The Malaysian Examinations Council (MEC), which was established on 1 February 1980 under the Malaysian Examinations Council Act (Act 225), is a statutory body which operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Education. It was officially launched on 22 April 1980 by the then Minister of Education, Dato' Musa bin Hitam. The objectives of the establishment of MEC are to conduct specified examinations and all other matters necessary or related to such examinations. The examination gazetted is the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), which was first implemented in 1982 to replace the Higher School Certificate (HSC) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan (STP) examinations which were conducted by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES).
After the takeover of the STP and HSC examinations by the MEC, the names of the examinations were changed to Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM). The MEC was also established to realise the aim of conducting the examination wholly in the Malay language. This is in line with the implementation of the policy to use Malay language as the medium of instruction in the national education system from the primary level to the pre-university level, namely the sixth form.
Since its establishment, the MEC's scope of responsibilities has expanded from its initial function of conducting only the STPM examination. In 1999, it was tasked with conducting the Malaysian University English Test (MUET) which is held twice a year. This test is compulsory for all students who intend to continue their studies in public institutions of higher learning. In addition, the MEC also conducts the Malaysian Information Technology Professional Examination (MITPE) on behalf of Multimedia Technology Enhancement Operations Sdn Bhd (METEOR). This examination enables IT graduates and professionals to secure worldwide recognition in the field of IT. From 2008, the MEC conducts the Malaysian Educators Selection Inventory (MEdSI) test for the Ministry of Higher Education. This psychometric test is held twice a year to assess the personality of students and graduates who wish to pursue educational programmes to become educators. From 2009, the MEC conducted the Malaysian University Selection Inventory (MUnSYI) test on behalf of Universiti Sains Malaysia. In 2010, MEC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Malaysian Financial Planning Council (MFPC) to conduct Shariah Registered Financial Planner, Shariah Registered Financial Planner Capstone, and Shariah Registered Financial Planner Ad-hoc, and Registered Financial Planner Capstone.