All You Need To Know About Psychometric Tests (Part 1)

Guest Post: This post was written by Joanne Lee, a mother of two in response to questions asked by members of our Facebook Group, The Malaysia Primary School Parents on Facebook. Come join us for more modern-day parenting discussions. 

This is Part 1 of the three part article on this topic.

All you need to know about psychometric tests

Around this period, some parents may have received a notice from their school, informing them about a test called a psychometric test. Your notice may look something like this and if you are wondering what this is all about, read on.


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What are psychometric tests?

Don’t worry, they aren’t academic tests. Schools started running psychometric tests in 2009 as part of the UPSR schedule. Nowadays they are carried out during the schooling year for most of or the entire month. The image below shows what the schedule looks like for 2016.

For 2017, click here.

What are these tests for?

At the risk of oversimplifying this, these tests are to find out what your child’s strengths, interests and inclinations are (basically what the students like to do and are good at). The information can help teachers help students fully realize their potential based on their personality traits.

About Primary School Psychometric tests (2 tests)

Ujian Aptitud Am

In primary school the tests will be carried out at Primary 3 and 6. These tests are known as Ujian Aptitud Am (or general aptitude tests). The General Aptitude Test in Year 3 measures the student’s natural ability to learn or do something easily and quickly. The student will be tested on their analytical and verbal skills.

Format for Ujian Aptitud Am

The test takes 1 hour and there are 80 questions to complete. There are 30 questions in BM, 30 questions in English and 20 Math questions that require analytical and problem-solving skills.

Take a peek at this aptitude test for Primary 3 carried out in 2015.

In the next part of this article, we will explore the Secondary School Psychometric Tests followed by the Conclusion on Why We Conduct These Pyschometric Tests and How To Get Access To Your Child's Test Results in Part 3. Stay tuned.

Read Part 2 here and Part 3 here. 

Enhance Academy Brings English Education To Klang Folks

We did a poll recently on our FB group about secondary school choices and here are the interesting results of the poll.

• 199 parents plan to send their kids to SMK
• 196 parents plan to send their kids to International School
• 96 parents plan to send their kids to private school doing national syllabus
• 62 parents plan to send their kids to SMK Cluster schools
• 56 parents plan to send their kids to Chinese Independent schools
• 40 parents plan to send their kids to alternative learning centres
• 34 parents plan to send their kids to SMJK
• 185 parents have other plans eg homeschool on their own, plan to migrate overseas or have not decided

Interestingly this shows that many parents have plans to switch to English environment in secondary schools. The parents on our platform also continually seek out DLP (Dual Language Programme) schools. Schools that are under DLP will be given the option to teach Science, Mathematics, Inform­a­tion and Communications Tech­no­logy, as well as Design and Technology either in English or in Bahasa Malaysia, Tamil or Mandarin.

The Importance Of Learning English

It is quite clear that parents realize the importance of learning English and are looking into ways to prepare their kids from young. English is an important international medium of communication. Having a good command of English helps you to communicate more effectively with others. You will be better able to share your views and opinions. This is very important in business communication. 

How To Prepare Your Child For Private or International Schools or national schools doing DLP 

Did you know that 4 out of 6 subjects in SK (or 6 out of 8 subjects in SJKC) in UPSR which is the first Primary School Achievement Test taken by all students before they enter secondary school are language subjects?

This is because language is the basis of learning and communication. Mastering your languages helps you in understanding your Maths, Science and other non-language subjects.

If you intend to send your child to an English based school, then it is essential that you plan ahead by giving them extra classes in English. One way is to send them to English enrichment centres.

Today, we would like to introduce you to one such centre called Enhance Academy.

