Study Tips to Score in the SPM Examination

How to Study for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Exam and Succeed!

Taking exams can be stressful. Especially the SPM which is the culmination of all your years of studying in secondary school and hinges on how you perform in those 2-3 crucial weeks. The most important thing is to prepare. When you have started out early to plan and organise your study time, you should do well in the exams with confidence. If you delay and procrastinate, it will be difficult to cram in all that information in a short time. Furthermore, you will be stressed out and find it difficult to concentrate.

Before going for the SPM examinations, it will be good to get together with a group of friends and time yourselves doing the past year’s questions. Make it feel as if you are taking the real exam. Studies have shown that students who are tested regularly actually learn more content and retain it longer than students who have not been tested. Great news for final exams. Frequent testing has even been shown to help decrease test anxiety.

The pathway to success in the SPM exam is basically to be consistent, start preparing early, and revised past years’ question papers. The questions for subjects like Sejarah, Maths, Add Maths, Physics, Biology and Chemistry are repeated every year. However, questions for BM and English would not be repeated so it is best to prepare well for these subjects with lots of practice, reading, writing and try to listen to songs and watch movies in these languages.

There is no short cut to success. For this reason you have to study well first of all. Below are some tips for your upcoming SPM exams.

SPM Study Tips

SPM Study Tip #1 – Review SPM Past Years’ Question Papers

When you review the past year question papers you will familiarise yourself with the exam format and how the questions are asked. After revision, test yourself by timing yourself and do the papers.

Studies have shown that students who are tested regularly actually learn more content and retain it longer than students who have not been tested. Great news for final exams. Frequent testing has even been shown to help decrease test anxiety.

With all this practice, during the exam proper the exam paper will not appear so foreign to you and you will have confidence to do the exam questions.

You will also be able to pace yourself to complete all the questions on time and with spare time to recheck. Managing your time when doing an exam is very crucial to your performance.

SPM Study Tip #2 – Use Flash Cards

Write down important points and concepts on flash cards. Bring them around to have quick revisions when you are free such as waiting for the bus or while eating your lunch. Alternatively, you can use your smart phone or tablet to keep these notes.

Short notes help you memorise important points. When you carry along your notes on the flash cards or in your phone, no matter where you go, whenever you have a few minutes break, you can quickly bring them up and review on the spot.

SPM Study Tip #3 – Study with a Group of Friends

When you study in a group, you will be able to ask your friends for help when you don’t understand something. However, this only works for certain people depending on your learning style. And also, you should be disciplined and not end up chatting with each other instead of studying.

SPM Study Tip #4 – Different subjects have their particular way to study

• Language Subjects
  • Language subjects cannot be just revised in a short time. You cannot improve yourself in a short time for language subjects like English, BM and Mandarin. These subjects, you need to do a lot of reading, writing, and practice communicating with others. Other ways are to read articles, books, online news, watch movies and listen to music.
• Formula Subjects — Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Accounting and Physics
  • Basically, to do well in these subjects demands a lot of hands-on practice, particularly when it comes to internalising their formulas. Group study can help as you can quickly ask for help when you cannot do a problem.
• Factual Subjects – Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Business and Sejarah
  • These subjects contain a lot of facts and concepts. Using mindmaps to organise the information will help.
  • It is good for you to write down what you have learnt after class or revision. This will help you to remember.

SPM Study Tip #5 – Have Frequent Study Breaks and Sleep Well

Set a timer and study for 30 minutes to an hour – and then take a 10-minute break. If you’re pulling an all-day study session, especially before finals, you may want to consider some longer breaks

It is also important to have a good sleep before exams. Especially on the night before exam you have to sleep well, at least 6 hours and not more than 8 hrs. Remember this will have a great effect on your exam.

General Study Tips to Score in the SPM Examination

The 1^st tip : Don’t fear or hate exams.

Some students can study well but because of a fear of exams, it stops them from scoring high marks. If you have a fear of exams, you need to gain confidence by doing some relaxation exercises before the exam such as taking deep breaths and releasing slowly or clenching your fists tightly and then releasing them. Also, keep saying aloud, “I have prepared myself and will do well.”

The 2^nd tip: Prepare a good time table.

Prepare a time table before starting the study. This should include all the subjects but may not be with equal priority. Tough subjects can be given more time and easier ones less but most importantly some time shall be allotted for entertainment and also there should be sufficient intervals between each subject.

The 3^rd tip: Select a proper quiet area for studying.

Study atmosphere is very important role. Can anyone study well while watching TV, playing computer games or surfing social media?

So select a place where you feel comfortable. That is where you feel relaxed and can concentrate. And you have to make sure that while you are studying a subject you are concentrating on it only. Choose the best time to study. Some people are morning people while others are night people. I am a night person and am most energetic through the wee hours of the night. In the morning, I am hopelessly grouchy and cannot concentrate on anything. So, you know yourselves best.

The 4th tip : Sit straight

This is so important that you have to sit in proper manner while studying. Don’t study on bed or lying on a chair instead sit straight. I used to lie in bed to study and always woke up with the book in my face. Needless to say, I did not get much studying done! Therefore, keep your backbone straight. And try to place your legs parallel to ground, a little bit raised from the ground.  And be alert that legs are not above the head level. This will affect the blood flow direction and causes sleepiness.

The 5^th tip : Make notes while studying.

