My 2013 Year End Examination

Until now, the longest examination that I have ever taken was my 2013 year end examination. The SPM examination that I took in November 2012 was also quite long, but it lasted for only about 3 weeks. On the other hand, my 2013 year end examination lasted for almost 2 months. During my 2013 year end examination, I actually took 4 different examinations. My first day of exam was on 15 October 2013, while my last day of exam was on 7 December 2013. During that 2 months, I was very busy studying for my exam. However, I did not feel too stressful, and some interesting events happened during the 2 months. In fact, I felt that I was more stressful during my SPM examination in 2012.

Here are some details of the 4 examinations I took.

1. Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Level Final Examination:

I am currently studying A Level in Taylor's College Subang Jaya. AS Level is the first half of the full A Level. The AS Level final examination contributes half of the marks for the overall A Level results. I took 4 subjects, which are Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology and Physics. For the AS Level examination, Mathematics has 2 papers, while Chemistry, Physics and Biology have 3 papers each.

2. BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT):

I applied to the Oxford University, University College London and Imperial College London for Medicine course. I applied for these universities because they are in the top 10 universities list of the JPA scholarship. These 3 universities require all applicants who apply for Medicine course to take an admission test, which is the BMAT. The BMAT examination has 3 sections.

3. Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM):

I first took the SPM in year 2012. However, I did not take the Chinese language subject in SPM 2012 because I was not confident of getting A+ or A. However, as a Chinese, I have the responsibility to take Chinese language in SPM. Therefore, I took Chinese language in SPM 2013 as private candidate. I did not take any other subjects in SPM 2013. SPM Chinese Language has 2 papers.

4. International English Language Testing System (IELTS):

All universities that I have applied to or plan to apply to require proof of English language proficiency because the courses are studied in English. IELTS is the most commonly used English language proficiency test by universities. My IELTS testing fee was paid by the Ministry of Education under the Bursary. The IELTS test has 4 components, which are Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing.

This is my diary during the examinations.

11 October 2013 (Friday):

This is the last day of college before the AS Level Final Examination starts. After college, I had lunch with my friends at Ooi's Noodle House. After returning home, I revised Mathematics Paper 1. 

12 October (Saturday) to 14 October 2013 (Monday):

There were no college during the 3 days. I spent most of my time doing revision for Mathematics Paper 1. I did past year questions for Mathematics Paper 1 and also went through the examples in the textbook and my teacher's notes.

15 October 2013 (Tuesday):

It was the first day of the AS Level Final Examination. The subject tested on that day was AS Mathematics Paper 1. The questions were very easy. I could finish all the questions within the time limit and I even had time to recheck all my answers. I was confident to score very high marks and maybe full marks for Mathematics Paper 1. After the examination, my friends told me that they were planning to go to Singapore for holidays in December 2013 and they asked me if I wanted to join them. I was interested to join them but I had to ask my parents' permission first. They had a discussion about the trip to Singapore in the college learning hub. After returning home, I told my parents about the trip to Singapore and they agreed to let me go. I also telephoned my grandparents to tell them about that and they agreed. Later, through Whatsapp told my friends that I would be joining them to go to Singapore.

16 October (Wednesday) to 21 October 2013 (Monday):

There were no examination during these few days. From 16 October to 19 October, I spent most of my time revising Biology Paper 2. I did past year questions for Biology Paper 2. I also revised my teacher's notes, the notes that I took down myself while in class and the textbook. Then on 20 October, I revised for Physics Paper 3. I went through the past year papers and the mark schemes on the internet. I also went through my practical manual book and the textbook. I then posted on Facebook some common answers for the Limitations and Improvements questions which always appear in the Question 2 of Physics Paper 3 to help my friends.

22 October 2013 (Tuesday):

The subject tested on that day was AS Physics Paper 3. I was in Shift 1 so I did not have to be quarantined before the examination started. Some of my friends were also in Shift 1 but others were in Shift 2. For Physics Paper 3, the experiments were easy to carry out and the questions were quite easy. For the Limitations and Improvements question in Question 2, 3 out of the 4 answers could be found in my list of common answers which I posted on Facebook a day earlier. I was confident to get high marks for Physics Paper 3. After the examination, I and all students in Shift 1 had to be quarantined for 1 hour. My friends told me that they also used the answers in my list of common answers. After returning home, I revised Biology Paper 2.

23 October 2013 (Wednesday):

The subject tested on that day was AS Biology Paper 2. The questions were moderately difficult. They were easier than what I expected. One of the question was exactly the same as the question which appeared in the previous year's examination. I could get full marks for that question since I just did it one day earlier. However, there were also a few questions that were quite difficult. I was confident of getting at least 48/60 for Biology Paper 2. After returning home, I revised Physics Paper 2 and Chemistry Paper 2.

