I am interested in A-Levels and STPM. Currently leaning towards STPM as it is cheaper and more affordable compared to A-Levels.Have always been at the top of my class so I guess I would do well in both if I put in enough effort. The only downside to STPM is taking the Pengajian Am paper which is compulsory. Also , do I have to heavily rely on teacher prepared notes like SPM for STPM ?
Is it wise to take STPM instead of A-Levels ?
Are there many overseas scholarships for STPM ? I'd like to study overseas ( SG , US , UK , Canada , Australia ) after pre-u , hence taking STPM to save some money for overseas costs. Current universities that I'm eyeing include UofToronto , The University of British Columbia , NUS , University of Illnois.

Coming form STPM, I would say STPM was very much worth it. It is well-recognised overseas but if you plan to apply to the States, you have to take SAT too. There are definitely more scholarships for STPM students since you will have the choice of going IPTA, IPTS as well as overseas. (I know IPTA accepts A-levels too now but I'm not entirely sure about the quota in place). One thing about STPM which I really enjoy compared to A-levels is the extra-curricular activites that you can still partake in school whereas colleges from my area do not have much in terms of CCA. I believe the friends and memories I made in STPM would not be comparable if I were in A-levels. Lastly, if you get good results in STPM and even better, have good CCA records Singapore would be glad to have you there

I second jstan102's opinion.

As for your questions.

If you have always been at the top of your class, you will have no problem with STPM. True, Pengajian Am might be a bit annoying to prepare and sit for, but it's still manageable. In the event that you mess up the first or second paper, you can retake it.

You do not necessarily have to rely on teacher's notes to do well. (At least that was the case for me.) However, if you happen to have good notes from an experienced teacher that outlines all the important points to make revision easier, that would be a plus. The curriculum is mostly covered in the textbooks and you just have to make sure you know it like the back of your hand. Oh and I would say answering techniques are much more important in STPM compared to SPM.

Yes, it is a wise choice to do STPM. I have no regrets choosing STPM over A levels.

Yes, there are a reasonable amount of scholarships for STPM students. Just make sure you do well in studies and are able to carry yourself well in interviews.

Source: Graduated from STPM last year.

Talking about Science Stream.

Top In the class as in Top 10%?
Well as long you pass PA.

And your science stream subjects mostly As should be alright.

STPM is more towards calculation base rather than explanation base.
Questions will be lesserer and less brain intensive compared to A Levels in terms of critical thinking.

Down side is that not all schools are built equal for Form 6, same goes for A Level.
Please join a Cluster School for Form 6 or the latest Pusat Tingkatan Enam PTE for proper lab facilities.

If you are taking Biology STPM will be more detailed in terms of terminologies compared to A Levels.

Also there's a Lab Report SBA which is a bit like writing a thesis.

Personally it is either you join A Levels for better learning environment.
Like thick resources notes and work your ass off from doing a 3 inch thick past papers for every subject.

Or you go tuition every month for extra resources.

in A level environment you will mix with international students, more exposure in term of socialism, Culturalism, integrity if compare with STPM environment

IMPO: Matriculation Malaysia has increased the quota to 40,000 recently (90:10) which is an ticket to go Public Uni. There is a lot.
Therefore, chances for STPM students to go Public Uni a bit difficult

True as Pikasean says it, PA might seem difficult but with the proper amount of common sense, keeping abreast with current news and knowledge of how our country runs, it wouldn't be that much of an obstacle.

For Science stream, as far as I know, the textbooks are pretty comprehensive but it doesn't really matter if you memorised the entire syllabus if you fail to grasp the keywords. STPM is less lenient when it comes to marking as they expect you to follow a rigid answering technique. You may have the right concept in terms of your explanation but fail to meet what they require in terms of keywords then it's pointless to them. But if you can get the hold of it (by referring to previous marking schemes or consulting your teachers) it is pretty easy as you realise the marking scheme is quite similar year after year. Plenty of practices can make it become natural and answers would just be as what Pikasean said, on the back of your hand.


STPM Physics is definitely more calculations based (which can be the reason why it would be easier )

But you don't have to go for Cluster Schools or Kolej Tingkatan Enam. I come from a normal school (but more arts stream focused) with only 6 classmates and fewer juniors as the numbers dwindle but was still able to do relatively well. It just depends on you whether you're willing to work for it and go out and find resources yourself.

STPM has a more holistic approach as you are given priority in taking up leadership posts in CCA so I feel it's a better environment for personal development.

Mixing with international students is not really an advantage since it's a very rare occurrence nor would it matter if you plan to just study all day and night to get that juicy scholarships. I have plenty of friends who went into college but they didn't exactly meet a lot of international students nor did they develop as close of a friendships with their coursemates as we did in F6. Scholarships also tend to require their scholars have good CCA records, STPM gives you more chances to grow it. Since you plan to aim for overseas uni, IPTA isn't really much of a consideration for you but rather as a back-up, so STPM still gives you to chance of overseas as well as IPTA whereas matrics you're stuck locally.


All in all, no regrets for me dropping out of A-levels in favour of STPM, would do it again if given the chance.