The Malaysian Higher School Certificate (Malay: Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia), commonly abbreviated as STPM, is a pre-university examination in Malaysia. It was formerly known as the Higher School Certificate (HSC). Since 1982, STPM has been administered by the Malaysian Examinations Council (MEC), a statutory council under the Ministry of Education.
STPM is one of the major pre-university systems for admissions to Malaysian public universities, besides the Malaysian Matriculation Programme and the Malaysian Higher Islamic Religious Certificate (STAM). STPM is internationally recognised by many universities, and the results are considered as equivalent to GCE Advanced Level results. STPM is also widely considered one of the hardest pre-university examinations in the world.
From year 2012 onwards, the modular system has replaced the previous terminal system.[1] The examination series is divided into three semesters and assessed thoroughly, instead of holding one major examination at the end of the examination series in the previous system. Besides that, examination results are monitored by a representative from Cambridge Assessment to maintain standards and quality.[2]
- ^ "New Format & Free Syllabus for STPM & MUET in 2012". Malaysia Students Blog. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ "Cambridge rep to monitor new STPM system". Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2012.