24 October (Thursday) to 28 October 2013 (Monday):

There were no examination during these few days. From 24 October to 27 October, I spent most of my time revising Physics Paper 2 and Chemistry Paper 2. I did past year questions for Physics Paper 2 and Chemistry Paper 2. Then on 28 October, I did revision for Chemistry Paper 3. I went through the past year papers and the mark schemes on the internet. I also went through my practical manual book.

29 October 2013 (Tuesday):

The subject tested on that day was AS Chemistry Paper 3. I was in Shift 2 so I had to be quarantined for more than 2 hours before the examination started. Some of my friends were also in Shift 2 but others were in Shift 1. For Chemistry Paper 3, the experiments were not difficult to carry out and the questions were easy. The questions, especially those on Qualitative Analysis, were easier than what I had expected. During that examination, it was the first time that I successfully got a 'pop' sound when I used a lighted wooden splinter to test for hydrogen gas. After the examination, I did not have to be quarantined. After returning home, I revised Physics Paper 2.

30 October (Wednesday) to 4 November 2013 (Monday):

There were no examination during these few days. From 30 October to 2 November, I spent most of my time doing revision for Physics Paper 2. I did past year questions for Physics Paper 2. I also revised my teacher's notes and the textbook. Then on 3 November and 4 November, I did revision for Mathematics Paper 6. I did past year questions for Mathematics Paper 6 and also went through the examples in the textbook and my teacher's notes.

5 November 2013 (Tuesday):

The subject tested on that day was AS Mathematics Paper 6. The questions were very easy. I could finish all the questions within the time limit and I even had time to recheck all my answers. I was confident to get very high marks and maybe full marks for Mathematics Paper 6. I was very sure of getting above 90 marks or maybe 100 marks for AS Mathematics. After returning home, I revised Biology Paper 3.

6 November 2013 (Wednesday):

The test on that day was the BMAT. The test was held in the afternoon. I went to college in the morning. I went to the library and did revision for Biology Paper 3. I did not revise for the BMAT because it tests on scientific knowledge that is already in the A level syllabus, as well as aptitude and writing skills. In the library, I met one of my friend who was also revising Biology. Then when I was about to go for lunch, I met a few of my friends. I had lunch with them at JoJo's Kitchen. After lunch, I walked to the 7th floor of Wisma Subang Jaya to take the BMAT. BMAT Section A was very difficult because the questions tested on aptitude and IQ. I could not answer many of the questions and I also did not have enough time to finish all the questions. BMAT Section B was easier because the questions tested on Science and Mathematics. I could answer many of the questions, but I still could not finish all the questions within the time limit. BMAT Section C was moderately difficult. I could finish writing the essay within the time limit. After returning home, I continued revising Biology Paper 3. I went through the past year questions and the mark schemes on the internet. I also revised the Practical worksheets, my teacher's notes and the textbook.

7 November 2013 (Thursday):

The subject tested on that day was AS Biology Paper 3. I was in Shift 1 so I did not have to be quarantined before the examination started. All my classmates were also in Shift 1. For Biology Paper 3, the questions were not too difficult and were easier than what I had expected, but the experiments were very difficult to carry out. For question 1, I could not get a correct trend for the results of experiment and I had to rush to finish it just on time. For question 2, the image of the specimen in the microscope slide observed under the microscope was not clear so it was very difficult to draw. I was not confident to score well in Biology Paper 3 and I believe that I had screwed it up. After the examination, I and all students in Shift 1 had to be quarantined for 1 hour. Many of my friends also felt that Biology Paper 3 was very difficult. After returning home, I did revision for Physics Paper 2.

8 November 2013 (Friday):

The subject tested on that day was AS Physics Paper 2. The questions were moderately difficult. They were easier than what I expected. However, I later realised that I made a careless mistake in one question, where I misread 'Elastic potential energy' as 'Electric potential energy'. There were also a few questions that were quite difficult. I was confident of getting at least 50/60 for Physics Paper 2. After returning home, I revised Chemistry Paper 2.

9 November (Saturday) and 10 November 2013 (Sunday):

There were no examination during these two days. I spent most of my time doing revision for Chemistry Paper 2. I did past year questions for Chemistry Paper 2. I also revised my teacher's notes.

