PMR Examination Tips

NOTE: These tips are outdated. Please do not use these tips for the new Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 (PT3) examination because PMR and PT3 are very different in many aspects. I am unable to give tips for PT3 examination because I do not know the format and style of questions.

I got 8A's in my PMR 2010. Some people have been asking me for tips on how to score in the PMR. So, I am sharing a few tips about PMR here. The tips depend on the subject. These tips are intended for Form 3, Form 2 and Form 1 students.

Bahasa Melayu (Difficulty: High)

Bahasa Melayu PMR is rather difficult. Basically, Kertas 1 is more difficult than Kertas 2. Kertas 1 consists of Tatabahasa and Pemahaman Komsas. Tatabahasa is the most difficult part. You will need to do a lot of exercises. You should pay attention when your teacher discuss about these questions. Try to take note on what your teacher says, especially regarding how words are used. Do revision regularly on this kind of questions and remember them. Some of the questions are often asked, so take note on them. Pemahaman KOMSAS is not very difficult but can be tricky. Make sure you understand everything in the Antologi from Form 1 to Form 3. A KOMSAS revision book is very helpful, so you should have one. Make sure you read and understand the Tema, Persoalan, Watak & Perwatakan, Latar, Nilai and Pengajaran for all stories. When answering this kind of questions, read the passage given and all the questions carefully before answering. Kertas 2 consists of Ringkasan, Pemahaman Umum, Karanagan Bahan Rangsangan, Karangan Respons Terbuka and Novel. Ringkasan is quite simple. Make sure you have at least 5 correct isi and make sure your tatabahasa is correct. Just copy if you cannot use your own words. Don't simply change the words until it is different from the original meaning. Do not add your own ideas. You can write more than 5 isi but make sure the 80 word limit is not exceeded by 5 or more. For Pemahaman Umum, there are 3 questions. For question 1, you will be asked the meaning of a phase. To answer, just replace every words in the phase with a word with same meaning. After that, insert your answer into the passage to see if it is suitable. For question 2, read the passage to find the answer. Copy the answer from the passage. You must give at least 2 answers. For question 3, you have to give your own opinion. You can write as many answers as you can, and only the correct ones will be marked. You should give at least 3 answers. Do not look for the answer from the passage. For Karangan Bahan Rangsangan, look at the question and the material given. If the material given is relevant to the question asked, then you must use it. If it is not relevant to the question, then you need to give your own opinion. You need to write 1 Pendahuluan, 3 isi and 1 penutup. Provide elaboration for each isi. Make sure that the 120 word limit is not exceeded by 5 or more. To score, you need to read and write more. For Karangan Bahan Rangsangan, there are 5 choices. Choose the question that you are most confident to answer. Read the question carefully and answer. You can write down the important isi first but this is not necessary. You need to provide at least 1 Pendahuluan, 4 isi and 1 Penutup. Elaborate in each isi as much as you can but do pay attention to the time to ensure that you have enough time to answer. Make sure that it is at least 180 words long. To score, you need to read and write more. For novel, it can test you on any novel, either Form 1, Form 2 or Form 3 novel. Sometimes, you may be asked to compare 2 novels. Therefore, you must understand all three novels very well. A KOMSAS revision book can help you a lot. Make sure you read and understand the Tema, Persoalan, Latar, Watak & Perwatakan, Nilai and Pengajaran for all novels. Answer in paragraph form and not point form.

English (Difficulty: Moderate)

English PMR is not very difficult but not simple as well. Both Paper 1 and Paper 2 have equal difficulties. For Paper 1, there are 5 parts. The first part is about Information Transfer, second part about Grammar, third part about idioms and phasal verbs, fourth part about comprehension and fifth part about literature. To score in all parts, you should read more and do more exercises. Pay attention to grammar usage. For Literature in Paper 1, you also need to understand all the poems, short stories and drama (if any) in the Collection of Poems and Short Stories. A literature revision book can help as well. For Paper 2, there are 3 parts, Directed Writing, Summary and Novel. For Directed Writing, materials would be given. Read the question, instructions and materials given carefully. In your essay, you must have an introduction and a closing. If it is formatted writing, the format must be correct. Elaborate on each point given. You may need to at other relevant ideas if you are asked to do so. Make sure your essay is longer than 120 words. Pay attention to the time so that you have enough time to answer. To score, you need to read and write more. For summary, read the passage and instructions carefully. Begin your summary with the 10 words given. Give at least 5 points. You can give more than 5 points but don't add in your own ideas. Do not exceed the 60 word limit at all. For novel, you can choose between the novels you have studied. Make sure that you understand every novel fully. A literature revision book is very helpful. Make sure you read and understand the Theme, Setting, Characters, Lessons and Moral Values for each novel. When answering, choose the novel that you are most confident. Give your answer with elaborations and examples from the novel. Give your answer in paragraph form and not in point form. Make sure your answer is more than 50 words long.

