MUET on Demand Exam Postponed the Reason Why Many Students Will Fail in UPUONLINE Application

The Malaysian Examinations Council (MPM) has postponed the MUET on Demand examination for admission to public universities for this year.

Their decision to postpone the date to September has made many dissatisfied as it appears that MPM is less concerned about the welfare of the students who will be directly impacted by this decision. This is because the majority of candidates filed for admission to the bachelor's degree level through the UPUONLINE application for the UPUONLINE 2021 application session.

UPUONLINE provides flexibility for candidates to update their MUET eligibility requirements on 9-12 August 2021. However, with this delay in the exam, candidates who have yet to sit for MUET and are waiting to sit for the MUET examination will be forced to abandon their plans of furthering their studies. The MUET on Demand examination should have been held in July and the results obtained after 2 weeks of the examination. Without having MUET eligibility, their UPUONLINE application will be rejected.

For this reason, a large number of students who took STPM/ equivalent are not eligible to apply for further studies. For matriculation students, they are a little more fortunate, as the matriculation authorities take responsibility in managing MUET tests for their students.

This postponement is in accordance with the national recovery plan presented, but there should be some relaxation given when it comes to exams that are an important part of entry requirements. Most institutions of higher learning in the United States and around the world have waived the requirement to take English language qualification tests such as the SAT, and any type of English proficiency test that may not be accessible to many students. 

There are also those who think that IELTS is another alternative since it is an international qualification equivalent to MUET. However, you need to remember that the fee charged to sit for the IELTS exam is RM795, which many may won't be able to afford. Meanwhile, with MUET ON DEMAND, parents only have to pay RM250. If there are students who have registered for MUET on Demand and now IELTS, the total cost incurred is RM1,045. Similarly, not all public universities accept IELTS. The University of Malaya accepts it only as a precondition, which means that students who are successfully offered must take the MUET even if they already have IELTS.

For other articles related to MUET, click on the links below: 

MUET Past Year Papers Collection

3 Steps to jumpstart your MUET preparations

5 Pro Tips to Ace ANY English Tests (including MUET!)

The Ultimate MUET Speaking Tips

Clear comparison between MUET, IELTS and TOEFL

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