11 November 2013 (Monday):

The subject tested on that day was AS Chemistry Paper 2. The questions were quite easy and were easier than what I had expected. However, there were a few questions that were a bit difficult.  I was confident to get at least 54/60 for Chemistry Paper 2. After the examination, I went to the bookshop opposite my college to buy the past year questions for Chemistry, Physics and Biology Paper 1. Then, my friends wanted to go to somewhere for lunch, and they would be driving there. I was interested to follow them there, but my mother would be fetching me home in an hour so I was afraid that I could not return to college on time. At last, I decided to follow them there. I sat one of my friend's car. When I was on the way there, I sent an SMS to my mother to tell her to fetch me 2 hours later. At first, my friends wanted to go to a restaurant in Glenmarie but later we found out that the restaurant no longer existed. Later, they decided to go to Secrets of Louisiana restaurant in Kelana Jaya. It is not too far away from our college. It has a nice scenery since it is located beside a lake and the food there was tasty. Then, my mother telephoned me and told me that she agreed to fetch me 2 hours later. After eating, some of my friends wanted to go shopping at Paradigm Mall but I could not follow them because my mother was going to fetch me soon. My friend drove me back to college. That was the first time I followed my friend out to somewhere far away from our college and it was really an interesting experience. After returning home, I slept for a while. On that night, my parents took me back to Kulim because I had no examination for the following 2 weeks.

12 November (Tuesday) to 25 November 2013 (Monday):

There was no examination during this 2 weeks. From 12 November to 22 November, I stayed in  Kulim. Them, I returned to Subang Jaya on 23 November. Throughout this 2 weeks, I spent most of my time revising Physics Paper 1, Chemistry Paper 1 and Biology Paper 1. I did past year questions for the 3 subjects. I also revised SPM Chinese Language. I did the questions in my SPM Chinese Language revision book.

26 November 2013 (Tuesday):

The subject tested on that day was AS Physics Paper 1. Most of the questions were quite easy and I could answer all questions within the time limit. However, two of the questions were difficult and I later found out that I answered both questions wrongly. I was confident to get above 36/40 for Physics Paper 1. I was very sure of getting grade A and above 90 marks for AS Physics. After returning home, I did revision for Chemistry Paper 1.

27 November 2013 (Wednesday):

The subject tested on that day was AS Chemistry Paper 1. Most of the questions were easy and I could answer all questions within the time limit. However, I later found out that I made a careless mistake in one of the questions. I was confident to get above 36/40 for Chemistry Paper 1. I was very sure of getting grade A and above 90 marks for AS Chemistry. After returning home, I revised SPM Chinese Language.

28 November 2013 (Thursday):

There was no examination on that day. I spent most of my time revising Biology Paper 1. I did past year questions. I also revised my teacher's notes, the textbook and the notes that I took down while in class.

29 November 2013 (Friday):

That was the last day of the AS Level Final Examination. The subject tested on that day was AS Biology Paper 1. Most of the questions were not difficult. However, a few questions were quite difficult and I was not sure whether I answered them correctly or not. I was not confident to get very high marks for Biology Paper 1. I was very sure of getting grade A but not above 90 marks for AS Biology. After retuning home, I did revision for SPM Chinese Language.

30 November (Saturday) to 2 December 2013 (Monday):

There was no examination during these few days. On 30 December, my parents drove me back to Kulim because I would be taking the SPM Chinese Language in Kulim. During these few days, I spent most of my time doing revision for SPM Chinese Language. I revised my SPM Chinese Language reference book. I mostly did revision on the Idioms and Practical Writing sections.

3 December 2013 (Tuesday):

The examination on that day was the SPM Chinese Language. I took the examination at SMK Keladi. It turned out that I was the only candidate in the whole examination hall on that day. Actually there was another candidate who took SPM Arabic Language but he was absent. SPM Chinese Language Paper 2 started first, followed by Paper 1. Paper 2 was quite difficult but was easier than what I had expected, while Paper 1 was not difficult. I was not sure what grade I would be getting for SPM Chinese Language. I hoped to get grade A- or better. After the examination, my grandparents took me to a restaurant in Bukit Mertajam for lunch. On that night, I and my grandparents took a train to Subang Jaya. It was more than 10 years ago since I last took a train. We slept on the train. It was an interesting experience taking a train. 

4 December 2013 (Wednesday):

There was no examination on that day but I had college. We arrived in KL Sentral at about 6:30AM. My parents were already there to fetch us. We then had breakfast at one of the restaurants near my college. After breakfast, I attended college. I told my friends about the SPM Chinese Language examination and my experience taking a train. After returning home from college, I wanted to prepare for the IELTS Speaking but I realised that there were nothing much that I could prepare. I just went through the IELTS reference book that I borrowed from my friend.

