If you would like to complete your high school certification with IGCSE, you can now enter the exams as a private candidate.
In Malaysia, there are many private and international schools who offer their exam facilities to outsiders also known as private candidates. You will need to register with them to take the Cambridge exams and here is the link by Cambridge to find the nearest igcse exam centres to you https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/exam-administration/private-candidates.
And here are 5 Tips you will need to take note before registering for exams and select the exam centres.
Tip 1 : Do it 3 Months Earlier
Proper Preparation prevents poor performance
Credit to Quote Master
Its good to start preparing and search for the right exam centre at least 2 months earlier. For example if you planning to take the May/June exam, start contacting exam centres in January and if you are planning to take the exam in Oct/Nov, start searching in July. There are many exam centres that will charge you a late fee after a certain cut off date. It will be good to check with the exam centre to know which are the options available to you just in case you want to change/add/drop subjects. For example an exam centre in Puchong allow students to register before 7th August for October/November registration, anything after that is considered as a late entry.
From our research, here are some of the late fees exam centres charges;
Late Entry Fee Per Subject of RM200 to RM350.
Very Late Entry Fee of RM300 to RM500.
Late Candidate Registration Fee of RM350 to RM500.
Very Late Candidate Registration Fee of RM500 to RM800
Tip 2 : Find Out How Much
Different exam centres charges different fees. As Cambridge only charges each registered school an annual fee and a basic fee for each exam candidates, exam centres are free to charge the amount they find suitable for the services and facilities they provide to private candidates. Most exam centres charge a Registration Fee + Subject Fee(s). Some will have high registration fee but low subject fee, and some will charge a low registration fee but their subject fee are costly. So, the total exam cost will depend on the total of subjects you are planning to take.
Registration Fee can range from RM250 to RM800 per candidate
Subject Fee can range from RM250 to RM1000 per subject. (Art & Design can go up to RM2250)
Finding out the total cost of the exam IS as important as the services/facilities provided by the exam centre.
Tip 3 : Subjects They Offer
Most IGCSE exam centres offer the standard subjects, which are English 1st Language, Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Accountings and a few more. Here are some subjects that might need special attention.
Not all subjects are offered in the exam centres, remember to check with your exam centre.
Foreign Language Malay/Chinese/French – not all exams centres offer Foreign Language exams as these examination require an examiner who are trained and experienced in the language itself. From our experience, there is an exam centre which allow students to register for the subjects above. However, they do not have a experienced and qualified examiner to evaluate the exam. Isn’t it better if you have an examiner who is more experienced and friendly when accessing your oral and written exams? Therefore, do check with the exam centre for more detailed information.
Tip 4 : Facilities of Exam Centre
Since you are paying a significant amount of money to take the exams, I would highly recommend you to find an IGCSE Exam Centre which has better facilities and examination environment. Type of facilities and specifications you can look into are the size and quality of the exam hall, the quarantine room while waiting for the other time zones to finish their exams, the canteen where you can have a quick lunch and the overall condition of the school/exam centre.
Facilities are as important as taking the exam.
The subject of ICT will require students to use a PC and access to a working printer. It is only fair if the private candidate is provided with an up-to-date PC, a large screen monitor and a fast printer.
Tip 5 : Results Slip
The results slip will show where you to take the exams as per sample results shown below. This might be one of the factors you want to look into.
Here are a few exam centres we recommend, feel free to comment at the bottom if you have an exam centre to recommend.
- Cempaka International School ([email protected]) – very helpful and responsible exam officer
- Dwiemas International School (https://dwiemas.edu.my/exam/) – very good online exam coordination
- Inspiros International School ([email protected] or Call: 03–86008600) – pro-active exam centre with reasonable price
Good Luck in your exams! ☘️☘️☘️
To boost your IGCSE grades, join VBest now! 😃
Hi Mr. Sai Mun,
My daughter is studying at an international school where having the IGCSE exam on Oct. However, she is ready to take her math in May but her school did not allowed her to do so at her school because of just one student.
Please advise what can I do to enrol her at other centre and so centre allowed student to take just 1 subject? What do I need to know before enrol her at other centre?