About Enhance Academy

Enhance Academy is a specialized English language centre catering for learners from Pre-school age up to Pre-University and Adult Learners. Their tagline is

• Enhance Your English
• Enhance Your Confidence
• Enhance Your Future

What You Can Expect From Enhance Academy

• Enhance Academy uses up-to-date techniques to teach Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening Skills.
• All their teachers in every centre are foreign teachers and university graduates with formal teaching qualifications
• They have a highly creative learning environment with well-resourced facilities
• Lessons are dynamic, innovative and student centred 
• Courses are designed for learners' individual needs

Where Can You Find Enhance Academy Centres

Currently Enhance Academy has centres in

• Straits Quay, Tanjung Tokong, Penang
• Butterworth, Penang
• Bukit Mertajam, Penang
• Bayan Baru, Pulau Pinang

Enhance Academy caters for learners from Pre-school age onwards

Enhance Academy brings English Education to Klang folks with their latest centre in the Klang Valley. Below is the location for Enhance Academy, Klang. This is good news for Klang parents. Now you don't need to travel very far to get your child quality English education.

Enhance Academy, Klang 

The Landmark, TB- MTBBT 2, 2-2, Jalan Batu Nilam 16, Bandar Bukit Tinggi 2, 41200 Klang, Selangor, Malaysia

Tel: 60 3-3318 8806

Enhance Academy Klang classroom

2018 Public Holidays In Malaysia

This is the time of the year when public holidays and school holidays for the following year is often announced. The 2018 public holidays in Malaysia is out! School holidays 2018 is not out yet but will probably follow soon. Meanwhile, check out the School Holiday Programmes for August 2017 here.

With this calendar, you can start to plan your vacations for 2018. That's the reason why most people are waiting for the calendar right?

Source for the information on 2018 Public Holidays in Malaysia is the official site Bahagian Kabinet, Perlembagaan dan Perhubungan Antara Kerajaan, Jabatan Perdana Menteri. You can visit the website to download the pdf version of the 2018 Public Holidays In Malaysia.

Looking for a tutor? Post on our Parents Tutors Forum

PT3 2017 Calendar Planner To Schedule Your Revisions

Some schools may have recently concluded their PT3 trial exams while some may be starting theirs soon. Tomorrow 22 August 2017, kids sitting for PT3 examinations will have their Ujian Mendengar for their Lisan papers followed by Listening Test on 23 August 2017. Starting today, students have to standby to be called to present their Geography project papers as well. With that, all project papers come to an end and the next thing round the corner for PT3 candidates are the written examinations to be held starting October 9, 2017.

We have prepared a two month planner for PT3 2017 candidates. Students can use this calendar to plan and schedule their revisions.

Click here to get the download link for this calendar in pdf format for your personal use. (Hint: It's on the right sidebar of the page)

The full PT3 2017 schedule can be found here.

Note: The date for Awal Muharram holiday has been changed from 21 September to 22 September 2017.

Last Minute Preparation For UPSR 2017

Countdown To UPSR 2017 

At the point of writing this, UPSR 2017 is only 30 days away! The countdown clock is ticking, and for students and parents supporting their children for the upcoming exams, it may seem like the clock is going on a fast motion.

UPSR 2017 Dates And Calendar

First of all, go here to read our earlier post on the dates and timetable for UPSR 2017 . I have prepared a free printable calendar or planner for parents of our Facebook group to print out for their children's use to support their preparation for the UPSR 2017. I have purposely kept the calendar design as plain as possible so you can use it to fill in the blanks with your own planning or alternatively, you can use it as a countdown calendar. I included blank boxes and filled in the exam dates to make the calendar as flexible as possible for use. I have not included weekends because of the different weekends we observe for different states in Malaysia. With this calendar, you can easily see at a glance how many weekends you have left to help your kids prepare for their exams.

You can click to enlarge and print the above or use the download link here to download and print both pages of this UPSR planner Calendar in pdf format. 

Last Minute Preparation For UPSR 2017

Parents may also find the following last minute tips useful.

Tips On How To Study 4 Days Before Your UPSR Exams
Exam Day Tips For UPSR Students

Important Information For Parents

The children will not be allowed to use their regular pencil cases. They will need to carry something transparent or tie their stationery together using a rubber band as shown below. (Unfortunately I couldn't find a sharpener or ruler to complete the set, however I am sure you get the idea). In any case, please make sure your children check what's allowed with their teachers.

On other preparation for what's allowed and or required at the examination center, do trust the teachers and your children. All you need to do now is stay calm so that you don't pass on your own anxiety and worry to your child who is sitting for the exams. Good luck to the candidates of UPSR 2017!