Secondary School Education

The second stage of formal education in Malaysia is secondary education. Secondary education for Malaysian students starts at age of 13 and continues for five to seven years. Just as in primary school, there is a curriculum that has been standardized for secondary school as well. It was designed and implemented to ensure the consistency in learning standards. The students' level of understanding is measured trough general examinations at the end of each year.

In the course of their secondary education, students are required to sit for two national examinations set by the Malaysian Examination Syndicate.

After their third year, (Form Three) students are required to sit for the Lower Secondary Assessment (Penilaian Menengah Rendah) (PMR) examination. In Form Five they are required to take the Malaysia Certificate of Education (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) (SPM) examination.

With the completion of Form Five, students who wish to continue their education have the option to either continue with Form Six or further their studies with other public or private tertiary institutions. Students who opt for Form Six are required to sit for the Malaysia Higher School Certificate (Sijil Tinggi Penilaian Malaysia) (STPM) examination.

http://www.malaysia.gov.my/EN/Relevant%20Topics/Education%20and%20Learning/Non%20Citizen/nTheNationalEducationSystem/nSecondaryEducation/Pages/SecondarySchoolEducation.aspx