Which Subjects to Choose After Matric

Matric results arrive, and within a few weeks a sixteen-year-old is asked to make a decision that shapes the next six years. Most families treat it as a question about subjects. It is really a question about degrees. The subjects are just the entry ticket.

The five main options#

For students on the Pakistani board system, intermediate comes in five main groups. The exact subject lists vary a little by board, but the shape is the same everywhere.

O Level students have a sixth option: A Levels, where you choose three or four subjects individually rather than a fixed group. That flexibility is useful, but it also means you can accidentally pick a combination that closes a door, so the same logic below applies.

Work backwards from the degree#

The most reliable method is also the least used. Instead of asking "which group am I good at?", ask "which degrees could I see myself doing at eighteen?", then check what each one requires.

Write down three degrees. They do not have to be certain. They only need to be plausible. Then look at which group each one needs:

• If all three point to the same group, the choice is made.
• If they point to different groups, pick the one that keeps the most of them open.
• If you cannot name three degrees at all, spend a week finding out what degrees exist before choosing. That week is cheaper than two years in the wrong group.

For the two groups students agonise over most, we compare them properly in Pre Medical vs Pre Engineering.

Signs you are choosing for someone else#

Almost every student is influenced by family, and that is not a problem in itself. It becomes a problem when the reason for the choice belongs entirely to someone else. Be honest with yourself if any of these sound familiar:

• You can explain why your parents want the group, but not why you do.
• You are choosing it because your friends are, and you would feel left out otherwise.
• You are avoiding a group because you did badly in one Matric subject, not because you dislike the field.
• The only degree you can name in that group is the one everyone expects.

None of these mean the choice is wrong. They mean it has not been tested yet. Test it by talking to one person who actually studied the degree you are aiming for.

Can you switch later?#

Sometimes, but it costs more than choosing well the first time. Switching groups halfway through intermediate usually means catching up on a year of a subject you have not studied. Switching after intermediate is more flexible: many degrees accept students from several groups, and some universities admit students from a different group if they complete additional courses in their first year.

The groups that keep the most options open are Pre Engineering and, for students aiming abroad, A Levels with Mathematics. The groups that are hardest to leave later are the ones built around a single destination, which is fine, as long as that destination is really yours.

Questions to answer before you decide#

Before you submit the form, you should be able to answer these in a sentence each:

1. Which three degrees am I choosing this group for?
2. Which degrees does this group close, and am I comfortable losing them?
3. If my first-choice degree does not work out, what is my second?
4. Am I choosing this because of what I want, or what someone else wants for me?
5. Would I still choose it if none of my friends were?

If ICS is on your list, read ICS subjects and scope before deciding: the combination you pick inside ICS matters more than most students realise. And if the answers are not coming, that is exactly what a free counselling session is for.