An exam is not only a test of your academic knowledge, it is a test of your calmness, stability and courage.
As a student, you didn't choose the exam life.
The exam life chose you!
Most of the time, you can't pick to only sit for your favourite subjects. It might be a different case once you enter university, but everyone who has experienced examination knows this: PREPARATION is crucial.
You could be the "smartest" student in your entire class – indeed, your entire school but when things get too overwhelming aka huge chunks of memorization plus other project deadlines all lumped together, the heat is certainly on.
Besides having a solid exam preparation to draw on, the best way to combat the stress of major exams like SPM, STPM or A-Levels is to master the materials inside and out.
How we do get there?
Getting all the relevant study materials ready, revising them consistently and attempting lots of past year questions.
The cycle repeats.
Thankfully, we are living in the 21st century. This means we can have the best of both worlds by combining digital and non-digital studying resources for the best learning experience.
With an abundance of materials being laid in front of us, it's time for you to make a choice.
Of all the resources available for exam review, which are the best?
Journey with us as we enlighten you on the best resources and websites that you can utilize as a student to ace your examinations!
What Are Some Resources That You Can Use For Your Revision?
First things first. Let's talk about the essentials and basic examination revision resources that you can easily access now.
Here are four main resources that you can refer to:
a) Self-penned notes/Notes provided by your teachers
The act of note-taking itself is actually a great way to promote active learning.
Whether you are in class or doing your own revision, you can easily refer to your subject notes to know the topics that you are studying better.
Remember, your notes are supposed to be simple, apt and straight to the point. The main goal is to help you to focus better to retain the important information of a complex question, for instance.
Let's say you need to memorize the important steps of the Krebs Cycle when you are revising for Biology.
Having a simple note on the steps and summary of the cycle will help you to understand the process systematically and easily.
You can pen down your notes like this:
- Location of the cycle: Matrix of mitochondria under aerobic condition.
- Significance of the cycle: Final pathway of oxidation of glucose, fats and amino acids.
- Products of the cycle: Carbon dioxide, NADH, FADH2, and ATP or GTP
Learn more about eating tips to ensure successful learning and revision here.
b) Textbooks and reference books
You may not fancy reading as a hobby, but you certainly need to know what to read and where to get the books that you need to read.
We know that books can be quite pricey these days and certain e-books require you to pay before you can download them.
This is where your school/local/university library comes into the picture.
A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessities in life . - Henry Ward Beecher
With just a library card, you can access an array of books, physical and online journals for free. All you need to do is just renew your book lending period for the books that you plan to study for a longer time.
You get to browse through many textbooks (notes and theories) and reference books (for exercise and reinforcements).
You may want to refer back to the original textbooks to find out about the right definitions, vocabularies or elaboration if you are just starting a new chapter on a subject that you are not that confident in.
At the same time, you'll also want to make sure you fully understand what you have learnt from the textbooks.
On the other hand, reference books will help you to reflect on your true progress, on the questions that you have answered correctly/wrongly.
In other words, you get to read, review and reflect objectively on the subjects that you are studying.
Source: Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
c) Past year papers/sample questions
One of the most helpful resources you could have for exam prep is past year papers.
Most students will agree that it is especially important for subjects like Mathematics, Physics (which requires step by step calculation and higher comprehension), as well as for subjects that have long essay questions (like Sejarah).
By reviewing past year questions, for example, you can see how the exam boards essentially repeat exam questions by wording them differently.
Since the format of the exams has been fixed, it is how they set the questions according to the given syllabus.
You could even "spot" some questions based on the frequencies on how they are asked in exams.
Furthermore, reviewing past papers will also equip and familiarize you with questions you’ve not encountered before during your studies.
It also trains you to complete the examinations within the given time. Think of it as an exercise of exposure and experience training.
It's about increasing the probability of the depth and width of what you need to know.
Some of your teachers will distribute those past year papers during your lessons. You may also find soft copies of past papers online on several revision blogs and student websites too.
d) Revision blogs and YouTube channels
Let's face it. Your revision will not be complete without online resources. You'll mostly access online materials through your mobile devices.
We understand that phones have become handheld computers and they appeal particularly to younger demographics.
In fact, a recent study reveals that students are losing sleep to their electronic devices in record numbers. If that is you, you might need to learn about the importance of sleep with regard to your exams too.
As mentioned in the earlier paragraph, examination preparation also encompasses mental preparation.
For students who are taking on major examinations for the first time, it would be great to know some direct revision tips from their "seniors".
There are many students who have created revision blogs and YouTube videos to share their experiences and personal journey of sitting for the exams.
For instance, some of them will talk about the mistakes to be avoided when answering questions, the right way to write a full mark essay and some revision tips that they have personally found to be useful.
It would certainly be a great comfort, encouragement and motivation to read how others have gone through a similar experience and succeeded.
Why Do You Need A Private Tutor To Ace Your Examinations?
Private tutors! We dare say they are the ultimate exam prep resource!
