Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia

The Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM, English: Malaysian Higher School Certificate) is a pre-university examination taken by students in Malaysia. It was formerly known as the Higher School Certificate (HSC). The HSC was the precursor to the GCE A Level in the UK, and is still the name of the pre-university examination in some states in Australia.

Since 1982, the STPM has been administered by the Malaysian Examinations Council (MEC), which, since 1999, has also run the Malaysian University English Test (MUET). However, national exams such as the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah and the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia are all set and examined by the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate (MES). Both the MEC and MES, however, are under the Ministry of Education.

STPM is one of the two major pre-university systems for admission to Malaysian public universities. The other is a one-year matriculation programme conducted by the Ministry of Education. STPM is not the only qualification accepted besides the matriculation programme and Malaysian Higher Islamic Religious Certificate (STAM). Candidates technically may apply for admission to degree-level courses with a variety of pre-university examinations considered equivalent with STPM, including A-Level. All those applying for universities, however, must have taken the MUET. STPM is internationally recognised by many universities, especially those within the Commonwealth of Nations as well as the United States and the Republic of Ireland. Most universities consider STPM results equivalent to GCE A-Level results.

From year 2012 onwards, new modular system will replace the existing terminal system for Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM). Besides that, examination results under the new STPM assessment system will be monitored by a representative from Cambridge Assessment to maintain standards and quality.

As the national education in Malaysia is modelled after the educational system in England, the STPM pre-university programme is the sixth form of secondary education, referred to as "Form 6". The Ministry of Education selects secondary schools it considers capable of providing Form 6 classes.

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