STPM is a predecessor of "Higher Education Diploma" (High School Certificate, HSC), which was started by the Malaysian Examination Board in 1982. HSC is the former name of the British GCE A-level examination, and it is also the name of the public examination in some Australian states. The Malaysian Examination Board also holds the Malaysian University English Proficiency Test (MUET).
The difference between the Malaysian Higher Education Diploma (STPM) and the Malaysian Diploma of Education (SPM), Secondary Three Assessment (PT3) and Primary Six Examination (UPSR) is that these three exams are all conducted by the Malaysian Examination Board (LPM) rather than the Malaysian Examination However, the Malaysian Examination Board and the Malaysian Examination Board are both under the Ministry of Education.