While most tutors specialise in a certain field or subject such as Mandarin or Chemistry, there are some who dedicate themselves exclusively to test preparation: exam strategies, giving practice exams and helping with the past paper reviews.
Superprof has hundreds of tutors specialising in exam preparation for various subjects throughout Malaysia!
Just head to the Superprof Malaysia website and key in the subject that you are interested to learn plus your current location to find a private home tutor/online tutor.
From there, you can easily browse and review the tutors' profiles and look at their teaching methodology, teaching experience and previous reviews of their former students.
Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right questions. - Josef Albers
Let's review why a Superprof tutor will lead you to greater heights when you are preparing for your exams.
a) You'll be able to remember better by learning the subject from a different angle
Many students view tutoring as something unnecessary and boring.
Let us tell you that this is a matter of perspective.
What if I tell you that tutoring is essentially an extra lesson for you to repeat the process of learning, but from a different angle?
Perhaps you cannot understand 100% what was taught in school due to various circumstances. Having a private tutor helps you to repeat the process in a more conducive and relaxed environment.
Furthermore, your private tutor might teach you in an unconventional method, where it could be more engaging, effective and thought-provoking.
By combining what you have learnt in school and through tutoring, you'll be able to join the dots on the areas where you have previously been unsure.
Source: Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels
b) You'll receive tailored made revision methods
Having a private tutor allows you to learn progressively at your own pace.
You don't have to follow a conventional revision method that is regularly used by bigger groups.
For instance, if you find it difficult to memorize the different Biology cycles and processes in big paragraphs, your Biology tutor might teach you to remember them through diagrams and images.
After all, there are many tips to revise for various subjects too.
c) You'll get direct, constructive feedback and consistent grading
As a student, it matters a lot to know that you are on the right track, especially when you are studying so many subjects at once.
Your private tutor will be able to tell at once if you are showing any improvements throughout the tutoring sessions.
They'll be able to point out what is right and what is wrong by letting you see the bigger picture and letting you realise what goes in between the details when you are answering the questions.
What's best is you'll know the right and effective ways to score well for every section through your tutor's consistent grading of your work.
How Can You Maximize Your Self-Revision Sessions?
You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. - Zig Ziglar
"What are you studying today?"
"When you are starting your revision?"
"How long do you plan to revise for that chapter?"
Do all these questions sound familiar?
These are frequently asked questions that most students are not really fond of answering unless they are truly prepared for hardcore revision.
Here are a few ways to get started.
a) Create your own revision timetable
You can't find a ready-made timetable as they are a time management resource you must create yourself – after all, nobody but you knows where your priorities and responsibilities lie.
Such a revision timetable will allow you to plan study time for your chosen SPM or A-Levels subjects according to your specific needs. In fact, careening toward your exams without a firm schedule of studies in place is a recipe for disaster!
b) Use flashcards
Another excellent and oft-overlooked resource is flashcards.
Flashcards are portable, flexible and, most importantly, made by you. You would write only the most "challenging" information on these resilient cards that you can then flip through in idle moments, creating a mini-review session.
Most importantly, the act of writing itself helps to focus and memorize better.
The above statement proves that writing by hand is another resource available to you for exam preparation – after all, you will hand-write your exams; you may as well get as much practice as you can.
Source: Photo by Zen Chung from Pexels
If you like the idea of flashcards but have little time for writing them out by hand, you might turn to Quizlet; an online application that allows you to make digital flashcards and offers various ways to engage with the study materials you created.
You might, for instance, play games or take a practice test that the application creates for you based on the information you input.
Now, let’s take a look at what websites are available for your exam review.
Where To Find Websites For Past Year Papers?
You can't teach people everything they know. The best you can do is position them where they can find what they need to know when they need to know it. - Seymour Papert
That's basically the drill of online learning.
Students are expected to independently research for everything and anything, all thanks to Google.
Truth is, there are currently over 5.1 billion active Internet users and more than 1.92 billion websites online.
Just take some time and look at that figure. It really does speak volumes, right?
The digital landscape is such that anyone can create and publish their content online, for free to everyone today!
So, you don't have to worry about the lack of revision blogs to search for past year papers.
There, you not only get to find past exam papers but, most importantly, the marking schemes and guidelines.
We'll reveal the three most popular websites where students or even teachers can access past year papers/trial state papers for free.
- Afterschool. my (SPM)
Afterschool is a website that promotes and provides higher education advice to Malaysian students. Among the information that you can gain there include courses and universities to further your studies, career tips, studying tips and many more.
In one of the many articles listed on the website, students can access and download the actual collection of SPM past year questions from the year 2014 to 2019 plus repeat papers throughout the years.
The subjects that are covered are Bahasa Melayu, English, Pendidikan Islam, Pendidikan Moral, Sejarah (History), Mathematics, Science, Additional Mathematics, Physics, Biology, and Chemistry.
Apart from that, they also provide trial questions from all states and even predicted questions from drafters of the actual SPM examination. You also get to read articles about studying strategies for various subjects.
