The SPM exam 2008 kicks off today with a total of 442,936 students sitting down for the key examination in close to 4,000 exam centers nationwide.

The exam will finish with its final paper on 5 December 2008, about 3 weeks from now.

More than 80% of the candidates are under the ministry’s public schools, while the rest is comprised of sponsored and private candidates.

All SPM candidates are advised to check their calendar regularly to avoid any mistake in determining their next exam paper. They are also reminded to check the news regularly to find if there is any changes or latest updates on the timetable, in case of emergency such as fire, flood and so on.

In the recent run, there have been an allegation that some of the papers were leaked, but the Education Ministry has come forward denying the allegation.

The result of this year’s SPM examination will be announced during the first quarter of 2009, usually made in March.