Many parents like to “force” their children to go for Form 6 because it is cheap and easy(schools are located in hometown). However, do they really know about STPM well? Pre-university is a quite crucial stage for a student before he/she can proceed to university. Parents should not be biased to Form 6 because of its affordability. Let me tell you why STPM should be avoided unless your family REALLY cannot afford to let you choose better alternatives.

1. Vast but outdated curriculum
Some might agree that the curriculum scope of STPM is wide and provides a solid foundation for who are entering universities(some of the curriculum are what students are taught in the 1st year of university). However, what is the point of studying such a vast curriculum while those advanced stuff will be taught in first year of undergraduate program? Some said it has no range for the curriculum, some rare questions may come out in the examination. Moreover, our MOE hardly revise the curriculum of STPM. Don’t be suprised if you found some outdated stuff on your textbook.

2. Extremely time consuming
From the day lower sixth starts till the day you received your results, you have already consumed around 2 years. This is because Form 6 starts quite late and those government servants need a lot of time to mark the papers. Some of your peers that went for 1 year Foundation program or A-level are a year quicker than you. Thus, they can graduate earlier and earn more than you.

3. Not necessary to obtain your wanted course in IPTA
When you are going to apply to IPTA through UPU with your STPM result, you will see a lot of blanks for you to fill up your wanted courses. (more…)

Basically, everyone’s aim is to get a degree(for most courses). For certain courses like design and culinary courses, a diploma should be sufficient. I will list out some common & popular methods to proceed to degree courses from SPM.

1. STPM
Also known as Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia. Theorically, it is considered an equivalence to A-level. STPM education is funded by government just as SPM. Rumours said it is the third hardest examination in the world.

2. A-level
Also known as the Advanced Level. It is originated from UK and our STPM was probably derived from this. The syllabus of A-level has greater depth compared to STPM which is more wide in coverage of the syllabus. You need to attend colleges to study A-level.

3. Diplomas
Either through private universities/colleges or public universities, students can opt for diploma programs after their SPM. Diploma programs are usually very specific. For example, you will choose an engineering diploma if you are interested in engineering. This is for students who are confident about the course they will be taking.

4. Foundation programs
Foundation programs are offered by certain private universities/colleges for SPM leavers to complete the gap between SPM and undergraduate programs. Basically, one cannot transfer to other universities/colleges from the place that he/she completed the foundation programs. The duration of foundation programs are usually 1 year.