Malaysian Higher School Certificate
| Acronym | STPM |
|---|---|
| Type | Prerequisite to a university degree application |
| Administrator | Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia |
| Skills tested | Varies depending on subject, but in almost all STPM subjects, general knowledge, fundamental writing, and numerical skills are tested. |
| Duration | 1 to 3 hours, depending on the subject. Person with disabilities are allowed for extra allocated time. |
| Score range | Grades from A to F, with A being the highest. CGPA from 4.00 to 0.00, with 4.00 being the highest |
| Score validity | Lifetime |
| Restrictions on attempts | Subjects from the first and second semesters can be reattempted once. No resits for subjects for the third semester. |
| Regions | Malaysia |
| Languages | Main instruction languages: Bahasa Malaysia, English Lingustic electives: Chinese, Tamil, Arabic |
| Prerequisites | Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia |
| Fee | Free to students in schools. Resits and private entries incur variable fees. |
| Website | https://www.mpm.edu.my/ |
The Malaysian Higher School Certificate (Malay: Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia), commonly abbreviated as STPM, is a pre-university examination in Malaysia. It was formerly known as the Higher School Certificate (HSC). Since 1982, STPM has been administered by the Malaysian Examinations Council (MEC), a statutory council under the Ministry of Education.
STPM is one of the major pre-university systems for admissions to Malaysian public universities, besides the Malaysian Matriculation Programme and the Malaysian Higher Islamic Religious Certificate (STAM). STPM is internationally recognised by many universities, and the results are considered as equivalent to GCE Advanced Level results.
From year 2012 onwards, the modular system has replaced the previous terminal system. The examination series is divided into three semesters and assessed thoroughly, instead of holding one major examination at the end of the examination series in the previous system. Besides that, examination results are monitored by a representative from Cambridge Assessment to maintain standards and quality.