Chapters
- 01. Multiple Choice Questions: Gain a comprehensive overview
- 02. Short Structured Questions: Focus on keywords and conciseness
- 03. Longer Essay Questions: Match facts with elaboration & examples
- 04. Quantitative Questions: Identify the right formula/concepts & write down the working step by step
- 05. Coursework Assessment: Apply relevant theories & concepts
If you have passed your driving test, you should know this by now.
Switching the right gears at the right time according to the right situation is super important (even if you're driving an automatic vehicle).
You can't possibly drive smoothly if you are in neutral gear or parking gear. Similarly, you can't expect to reverse like a pro when you're in the wrong gear. The car tyres will only move smoothly according to the specific and correct "inputs".
When it comes to preparing for a comprehensive written test at the STPM level, you'll have to be prepared to switch to different "studying gears" for different tested components. For instance, the answering techniques that worked for short structured questions may not work for longer essay components.
If you are taking Economics as a STPM subject, you'll be tested in the form of multiple-choice questions, essay questions as well as quantitative questions throughout the three semesters of your Form 6 studies.
In this article, we will explore specific studying techniques to ace specific tested components of your STPM Economics assessments.
Multiple Choice Questions: Gain a comprehensive overview
You will be tested on 20 multiple-choice questions in Section A for your Semester 1 and Semester 2 STPM Economics papers respectively.
There will be no objective questions for Semester 3.
For Semester 1 and Semester 2, you will be tested on five chapters each. You only need to focus on five chapters each semester unless you choose to resit for the previous semester.
To score well for this section, you need to have a broad sense of observation and clarity of the economic concepts in terms of their definition, their characteristics, relationships (cause and effects) and basic quantitative calculations.

Photo by MART PRODUCTION (Pexels)
Once you have mastered the concepts, it's also important to eliminate the wrong answer options swiftly once you read the questions. That's because you'll need extra time to answer the structured questions in Section B and Section C later.
Here are some examples of sample questions.
- Yang manakah merupakan ciri pasaran persaingan bermonopoli?
A Pengguna mempunyai banyak pilihan
B Meletakkan harga sama dengan kos sut
C Terdapat halangan kemasukan firma baru
D Beroperasi pada keluk kos purata minimum - Sewa kuasi adalah
A campuran sewa ekonomi dan perolehan pindaan
B perbezaan antara jumlah hasil dengan jumlah kos berubah
C sewa bangunan dan harta tetap lain yang digunakan sendiri oleh pemilik
D sewa yang diterima oleh faktor pengeluaran yang penawarannya tidak dapat ditambah - Fungsi permintaan pasaran bagi barang X diberi seperti yang berikut:
Qx = 8000 – 1000Px,
dengan
Qx = kuantiti X (unit),
Px = harga X (RM).Jika dalam pasaran terdapat 1000 individu yang masing-masing mempunyai fungsi permintaan
yang serupa, berapakah kuantiti diminta oleh setiap individu jika harga ialah RM2.00 seunit?
A 6 unit
B 7 unit
C 8 unit
D 9 unit
You can refer to this article to learn more about the latest examination format for STPM Economics.
Short Structured Questions: Focus on keywords and conciseness
Next, we will move to the structured component of the papers.
Candidates will choose to answer 4 out of 6 question options (short structured questions and essay questions) for Section B for their Semester 1 and Semester 2.
For Semester 3, candidates will need to answer 5 out of 6 question options in Section A instead (No objective questions in Semester 3).
Questions under this section usually have these keywords:
- Huraikan
- Terangkan
- Jelaskan
The key thing that sets short structured questions and longer essay questions under this section is the mark allocation. If it only consists of 2 marks, for instance, you only need to give a direct answer without any examples or elaboration.
Sample questions:
(a) Terangkan maksud sewa ekonomi dan perolehan pindahan. [2 markah]
(b) Apakah maksud sekatan perdagangan antarabangsa? [2 markah]
Having said that, don't forget to explore more information on the marking scheme of your STPM Economics papers here.
Longer Essay Questions: Match facts with elaboration & examples
In the same section, you will find longer essay questions. These questions require you to provide a longer and more elaborate answer according to the mark allocation.
Sample question 1:
Huraikan empat tujuan mengapa sesebuah negara dikenakan sekatan perdagangan antarabangsa. [8 markah]
You have to provide 4 facts (tujuan) and give relevant examples and elaboration based on the facts to get full marks.

