SPM Studying Tips

[ElansarGelmir]

Originally Posted by Daniel

Do you think the form 6 students like me can finish the whole STPM syllabus(chemistry, math, physics) on their own without the help from the teachers, relatives, parents and friends before going to upper six?

if you find that you enjoy this kind of environment of studying, if you feel that you can cope up with it, then why not? but then again, no man is an island... U need to get ur teachers to give u updates about the syllabus (there might be a change)... u need to do your lab works too, right? and u need help from friends, sometimes... Form 6 is not just about studying ahead of ppl and u are better than them... it's about learning, from theory to practical, and also a learning ground to enhance your social network with friends and teachers... and an opportunity to prepare more about adult life...

[chenchow]

I agree with ElansarGelmir, that it is possible to be done. However, why deprive yourself from others' help, when you can get them.

And this is an important lesson. Share what you know with others. As a Chinese idiom says, "Xue Ran Hou Zhi Bu Zu, Jiao Ran Hou Zhi Kun". After you learn, you know that you don't learn enough; after you teach, you know that you are stuck.

So, try to help others. If you can explain well to others, you help your friends. If not, it helps to point out that you still don't really understand and you can learn together.

[knkh_87]

Group discussions have always been useful. Though I am not in a position to comment about its benefit for Pre-U courses, as I am not through it yet, such discussions have always served as mind-challengers and a method of sharpening my communication skills (useful for the 'describe', 'explain' questions in exams) in SPM.

It would be very burdening to complete the STPM syllabus yourself, so I suppose that you can skim through it to have a rough understanding of the text before the teacher actually conducts lessons on that topic in class. Having a serious discussion group is always of immense help.

[chenchow]

I would say that group discussion is very helpful, with the prerequisite that the group members are committed and dedicated. Sometimes, some of the group discussion is not efficient, when the members start chatting around 70% of the discussion time.

I would say that it helps a lot. I use it for my SPM a lot and I use it now too. It is a good tool for understanding and you can help one another.

[ElansarGelmir]

I have yet to participate in group discussions... Got lar... once (i dun think that's even called a group discussion). The group members were depending on me and another guy to feed them with infos... so not that much of use to me, that's why quit lar....

[chenchow]

This is just to kick start this thread. Welcome to Guidance For SPM & STPM SIG. There are hundreds of ReComers who have done well in SPM especially, and many are under scholarships to study abroad. So, make full use of this opportunity to study together, ask your questions here!

[chenchow]

For discussion about STPM, please join the Guidance for SPM and STPM Special Interest Group, this thread will be moved in on Tuesday 1am Malaysia time. You won't see this thread if you don't join in.

http://recom.homelinux.org:8000/~rec...ame=SIG&id=SPM

Click on the top right, Join, to join the SIG.

[oinkoink]

So should we start sharing tips on how to excel in SPM? :D

[chenchow]

Yeah, definitely! And also everyone, try your best, to spread the words around your friends in SPM!

[knkh_87]

I will just start with something brief. One technique that I had adopted for SPM was studying in subtopics. I won't spend much time doing too much in one day, probably 30 minutes-1 hour , as I would like to completely master the subject in small sections. Then, I will just skim through a few specimen questions on the topic to get a whole picture of the topic and its important areas. 10 minutes before I sleep, I usually do some brief reading on the topic again.

In school, teachers have to report their progress in their lessons to their panel heads every Friday. At home, I record what I have done in a week. At the beginning of the year, prepare a planner for completing the syllabus as if you are doing self-studying at home. Then, your work will be more spread out and organised.

In school, I used to have a study group in which we designate different subjects' 'assignments' to different members. Biweekly, we have a comprehensive worksheet of the topic which was taught in school during that period of time. We wouldn't have specific answers. We just sit down, share our views and our methods of approaching the question and collectively, work out the best possible way to answer the worksheet's questions.