Mathematics (Difficulty: Low)

Mathematics PMR is one of the easiest subject in PMR. It consists of Paper 1 and Paper 2. Paper 1 has 40 objective questions while Paper 2 has 20 subjective questions. Paper 1 is easier than Paper 2. For Mathematics, you need to understand every topic from Form 1 to Form 3. You must know how to answer the questions as well. You should pay attention in class and do a lot of Mathematics exercise to improve your skills in answering Mathematics. Do not memorise the definitions and explanations in the book. Most questions tested involve calculation but some involve drawing and sketching. For drawing and sketching, use pencil. For others, you need to use pen. You need to know how to use scientific calculator as well. If you don't have one, you should buy one. Scientific calculator is very helpful in Paper 1 but cannot be used in Paper 2. During PMR of my year (2010), both 350MS and 570MS are allowed. 350ES and 570ES (Natural display) is also allowed. Before the Mathematics paoer starts, make sure to bring pen, ruler, pencil, eraser, sharpener, scientific calculator and geometrical sets. For Paper 2, you need to show the workings. Make sure to write all important steps. Ask your teacher to find out which steps are necessary to show and which steps are not. If an important step is wrong or missing, the answer and other workings may be considered wrong, even if they are correct. Do pay attention to the time so that you have enough time to answer. After you have finished answering, check all your answers to make sure they are correct.

Science (Difficulty: Moderate)

Science PMR is not difficult but not easy as well. It has Paper 1 and Paper 2. Paper 1 has 40 objective questions while Paper 2 has 2 sections and 8 subjective questions. Paper 1 is generally easier than Paper 2. All topics from Form 1 to Form 3 will be tested. Form 3 topics are the most difficult while Form 1 topics are the easiest. You must understand all topics fully and do not memorise, except for facts that require memorising, such as examples of animals and plants. You need to pay attention when the teacher is teaching so that you understand all topics. Do more exercises to increase your skill in answering. Revise all topics regularly so that you don't forget. The science textbook doesn't contain all the facts, so you will need a revision book. Buy a revision book that is thick and contains all the facts. Scientific calculator can help you to answer some questions involving calculation in both papers, so don't forget to bring it for your exam. When answering Paper 2, read the questions carefully and write your answers as clearly as possible. Make sure the spelling for scientific terms is correct. If you are asked to explain or give a reason, explain it fully. You may need to explain in more than one sentences, depending on the marks allocated for that question. Certain formulas are provided in front of the examination paper, so refer to it if you forgot or unsure. For calculation questions in Paper 2, write the formula if it is not given and write down all important workings because some marks are given for workings.

Sejarah (Difficulty: Moderate)

Sejarah is easy to answer and easy to understand but difficult to memorise. It contains one paper only, which has 60 objective questions. All topics from Form 1 to Form 3 will be tested. Form 3 topics are the easiest and Form 1 topics are the most difficult. Unlike science, Sejarah requires both memorising and understanding. Certain topics in Sejarah requires understanding, especially those related to events. You need to understand before you can remember it easily. If you try to memorise everything, it will be more difficult to remember. Some topics, requires memorising, especially those related to names. For these topics, you can only remember them by memorising. To study Sejarah, you should not wait until the last moment before exam. This is because there are quite a lot to memorise. If you study only at the last moment, you will have problems memorising. To make memorising more effective, do your revision. You can also try using the imagination method (Refer to here: http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2010/10/tips-to-remember-names.html ) . The Sejarah textbook for all forms are good and complete, so you should read them. You should also do more exercises to familiar yourself with the questions. A few Sejarah questions are questions about Nilai murni, so you may need to think to get the answer.

Geografi (Difficulty: Moderate)

Similar to Sejarah, Geografi is easy to answer and easy to understand but difficult to memorise. It contains one paper with 60 objective questions. All topics from Form 1 to Form 3 will be tested. Form 2 topics are the easiest while Form 3 topics are the most difficult. Geografi has 2 parts, Kemahiran Geografi and Geografi Fizikal dan Manusia. Kemahiran Geografi is much easier than Geografi Fizikal dan Manusia but it only makes up 10% (6 questions)of the Geografi paper. Geografi requires both memorising and understanding. Some topics such as explainations requires understanding. It will be difficult to remember if you try to memorise them without understanding. So, you need to understand them. Other topics, like name of places, require memorising. Therefore, you should not wait till the last moment before exam to study Geografi. If you study at the last moment, you can't memorise well. To make memorising more effective, do your revision regularly. You can also try using the imagination method (refer to http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2010/10/tips-to-remember-names.html ). The Geografi textbook contains most of the facts but not all. You need a complete revision book to get all the facts. You should also do more exercises so that you are familiar with the questions. You also need a protractor and scientific calculator for the exam, as you may be asked to measure bearings and do some calculations.