Photo by Romain Dancre on Unsplash
Sample question 2:
Terangkan tiga cara bagaimana kerajaan mengawal import. [6 markah]
Similarly, you need to give three different answers and explain in detail based on the scenario.
One important tip to ace the essay questions is to have a gauge on all the questions and choose the ones that you're most confident to get a full score. (Each question holds 10 marks).
Discover these amazing reference books and learning resources for your STPM Economics papers.
Quantitative Questions: Identify the right formula/concepts & write down the working step by step
Quantitative questions will be asked in the final sections of your STPM Economic papers.
For Semester 1 and Semester 2, candidates are required to answer 2 out of 3 question options. On the other hand, for Semester 3, candidates will answer 1 out of 2 question options.
Each question holds 10 marks respectively and candidates will be given a set of questions (calculation based- or short-structured) based on either a table filled with figures or a graph.
Sample question:
Sekiranya nisbah rizab berkanun ialah 20%,
(a)Apakah maksud rizab tunai minimum dan rizab berkanun? [2 markah]
(b)(i)berapakah lebihan rizab bank ini? [2 markah]
(ii) bina kunci kira-kira selepas semua lebihan rizab dipinjamkan, [2 markah]
(iii) berapakah jumlah pinjaman yang boleh diciptakan oleh bank perdagangan sebelum dan selepas semua lebihan rizab dipinjamkan? [3 markah]
(c)Nyatakan dua faktor yang mengehadkan proses penciptaan kredit. [1 markah]
For this section, it's important to note that it's not a 100% calculation-based answering but a blend of short structured questions. So make sure you fully understand the given question/ scenario.
Increasing Your Confidence For Calculation Questions With A Reliable Economics Tutor
In case you are looking for personalised guidance to improve your STPM Economics grade, we got the perfect recommendation for you!
Home tutoring and online tutoring are the most student-friendly and flexible learning options these days.
Looking for a platform that offers both?
Head to Superprof Malaysia to kickstart your tutor-hunting journey.
In just a few clicks, you can review the basic information of the tutor and connect with the tutor. During the filtering process, you can pre-set your current learning level (STPM) and maximum budget for your hourly rate (RM50 an hour for example) to get a more specific tutor selection based on your preferences.
Having a private tutor will give you the confidence and competence to tackle your STPM Economics consistently every semester.
Think about the benefits that you'll reap!
You can review the relevant chapters systematically each semester and also get tons of feedback when you're attempting various sample questions.
Furthermore, you don't have to worry about time constraints too because you can enjoy one-to-one undivided attention from your tutor. You also get to explore different teaching methodologies and learn to correctly apply the taught economical concepts from different angles.
How cool is that!

Coursework Assessment: Apply relevant theories & concepts
We have now reached the final exam component for this subject, which is the coursework assessment.
Candidates will prepare and complete this internal assessment throughout the final semester alongside the written external assessment.
The questions will be set by the Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia (MPM) and the topics will be taken from the Semester 4 STPM Economics syllabus. Every STPM candidate will produce a written report based on their findings.
Here are some basic guidelines for this coursework project:
- Only A4 papers are allowed (candidates can choose to either type/produce a 100% handwritten report)
- The only accepted font size is Times New Roman (size 12)
- Spacing is 1.5
- The length of the pages must not exceed 25 pages (which include various illustrations such as tables, and
- graphs to support the findings), The appendix is not included.
- The report must include relevant evidence such as photos, data, interview records etc.
To have an efficient writing process, it's best to adhere to the following arrangement.
- Front cover (Lampiran 1)
- Borang Perakuan Calon (Lampiran 2)
- Borang Rekod Kerja Kursus Calon (Lampiran 3)
- Penulisan kerja khusus Ekonomi
Make sure you get the relevant documents ready from your subject teacher or the MPM official website.
An important reminder: Apart from their written report, candidates will also be evaluated on their report presentation. So make sure you print out an extra copy of your final report for your subject teacher's review.
With the right guidance on the right Economic theories and concepts from your subject teacher from the start, it's not impossible to have a high score for your coursework project.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article and gained a clearer insight into how to ace different components for your STPM Economics subject.
Get ready to switch between the "studying gears" smoothly and set sail on an adventure to get that A!
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