There are also bonus resources for those who are preparing for their Malaysian University English Test (MUET).
You can easily download the past year papers collection.
It's literally the whole package in here!
- Bumi Gemilang (SPM)
Bumi Gemilang is a comprehensive educational blog for students and teachers.
It is one of the websites that has a pretty complete collection of past year papers.
Most of the past year papers of the subjects (including non-core subjects) that are offered in SPM such as the Chinese Language, Computer Science, Commerce and even Accounting are provided.
What sets Bumi Gemilang apart from other education websites is its textbook collection and short notes collection.
Remember the earlier paragraph that mentioned the importance of textbooks and short notes? The good news is you can find all of them here!
Digital textbooks (following the latest KSSM syllabus) from Form 1, Form 2, Form 3, Form 4, and Form 5 are available to be downloaded for free.
You can also obtain short and useful short notes of various subjects like Sejarah too.
Don't miss this opportunity to get as much as you can. Sejarah is an important subject for SPM because you won't receive your SPM certificate if you fail to pass this subject (apart from Bahasa Melayu).
Source: Photo by Andy Barbour from Pexels
- Mr. Saimun's Blog (for IGCSE)
We know that there are also many of you who are sitting for the IGCSE exam (private, international schools, homeschooling students).
Don't worry, we got your back!
Mr. Saimun's Blog is the perfect educational blog that provides the best of both worlds.
You'll get to access both SPM and IGCSE past year papers here.
Currently, the past papers are updated till 2019 and can be downloaded via various Google Drive links for free.
The list of subjects include:
- Accounting (0452)
- Agriculture (0600)
- Arabic - First Language (0508)
- Arabic - Foreign Language (0544)
- Art and Design (0400)
- Biology (0610)
- Business Studies (0450)
- Chemistry (0620)
- Chinese - First Language (0509)
- Chinese - Foreign Language (0547)
- Chinese - Second Language (0523)
- Computer Science (0478)
- Design and Technology (0445)
- Development Studies (0453)
- Drama (0411)
- Economics (0455)
- English - First Language (0500)
- English - Literature (0486)
- English - Second Language (BES) (0526)
- English - Second Language (Count-in speaking) (0511)
- Enterprise (0454)
- Geography (0460)
- German - Foreign Language (0525)
- Global Perspectives (0457)
- History (0470)
- Information and Communication Technology (0417)
- International Mathematics (0607)
- Italian - Foreign Language (0535)
- Japanese - Foreign Language (0519)
- Latin (0480)
- Malay - First Language (0696)
- Malay - Foreign Language (0546)
- Mathematics (0580)
- Mathematics - Additional (0606)
- Music (0410)
- Physical Education (0413)
- Physical Science (0652)
- Physics (0625)
- Portuguese - Foreign Language (0540)
- Religious Studies (0490)
- Science - Combined (0653)
- Sociology (0495)
- Spanish - Foreign Language (0530)
- World Literature (0408)
Check out top revision tips using a mind map.
What YouTube Channels Can You Use For Learning And Examination Review?
To many students these days, especially for audiovisual learners, YouTube is literally an education haven for them.
Source: Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash
Just type in any subject and you'll find a whole list of tutorial videos, online lessons and even animation mind maps from people all across the world.
Here are a few YouTube channels that you can subscribe to as a student:
a) Didik TV KPM
Boasting more than 7,000 videos, Didik TV KPM is an educational channel that you should not miss if you are a primary and secondary student in Malaysia.
You can find several compilations of video playlists (various subjects) according to different educational levels on the channel:
- Didik TV KPM STPM (Form 6)
- SUKSES SPM 2021
- Menengah Rendah (Form 1 to Form 3)
- Menengah Atas (Form 4 to Form 5)
- Tahap I (Standard 1 to Standard 3)
- Tahap II (Standard 4 to Standard 6)
b) SPM Malaysia
SPM Malaysia is a YouTube channel that specialises in Mathematics, Additional Mathematics and Accounting tutorial lessons for the KSSM syllabus.
You will get to watch detailed videos that teach you chapter by chapter about the three subjects mentioned above.
There are also videos that show you how to answer questions of different difficulty levels.
c) Crash Course
If you are a university student that is looking for visual stimulating and interactive online videos, this is your go-to YouTube channel!
The videos are suitable for all groups of learners as they give listeners a basic outline of what to expect at the beginning of the video.
As of today, the Crash Course team has produced more than 32 courses in various fields of study.
These include:
- Organic chemistry
- Biology
- Physics
- World history
- Economics
- Psychology
- Engineering
- Statistics
- Literature
- Data Literacy
All these amazing resources are made free for the general public, so you should certainly make the best out of these YouTube channels!
With all of these resources, you must surely itch to get on with your studies… But first, take the time to read up on other effective revision techniques.
Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. ― Robert Collier
Revisions can be fun and rewarding when you have the best resources right in front of you, whether it is in the form of physical books, online resources or even a Superprof tutor!
Begin your revision journey today to ace your future papers!
You can do this!
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