The ‘Penilaian Menengah Rendah’, otherwise known simply as the PMR, is coming up soon and I can feel the stress starting to build up. Luckily for us, our school conducted a 3-day camp jam-packed with motivational speeches and lectures. This eventful and informative camp was held on 17-19 April at Cempaka Schools, Cheras. Beforehand, we were divided into 14 groups and given a subject each.

On the first day, we had Dr Rizal giving us a lecture on steps to approach PMR, the ins and outs on how to overcome an obstacle as we approach this big examination. He also presented us with very useful studying techniques to apply when we hit the books. He taught us about mnemonics and relating a topic with numbers. There was even a quiz for us to find out what our studying techniques are. Another event was working on our study plan. A little studying a day will definitely bring us closer to passing with flying colours. The History and Mathematics lectures were conducted later that day. The tips given were definitely helpful.

The next day was slightly heavier in terms of lectures. The Muslim students had a Pendidikan Islam lecture which I must say was really beneficial. I’m sure it made the rest of the Muslim students more confident to sit for the PMR examination. The Geography guest speaker really helped us in memorising some topics (‘Pergerakan Bumi’ dan ‘Banjaran-banajaran Malaysia’) with entertaining yet engaging stories which I still remember till today. Our Science guest speaker helped us by using just one tip: READ THE QUESTIONS properly. That question really opened our eyes and I’m sure we would excel in our Science examinations with her pointers. The Bahasa Melayu lecture was also very enjoyable as our guest speaker gave her speech with full of energy.

This year was slightly different compared to the previous years. Our presentation challenge was to create a movie of 3 minutes regarding a topic of a particular subject. This was where teamwork, creativity and innovation came into play. After a reasonable amount of presentation preparation time given, we proudly submitted our projects and our movies were showcased to the students of class 2011. Some movies were definitely humorous yet educational. In the end, each group was to vote in the VLE on which group produced the best movie overall.

Before the results were announced, our last lecture conducted by Dr Rizal was called the Final Stretch, which was an overview of everything that we had gained from the camp. Certificates were then presented to the class of 2011 by our chairman Datin Freida Pilus. Finally the results of the movie challenge were revealed. It was a unanimous decision and the top three movies were from our very own Damansara campus. The winning movie was about reproduction, which was fascinating and at the same time informative.

Not only can this eventful camp help us in PMR, it can also help us in our near future. It was worthwhile, engaging and enlightening! With this, the class of 2011 will try our very best to achieve straight A’s for the upcoming PMR 2009.