5 December 2013 (Thursday):

The test on that day was the IELTS Speaking. I attended college as usual in the morning. Then at 11AM, I left class and walked to IDP Subang Jaya opposite my college to take the IELTS Speaking.   Before the test started, the person in charge told me that the IELTS Listening, Reading and Writing two days later would be held at KBU International College instead of Wisma Subang Jaya because there would be an event at Wisma Subang Jaya. The IELTS Speaking was moderately difficult. For the first part, I was asked questions about myself. For the second part, I was asked to describe a historical event that interests me. I talked about the independence of Malaya, but I could not describe it very well. For the third part, I was asked a few more questions regarding history. I was not sure what band score I would get for IELTS Speaking. I hoped to get a band score of 6.5 or higher. After the test, I returned to college and continued attending lessons. After returning home, I prepared for IELTS Listening, Reading and Writing.

6 December 2013 (Friday):

There was no examination on that day but I had college. In the morning, I attended college as usual. After returning home, I made preparation for IELTS Listening, Reading and Writing. I went through the IELTS reference book that I borrowed from my friend.

7 December 2013 (Saturday):

That was the last day of all my examinations. The test on that day was the IELTS Listening, Reading and Writing. In the morning, my mother took me to KBU International College in Damansara. There, I waited for some time before the test started. IELTS Listening started first, followed by IELTS Reading and finally IELTS Writing. IELTS Listening was very easy. I could hear most of the words clearly and I could answer most of the questions. IELTS Reading was also very easy. The passages given were easy to read and understand and I could answer most of the questions. However, IELTS Writing was difficult, especially the second part. For the first part, it asked me to describe the data given in a table. For the second part, the question was 'Is it possible to be a responsible tourist?'. The question did explain the meaning of 'responsible tourist' and I could understand it, but the essay was difficult to elaborate. I was confident to get higher than band 7.0 for IELTS Listening and Reading, but I was not confident in IELTS Writing. I hoped to get a band score of 6.5 or higher for IELTS Writing and an overall IELTS band score of 7.0 or higher. After the test, my mother took me to Village Park Restaurant for lunch. After returning home, I relaxed for the whole day, and for the rest of the days until the 3rd semester of A Level started on 7 January 2014.

Here are the results of the examinations.

BMAT:

Before the results was out, I hoped to get at least 5.0 for Section A, 6.0 for Section B, 3.5 for Section C Quality of Content and Grade B for Section C Quality of Writing. The results was out on 27 November 2013. I checked my results online using the computer in the library of my college. My actual results was 4.8 out of 9.0 for Section A, 6.4 out of 9.0 for Section B, 4.0 out of 5.0 for Section C Quality of Content and Grade B for Section C Quality of Writing. According to the website, the mean score for all candidates on that year was 4.8 for Section A, 4.6 for Section B, 3.0 for Section C Quality of Content and Grade A for Section C Quality of Writing. Few candidates got above 6.0 for Section A and B. I was satisfied with my results for Section B and Section C but not Section A. My BMAT results was able to meet the entry requirements for University College London and Imperial College London but not Oxford University.

IELTS:

Before the results was out, I hoped to get band score of at least 6.5 for Writing and Speaking, band score of at least 7.5 for Listening and Reading, and overall band score of at least 7.0 . The results was out on 20 December 2013 2PM. I checked my results online at home using my newly bought iPad Air. My actual results was Band 8.5 for Listening, Band 9.0 for Reading, Band 7.0 for Writing and Band 6.5 for Speaking. My overall band score was 8.0 . I was very satisfied with my results. My IELTS results was able to meet the entry requirements of all universities that I have applied or planning to apply, except Oxford University and University of Queensland, which require band score of 7.0 for all 4 components. However, both Oxford University and University of Queensland accept SPM English 1119 as an English language proficiency test, so I can still apply for them.

AS Level Final Examination:

Before the results was out, I hoped to get grade A with Percentage Uniform Mark of at least 90 for all 4 subjects. However, I was not confident to get Percentage Uniform Mark of 90 for Biology, although I was confident to get grade A for Biology. The results was out on 24 January 2014 2PM. I checked my results online using the computer in the library of my college. My actual results was grade A for all 4 subjects. My percentage uniform mark was 96 for Mathematics, 96 for Chemistry, 93 for Physics and 90 for Biology. I was quite satisfied with my results. However, I was a little disappointed for getting 96 marks for Mathematics because I earlier expected that I could get 100 marks. Still, I was very happy because that was the first time in my life where I got 90 marks and above for all subjects in one examination. 90 marks and above is actually an A* grade, but there is no A* grade at AS level, only at the full A level. My results was able to meet the entry requirements of all universities that I have applied or planning to apply.

SPM:

Before the results was out, I hoped to get at least grade A- for SPM Chinese Language. However, I was not sure what grade I would be getting. The results was out on 20 March 2014 10AM. I checked my results online using my iPad in the learning hub of my college. My actual results was grade A-. I was quite satisfied with my results. However, I was a little disappointed for not getting A or A+ for Chinese Language. My results was able to meet the entry requirements for the University of Hong Kong, which requires grade C.


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