The Malaysian education system consists of several stages:
Secondary school reunites students under a single roof—usually a Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) or a religious secondary school ( Sekolah Menengah Agama ). The lower secondary (Form 1-3) ends with the PT3 exam (recently abolished and replaced with school-based assessment). The upper secondary (Form 4-5) culminates in the , the "O-Level" equivalent that determines a student's future.