Thanks
Chris
Hi Chris, you can definitely register her for another examination centre/ an international school who offer private candidates exams. To avoid paying double x2 registration fees, i recommend you to take all the exams in one centres May/June and Oct/Nov. Inform her current school and the exam centres your plans, i m sure they will be able to assist. Good luck 😀
Hi Sai Mun, my son had completed his SPM recently but he is not confident of passing the exams. He is more proficient in English and we were told he could take IGCSE/OLevel n gain 3 credits while pursuing his diploma. How can we go about? Thank you.
May i know what are the reasons you would like him to gain 3 credits, because as far as i know, many colleges and universities require a minimum of 5 credits to be accepted.
Many diploma in IT require only 3 credits inclusive of Maths. That’s probably one reason why
Hi Sai Mun, my daughter would like to self-study & at home instead of going to school then sit for exam on Oct/Nov 2022. ( she feel going to school is wasting a lot of time as her current school is operating until 4.00pm & by time she reach home already 5.00pm daily)
Appreciate your professional comment is it workable? What is your view?
Hi ML Chin, if she is an independent learner and has a clear goal in mind, it’s possible. There are some subjects which will need a teacher/tutor to help her understand the concept and show her how to find solutions for example Add Maths and Physics. If her recent test scores are good, it is a good sign, if there are subjects she scored lower than 65%, it will be good to find her help.
To summarize it, quitting school and self study at home will be last last option, since its only a few more month before Oct/Nov, it will be good for her to experience the last few months of high school, learn how to network, graduate with friends she will be in contact with the rest of her life and etc, before moving into College, Uni and Work life which are totally different. Attending school is not just about passing exams but learn how to adapt and survive in an eco-system.
Nevertheless, parents will know whats best for your child. Good Luck 😀
Hi, Can zi register My daughter to do IGCSE exam in jun 2022?
some of the igcse examination centres offer students late registration for exams with a fee. you can contact them and check.
Hello Mr Sai Mun,
We live in India and my daughter is home schooled. We are Indian citizens. Can my daughter travel and give her exams in oct/nov in malayasia? Do they allow private candidates who are residents of other countries ( other than Malaysia) to give exams in Malayasia?
hi Jaya, you may check with the exam centre in the article above. The last update i receive was they accept international students also.
Hello sir. I had my SPM results recently. I scored a C+ in chemistry. I would like to do the IGCSE Chemistry paper as an independent student. How should I proceed from here? I would like to study Medicine. However, the requirements by MMC is that I should have B and above on my Science subjects. Instead of retaking SPM Chemistry, I would like to sit for this Exam. Can you help me on this sir?
hi Priya, you may check with the university you want to enrol if they accept your SPM results along with the IGCSE Chemistry results to avoid wasting your time, effort and money. If they say yes, then you may take IGCSE Chemistry as private candidate. Drilling the 10 Years Past Years Series will really help. Good luck
Dear Sir
If taking IGCSE as private candidate where can we register for this? cause my daughter got C+ for her Bio and Physic paper in SPM and to do Medic she need Bs so we advice her to repeat this 2 papers will she does her foundation. But not sure abt this IGCSE papers for this 2 subjects will the syllabus similar to SPM level
IGCSE approach is very different from SPM, your daughter will need to learn how to tackle the question and type of papers. She will have to take Paper 2 Multiple Choice, Paper 4 Structured Questions and Paper 6 Written Practical, i’m sure a bit of tuition classes will help her to understand better and drill on the past 5 years exam papers. Marking schemes are easily available online.
Hello so I am studying in goverment high school but i would like to take igcse course in internation school but as per i see if i register myself as a private candidate , am i only sit for the exam or the whole course
Dear Mr Sai Mun
Is there an upper age limit for private candidate? Would you be able to recommend any schools that offers such in the northern Malaysia? Thanks a lot..
there are many good international schools in Penang. You might want to visit the schools and get to know them better before deciding.
Dear Mr. Sai Mun,
Good day.
My daughter wish to enrol herself as a private candidate for IGCSE exam. Please advice us – what should we do and how. Thank you so much.