjects.

Physics for STPM is very different from SPM. It gets much more abstract and the calculation much more vigorous. Chemistry is also much tougher.

Overall, if you're willing to work very hard, 4 flat is not tough.

The new modular system, though meaning you have less things to study for one paper, you have significantly less time to study the syllabus too. All you need to do is to work hard for the 1 and a half year, and 4 flat ain't going to be that tough.

But balance your study life with some social life. I studied hard for form 6, and played hard for form 6. STPM will begin with a very rough journey. If you find yourself unable to continue momentarily, take a break, and go relax. Study smart, don't study hard!

All the best! And enjoy STPM! It's so far the best memories I have! =)

This post has been edited by Just Visiting By: Apr 12 2014, 10:44 AM

Thanks for your remind!
80 is the minimum marks to get an A? Will they pull down the marks or follow the graph to determine the grades?
Example, 70++ can also get an A......

Thanks for the advice!!
What did you mean by 2 A 2 A- can give an A??