In October of every year, Junior Middle 3 and Senior Middle 3 students of Independent Chinese Secondary Schools in Malaysia take Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) that prepared them for further studies. However, nationwide lockdowns in 2020 due to the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 forced last year’s batch of candidates to take their exams under the conditions of a strict Movement Control Order in December.
Despite hurdle after hurdle, a group of our students have still been able to take things in stride, obtain wonderful results and bring great honours to the School. We at Kuen Cheng Newsletter Club decided to interview some of these brilliant students to hear and share their stories.
Tan Sze Qian, Sr3A: Straight 9A1s
The uncertain dates for the Exam and the prolonged preparation time caused a lot of stress to Sze Qian. After final preparations, the exam could be delayed again, putting last rush efforts to waste. The state of continuous preparations meant students were under a constant huge anxiety and tension.
Because of the lockdown, Sze Qian had to become more proactive and disciplined. She made plans for her daily study, mostly carried out in a daytime. She studied with friends in order to stay motivated. Her advice to 2021 candidates is to find your own way of study, and get enough rest as well as sleep during exam days.
Wong En Qi, Sr3A/Ex-Denmark exchange student: Straight 9As
After SPM, En Qi took a gap year and went to Denmark as an exchange student, which originally scheduled for one year. But she had only spent two months there before being sent back because of the pandemic. To return to school and take SUEC instead was a choice that perplexed many around her, but her intention to go to Denmark was to get out of a comfort zone at the very first place.
After coming back, she put most of her time and efforts into studying for SUEC. She had first focused on harder subjects until she was able to grasp at least 60% of the materials, before moving on to others. She hopes her juniors can find a reason to learn beyond exams, and thinks that taking breaks is nothing to be ashamed of.
Heng Yee Kang, Sr3A Student Advisor for Both School Prefect Board and Robotics Club: Straight 9As
Online learning required students to have strong self-direction and discipline. How much the “new norm” affected a student depending on whether they could adapt quickly enough. In Yee Kang’s eyes, a student’s first and foremost duty is to study and do well in exams. His conviction to excel in SUEC kept him motivated in his studies.
As a double Society student, time management was very important. Yee Kang says that club teacher-advisors are typically supportive, having good understanding and they do not excessively burden exam-takers. A student should just focus on completing the task at hand to the best of their abilities, no matter they were related to co-curricular activities or studies.
Ng Chok Yee, Sr3A: Straight 9As
As homework and school notes went digital, students’ screen time had increased many folds, which caused tired eyes and fatigue. Chok Yee managed to combat this by setting goals for herself. She had long decided on going to university, and was aware of her own scores and abilities. Two years ago, seeing the star next to the names of her seniors who had gotten straight As in SUEC, she was determined to be next. Chok Yee’s advice is “work hard, play hard” but do not force yourself too hard. You might find yourself more productive if you take a break instead. Lastly, it is better to face exams with anticipation instead of nervousness!
Lee Zhi Ying, Sr3A: Straight 9As
Without the guidance of teachers and extra drive to revise and study, Zhi Ying had needed time to gather herself and learn to be independent about her studies. The method for studying she found most effective for herself was making her own notes on the material. It allowed her to present harder material in a way she could understand and gave her a stronger impression of it. Zhi Ying’s message goes like this: “As a person who has never gotten good results in all six years of high school in English subject and three years of senior middle geography, yet she scored A1s in both of these subjects, never jump to conclude or doubt yourself. The fruits of hard work come without notice.”
Chan Cay Shen, Sr3ComA: 9As
Cay Shen’s greatest hurdle in adapting to online learning was lack of self-motivation and discipline, much like many others. It is no wonder to find sitting in front of a computer all day made people feel demotivated. His solution in turn, was to live by the value of “give today your all, leave no regrets for tomorrow”.
Cay Shen thinks study plans are essential to effective revision but not too detailed. He only noted down one or at most, two subjects a day in his timetable. “The key to an effective study goal is not how specific it is, but whether you follow through.”