Kemahiran Hidup Bersepadu (Difficulty: Easy)

Kemahiran Hidup Bersepadu has 4 types, Kemahiran Teknikal (KT), Ekonomi Rumah Tangga (ERT), Pertanian (PT) and Perdagangan & Keusahawanan (PK). Every student has to choose one of them. However, in SMK Sultan Badlishah, only KT, ERT and PK are offered. The Kemahiran Hidup Bersepadu has 2 parts, Teras and Elektif. Kemahiran Hidup Bersepadu has Paper 1 and Paper 2. Paper 1 has 60 objective questions, while Paper 2 is a project. As Paper 2 carries 40 marks for the PMR, it is very important to complete the project. There are 4 projects. Make sure you do all of them properly. Ask your teacher for help if you have problems doing the project. The projects are not difficult to do, and as long as you do it properly you already have 40 marks for PMR. Therefore, Kemahiran Hidup Bersepadu is considered as an easy subject. For Paper 1, all Teras and Elektif topics from Form 1 to Form 3 will be tested. Kemahiran Hidup Bersepadu mainly requires understanding and some memorising. It is difficult to remember the facts if you don't understand and just memorise. Some facts, like names of tools, requires memorising. It is not difficult to memorise facts in Kemahiran Hidup Bersepadu as long as you understand it. The Kemahiran Hidup Bersepadu textbook for all forms are almost complete. A complete revision book can help you. You should also do more exercises to familiarise yourself with the questions. Pay attention when your teacher is teaching so that you can understand all topics. You should do revision regularly. A scientific calculator can help you in your exam as there may be some questions on calculation, so don't forget to bring it.

Chinese / 华文 (Difficulty: High)

Chinese PMR is difficult. It consists of Paper 1 and Paper 2. Paper 1 and Paper 2 are equally difficult. Paper 1 has 40 objective questions and is made up of 3 parts. The first part is Modern Text Comprehension. In this part, there are questions about information transfer, grammar and comprehension. For information transfer, read the questions and material given carefully and answer the question. For grammar, you need to understand the topics in grammar. Grammar for PMR Chinese is quite simple except for Hanyu Pinyin. For comprehension, you need to read the questions and passage given carefully then answer the questions. Although modern text comprehension is easier to understand, the questions asked are often more difficult. The second part is Classical Text Comprehension. It includes comprehension and translation. You need to read the passage, meaning of words and the questions carefully. It is quite difficult to understand Classical Text, so you may need to read it several times and refer to the questions. For translation questions, try to translate word by word into Modern Text, then put it into the passage to see if it is suitable. The third section is idioms. You may be asked the meaning, author and source of idioms. You may also be asked to fill in the blanks with idiom or choose the sentence that used idiom correctly. You must know the meaning, usage, author and source of all the 150 idioms studied from Remove Class until Form 3. For the meanings, you must understand and not memorise. For the author and source, you must memorise. You can use the imagination method to memorise (refer to http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2010/10/tips-to-remember-names.html ). To score in Paper 1, you need to understand all grammar topics and all idioms from Remove class to Form 3. To do so, you need a PMR Chinese revision book. A number of PMR Chinese revision books are available at many bookshops. You also need to do more exercises to increase your skills in answering. For Paper 2, there are four parts. The first part is Caligraphy writing. You must know how to write medium sized caligraphy. Your writing must be nice in order to get high marks. It is easy to get 3/6 marks as long as all the words are correct and tidy. Try not to write wrongly and never use liquid paper or 'cut-and-paste', otherwise that word is considered wrong. You need to practice a lot to write caligraphy well. Remember to bring a writing brush and ink for the exam. The second part is summary. You need to summarise the important points in the passage into a few sentences, usually 2, 3 or 4 sentences. Do not write it in a paragraph and do not add in your own ideas. You do not need to use your own words but you can replace words with shorter words of same meaning. Do not exceed the word limit by 5 or more. You need a lot of exercise to score in this. The third section is Directed Writing. You are given a material and you need to write about the material given. You must include everything given and elaborate more. An introduction and closing is also required. Be sure to write more than 100 words. To score, you need to read and write more. The fourth part is continuous writing. There are 5 questions and you need to choose one. Choose the one that you are most confident of. Read the question carefully. You can write down the important points at a side but this is not necessary. Your essay should have at least 1 introduction, 1 closing and 4 points. If it is a formatted writing, make sure that the format is correct. Your essay must also be longer than 220 words. To score, you need to read and write more.

Pendidikan Islam

Bahasa Arab

Bahasa Tamil

I do not take these subjects, so I cannot give tips on these subjects. If you take these subjects, ask your teacher or someone good at these subjects for their tips.

NOTE: These tips are outdated. Please do not use these tips for the new Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 (PT3) examination because PMR and PT3 are very different in many aspects. I am unable to give tips for PT3 examination because I do not know the format and style of questions.