Private candidates are students who sit the exam without being enrolled at a registered Cambridge school. This includes home-educated students, adult learners and students retaking the exam.
How to register
- Find a Cambridge exam centre in Malaysia that accepts private candidates. Not all centres do, so confirm before registering.
- Contact the centre and request a private candidate registration form. You will need to provide personal details, the subject code (0625) and the exam session (May/June or October/November).
- Pay the exam fees. Fees vary by centre. The Cambridge fee is set centrally, but centres may add an administration charge. Budget RM500 to RM800 total.
- Check the registration deadline. Deadlines are typically 6 months before the exam. Late registration may incur additional fees.
Which papers to sit
Private candidates sit the same papers as school candidates. For Extended level: Paper 2 (Multiple Choice), Paper 4 (Theory) and Paper 6 (Alternative to Practical).
If your centre offers Paper 5 (Practical), you may sit that instead of Paper 6, but Paper 6 is more common for private candidates as it does not require laboratory access.
Exam sessions
Cambridge offers two main exam sessions:
- May/June: registration typically closes in January/February.
- October/November: registration typically closes in June/July.
Check the exact dates with your chosen centre. Late entries are possible but cost more.
Preparation without a school
Private candidates must prepare independently or with a tutor. Key resources:
- The Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 syllabus document (free from the Cambridge website).
- Past papers and mark schemes (available from the Cambridge website or through exam centres).
- The free topic library, equations reference and question bank on this site.
Collecting results
Results are released by Cambridge on a fixed date (typically August for May/June and January for October/November). Your centre will issue your certificate. Some centres also provide results online.
Age restrictions
There are no age restrictions for IGCSE Physics. Students of any age can register as private candidates.
Need Help Applying This?
A 0625 specialist can work through the student's current paper or question and help identify whether the main difficulty is content, mathematics, practical reasoning or exam technique.