KUCHING: The Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, the one Form 5 students dread most, is a big deal as it brings them to the crossroads where important decisions will have to be made afterwards.
Depending on the exam outcome, many will go on to pursue higher education while others, for one reason or another, will bring the curtains down on their education.
This year, a total of 395,870 candidates are taking the exam at 3,340 centres across the country in pursuit of their dreams.
Grace Chong, a student from St. Joseph’s Private School, has embarked on her academic adventure in the realm of pure science.
Yesterday (Jan 9), she faced the Malay oral test.
“The preparations were not bad, I think. I’ve held a few online meetings with my oral group mates to practice. We wanted to make sure we were ready.
“As for my individual part, I took the time to study the main points from various possible topics so that I would be able to generate ideas faster in my head during the exam,” she said to New Sarawak Tribune.
In her pursuit to improve her Bahasa Malaysia skills, Grace diligently studied key points and ‘cool’ phrases.
She said she studied the important parts and ‘cool’ phrases to boost her language skills.
Acknowledging her struggle with Bahasa Malaysia, Grace embraced a proactive approach, immersing herself in reading and research.
“Personally, my ‘bahasa’ is not very good, and I lack the vocabulary, so I often get stuck and stutter during my oral tests.
“I’m working on my language, reading more to get the hang of it. It’s a journey, but I’m putting in the effort,” she said.
Distractions are kept at bay as she employs study mode on her phone and finds solace in the soothing tunes of Spotify, turning her study sessions into a harmonious endeavour.
“I block all notifications on my phone from coming in except for emergencies.
“If it still doesn’t work, then I’ll just isolate my phone downstairs, and I’ll be studying upstairs, so I’m too lazy to walk down to take it.
“To stay calm, I think Spotify helps a lot. Personally, I love to study with calming music; it helps me concentrate better and doesn’t make studying too boring,” she added.
With her strategic reading and time management, she confidently tackled her oral exam.
She believes that as long as one manages their time well during the exam, one will be able to complete it on time.
“During the exam, I often read the question a few times and circle the main points or keywords.
“With the remaining time I have, I’ll check my answers just in case I make some careless mistakes.
“If I want to stay calm in an exam, I should do more past-year questions and practices so I can get used to how the questions will be asked, thus improving my speed and accuracy,” she added.
Grace extended her well wishes to her fellow SPM candidates.
“Good luck in SPM! As long as you’ve prepared enough, you’ll do well. Getting enough sleep the night before is crucial. Just try your very best, and let God handle the rest.”