This is a very important point. While studying make small notes and that should not be

descriptive make theme brief so that you can remember all points while doing revision with the help of that note. An ideal note shall include all important formulae and figures and also other important points. It will be a lot worth if you use this not for the revision in last one or two hours than u skipping through pages of your text book. Although it takes time and effort, I did this for my Biology course in college and scored an “A”!

The 6^th tip: Sleep well and Eat well.

You have to sleep well.Sleep deprivation study shows that Optimum hrs for sleep is6hrs. Especially on the night before exam you have to sleep well, at least 6 hours and not more than 8 hrs. Remember this will have a great effect on your exam. And have your food as in your daily diet. Have a good breakfast on exam day! Don’t go for the exam on an empty stomach, you will not have the required energy. On the other hand, do not eat too much during lunch before an afternoon exam. It will make you feel very sleepy. Just eat a light lunch.

The 7^th tip : Write and Present well.

The presentation is the major factor that affects your marks. Whatever you studied or prepared your marks will depend on how you present them in the answer sheet. The teachers may not be able to read all what you have written.

Remember daily they are going through 30 to 40 papers.They will scan for points. So try to present answers in points. In essay questions don’t forget to underline the important points .

Your hand writing also affects your marks. Try to write neatly. if it is not good enough, don’t worry, if you presented it in a good manner you can score more marks. And another important factor to remember, As we all know ‘First impression is the best impression’.

So, answer the questions you know well, first. This will create a good impression on the evaluator and though you couldn’t write some last answers well, that won’t deduct your mark much. And care shall be taken so that you manage time well and is able to attend all questions. If there is any question out of syllabus, you just attend it. Usually full marks are awarded for such questions.

The 8^th tip: Manage your time.

I’d like to take off my watch and put in front of me on the desk. This helps to remind me of how much time I have left. Do not spend too much time on one question. If you cannot do a question or is taking too long for one question, go to the next one. Return to that question after you have completed the rest.

The 9^th tip: Believe in God, Believe in yourself.

Remember on the exam day, you have done all you can already, there is nothing left to do except to keep calm, believe in yourself and pray. Prayer can help you to focus, give you confidence that a higher power is there with you to see you through.

Other Useful Study Tips for SPM

GENERAL TEST PREPARATION

To do well on tests you must first learn the material, and then review it before the exam.
These are techniques to better understand your material:

Learning

• Take good notes in your class and textbooks.
• Review your notes soon after class.
• Review notes briefly before the next class.
• Schedule some time at the end of the week for a longer review.

Reviewing

• Take good notes
• Organize your notes, texts, and assignments according to what will be on the test.
• Estimate the hours you’ll need to review materials.
• Draw up a schedule that blocks units of time and material.
• Test yourself on the material. Use past year questions.
• Finish your studying the day before the exam.

Overcoming SPM Exam Anxiety

Most students experience some level of anxiety during an exam

Developing good study habits and strategies for the SPM Exam

• Managing time (deal with procrastination, distractions, laziness)
• Organizing material to be studied and learned
• Take a step by step approach to build a strategy and not get overwhelmed
• Outside pressures such as success/failure consequences (grades, graduation), peer pressure, competitiveness, etc.
• Reviewing your past performance on tests to improve and learn from experience

Reduce your stress by preparing well before the SPM exam

• Approach the exam with confidence:
  • Use whatever strategies you can to personalize success: visualization, logic, talking to yourself, practice, group study, journaling, etc.
  • View the exam as an opportunity to show how much you’ve studied and to receive a reward for the studying you’ve done.
• Be prepared!
  • Go through your material thoroughly and organize what materials you will need for the exam.
  • Use a checklist.
• Allow yourself plenty of time,
  • Wake up early. Prepare the night before the things you need to bring to the exam such as your IC, 2B pencil, rubber, etc. Get to the exam area early.
• Avoid thinking you need to cram just before
• Strive for a relaxed state of concentration. Be focused.
  • Avoid speaking with any fellow students who have not prepared, who express negativity, who will distract your preparation
• Exercise
  • Exercise a little bit to get your adrenaline going. This will help make you more alert and sharpen the mind.
• Get a good night’s sleep
  • Don’t go to the exam with an empty stomach
    Fresh fruits and vegetables are often recommended to reduce stress.

8 SPM success exam tips – Exam Time

1. Budget your time and pace yourself.
   • Take off your watch and put in front of you.
   • Once you have your exam in front of you, look it over to see how many questions there are . This will give you an idea of how much time you can spend on each problem.
2. Don’t rush.
   • Read directions carefully!
   • Make sure you understand what the questions are asking.
3. Answer questions in a strategic order:
   • Easy questions first to build confidence.
   • Then those with the most point value.
   • On the objective exams, cross out the wrong answers then decide on the remaining ones.
   • If you don’t understand the question, skip it first.
   • For the essay test, if your mind goes blank, pick a question and start writing. It may trigger
     the answer in your mind as you write.
   • On essay tests, write the outline of your whole essay in point form from Introduction, Body and then Conclusion.
4. Be neat and tidy.
   • Write out the answers neatly. Don’t cross out here  & there.
   • If it becomes too untidy, change the answer sheet.
   • Use your rubber to erase the wrong answers on your objective questions properly.
5. Relax
   • Change your sitting positions to help you relax.
   • Take deep breaths.
6. Quickly look through the test for an overview.
   • Scan for keywords.
7. Check your work if you have time.
8. If you complete the exam early, don’t leave.
   • Check if you have answered all the questions, not made any errors or marked any answers wrongly.