Tan Li En, Sr3ComA: Straight 9As
Studying in the comfort of home naturally makes one want to laze around and slack off. The most important thing is to find a way for study that suits you, and the motivation keeps you doing for more. For Li En, if she reached a study goal for the day, she would reward herself with a movie or a quick mobile game. She believes it was these small treats that were effective in keeping her going for the long run.
In terms of good methods, Li En tries to complete all the past test papers assigned by teachers and not let any work pile up. She also studied with her friends. Seeing her peers around her work hard inspired her to do the same.
Ng Jin Rou, Sr3ComA: Straight 9As
The biggest problem Jin Rou faced was mentally adjusting herself to maintain a healthy mindset in her preparations for SUEC as the exam continued to be delayed. All the things she wanted to do after exams were what kept her motivated.
Jin Rou thinks a good study partner is important. Having someone to encourage you, keep you in check, talk to and share resources with is a great benefit. However, discipline and time management are still key. Study when you need to study, rest when you need to rest. Do not set unrealistic goals for yourself, focus on what you should be doing at the present.
Loke Kar Men, Sr3ComA: Straight 9As
The change in learning medium had at certain point affected Kar Men, she had to learn to adapt quickly. Kar Men kept motivated by keeping in mind that “for an ideal future, a little pain in the present is nothing”. She also was also encouraged by her friends.
By rationally managing her study sessions and breaks, she manages to avoid being overwhelmed and burnt out. For example, after revising, she rewards herself with some downtime.
Her advice to her juniors is to plan your time wisely and tackle the situation with an attitude of normalcy. “It is fine to take things step by step. Believe in yourself.”
Chan Jie, Sr3A: Straight 9As
Several activities reserved for the last year of Senior Middle Class were cancelled. Without the interactions with friends and teachers, preparing for the examination became quite a dour ordeal to Chan Jie. When she felt like giving up, she quickly switched her attention and looked forward to the time she would get to spend after SUEC.
Chan Jie thinks that time management was crucial to her success. “Do not think you can finish revising all the materials within 2 to 3 months,” she said. “Plan ahead. If you can’t focus on your own, try with a study group.” It is also important to deal with stress, relax the mind, one such way is to hang out with friends.
Yong Zhi Yi, Sr3ComA: Straight 9As
The heavy atmosphere of exams could not be recreated with online learning, and on top of that the delayed exams made it easy to slip into procrastination. However, the lesson arrangement undeniably allowed students to have more freedom over their schedules.
Zhi Yi typically noted down the revision material of each subject and made plans with a rough timetable. She tried to study harder subjects when she was more productive, and do revision of subjects she was familiar with during periods of low productivity. She also set joint study goal together with her study group weekly.
Yap Zi Qin, Sr3A: Straight 9As
Preparing for an examination that kept being postponed felt like running in a marathon with no finish line. There were days Zi Qin felt sincerely stumped. When all there was left to life was revising and constantly questioning whether she had grasped the material, Zi Qin felt like she had lost the reason for her to continue to run onwards. However, she does not regret her sorrow, she says.
“That was when I finally realised what I wanted and why I studied in the first place.” If what you want is knowledge beyond a certificate, then you will always be motivated to learn. Helplessness and self-doubt is normal. Remember that there is more to learning.
Ewe Kai Yu, Sr3ScA/Recipient of Kuen Cheng Honour Award 2017 & 2019: Straight 9As
“Discover your learning style; take breaks and ask for help from Teachers when you think it is necessary. Also, for more effective learning, one must plan well and always set priorities” shares Kai Yu. It was not all sunshine and roses as traditional physical class in the school had been drastically changed to require students to study-from-home online in the past year, having under the movement control order amid the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
Kai Yu is currently a Student Assistant at the Biology Lab, come and visit him during School hours if you wish to ask for advice or top tips for getting the most out of study.
