ABSTRACT
Prior to the implementation of the SBA, which began at the primary school level in 2011, the Malaysian examination system was an examination-oriented system at both primary and secondary school levels (Baidzawi & Abu, 2013; Hasim, 2014), whereas the Malaysian students are required to take several standardized examinations. Generally, Malaysian students will have to take Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) at the end of Year 6, Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) at the end of lower secondary level or Form 3, and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) at the end of upper secondary level or Form 5. According to Baidzawi and Abu (2013), the three sets of major examinations-UPSR, PMR, and SPM-are set by the Malaysian Examination Syndicate to ensure the validity and objectivity of the examination. They also added that these public examinations have long been the only tool to measure the students’ achievement in schools.
