JPA 2010: Interview Experience Sharing

[calvinxsaber]

Hi,lalalakenz

sorry for asking a question here but what is 'SAJ stuff'

[adwinH]

Venue: Intan Kampus Wilayah Selatan, Kluang
7 April 2010
8.00 a.m.

Experience:

1. 7.45 am, arrived at the venue, checked my name. i'm in Panel 4 number 18. when inside the hall, register my name, checked my attendance, and was asked to wait. i met my classmate, and we talked to other students. i'm malay girl and my classmate is chinese girl.
2. 9.45 am, i was called by the urusetia, give the clear folder, got the number in the group, i was the 4th person.
a. my group : 1 boy 4 girls.
me(sains pertanian),
1 malay boy(kejuruteraan perancis),
2 chinese girls(sains and law),
1 indian girl(kejuruteraan jepun)
3. chit chat again with other students.
4.10.10am, my group was called and we waited outside the interview room. few minutes after the previous group left, we went in the room.

THE INTERVIEW
1. the interviewer consist of 2 malay man and 1 malay woman, she's the JPA person.
2. self-introduction.(English)
3. How to improve literacy level among Malaysian.
4. was asked on which country we choose and why(eng)
5. they asked questions related to the courses we that
we choose
6. the JPA person asked, '' beri saya 1 perkataan yang
menggambarkan kebolehan diri anda yang
meyakinkan pihak JPA untuk memberikan biasiswa ini
kepada anda''
7. we asked questions to the interviewer
8. end of the interview

Rating: 6/10, i have my points but i can't properly convey the meanings and i was a bit gagap. haha, the aircond was too strong!

Advice/Additional info: do your homework on researching bout the course you choose. 2 person in my group couldn't answer the question and the interviewer asked them ''what are your preparation during the interview''

don't say anything you're not sure of. i said that australian climate is a bit same with Malaysia but the interviewer then say it's totally different. and they asked bout australian places too. goosh.

today is the last day of the interview at this place.
i don't know bout the other places.

[LaLaLaKenz]

Originally Posted by calvinxsaber

Hi,lalalakenz

sorry for asking a question here but what is 'SAJ stuff'

Hi , sry for not making it clear . Syarikat Air Johor is what i meant

[hanaminaito]

Course: Science

Venue: Putrajaya @ PICC
8 am

I guess it's much more better than i thought. Well, in my case 6 persons in a group and my group ALL are BOYS except me OMG!!! I didn't get chance to chit chat with them... i mean they seems don't want to talk with me. Okay, the interview...i not sure how long it last. 3 panels - 2 guys and a lady. They are friendly and funny. First, we introduce ourselves - name, family, co-cu activity, course applied and country you prefer to go. This can be done in bahasa or english. I chose english. Then one question in bahasa..can't remember full question but something like this 'Biasiswa adalah hasil duit rakyat, bagaimana anda membayar balik duit mereka?'. Easy right? Anyone can start first. But still....i answered last. All boys dominate it. Next is question in english about 'Home is more important than school in cultivating values. Discuss.' The panel asked me to begin (since i'm the only girl, he said). Then, we got chance to ask question. The end.

Rating: 5/10..the question is so easy but i still think i've done badly in both bahasa and english question session..

Advice: Please check all the things you have to bring because I left my sijil berhenti sekolah at home (luckily the urusetia guy says, it's okay.) And if they asked question and anyone can answer first, grab the chance. Being the last, all my point has been taken. And, don't expect the question could be easy and the panels are all friendly. My friend got question like 'kenapa UNESCO iktiraf tembok besar China'. Quite hard (for me lah). Read newspaper a lot!

[hehechicken]

Course Applied: Engineering

Venue: Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh

Experience:

Entered MBI, countless papers regarding the interview were sticked to the wall, so don't worry you will not lose your way, any questions can direct to the security guards there.

Up two floors, again followed the indications on the wall, it was very clear. Try to find a board with white papers sticking on it, find your name, sign beside it. Take note on which panel you belong to (e.g panel 1 to 5). Take a seat and wait for the time.

Assistants appeared and called for respective panels. Followed and reached the place for my panel.

Each panel consisted of 25 people, and it was divided into 5 groups. Each group with 5 people. Assistant started calling up the first five candidates (according to the name list previously saw on the board, so one can know which group he/she is in.) They were required to hand in the clear folder containing original certificates as well as the required photocopies, seperately. At the same time, a number tag will be given. Pin it on your attire.

I was in the third group. When it was my turn, the assistant called us up into a room. Where I met 1 indian lady interviewer from a government department which I can't remember (vaguely remember it had something to do with material purchasing), 2 malay male interviewers (one sat in the middle but I can't remember where is he from and another one is from JKR). So altogether 3 interviewers.

Questions asked:
1. The middle malay guy started off with self introduction(in BM), he also explained we only have to mention about our name, course choice and reason, as well as how we foresee ourself in 5-10 years time.

2. The indian lady interviewer required us to answer a question asking the reason why we deserve the scholarship, the strengths in us and how are we going to contribute to the society after graduation. In english.

3. The JKR malay guy asked what we understand about the word "Integrity" and what are the characteristics that build up a professional career. In english too.

4. A few more questions were asked, only short answers were needed, maybe due to the lack of time. They are as follows:
(a) Will you accept to study locally?
(b) Are you willing to accept the offer if you're offered other course.
(c) Are you willing to return to Malaysia to work? (Not sure about if this was
asked, perhaps it was a part in other question.)

No group discussion/current issues.

(1) was answered according to our number tag.
(2) and (3) were open, as long as you're ready to answer.


Rating: 5/10


Advice/Additional info: The questions can be very unexpected, and that might leave your brain all blank and miss the chance to answer first while you go panicking. So all a person can do is just to be as honest as possible, telling what you think deep inside is the easiest, because you simply do not have the time and wittiness to make up a polished answer. Unless you don't mind giving childdish and unrealistic answers like you want to build a factory and compete with france aeroplane industry or you choose australia because of the multicultural environment, yes, they are childdish to me, well, just me. Don't be discouraged if the interviewers seem to have become absent-minded while you are answering, it's once in a lifetime chance, just answer what you want to say.

[aivee]

Date: 7 April, 8am

Course Applied: Biotechnology

Venue: Institusi Perguruan Raja Melewar, Seremban

Experience:
I reach the interview place at about 7.30am. I was in Panel 2, round 2.

We went in the interview room and greeted the panels. There were 3 of them, and all are men! Oh gosh! Am i the only female inside the room?!! Becos my group members are all boys except for me! I sighed inside my heart and began to be nervous.

~ Selamat pagi semua, sila duduk..... ( all the welcoming speech..)
~ Sebelum mulakan soalan saya nak tahu adakah antara kamu sedang belajar di mana-mana institusi sekarang?"
All of us say no and he proceed to ask what we doing now. So one by one we told them. Then proceed..

~ok, so now can u all introduce urself to us? using english and u have 2 minutes time.
They din state any specific area to be included in our intro so u can talk anythings u wan. I think everyone of us cheered in our heart as we can use English! So we started one by one. I talked briefly bout my name, family, prefer course and i did state my achievement in koko. Among 5 of us only me and the 3rd guy talked about our koko . N so the intro section was finished.

Dis question was asked by a chinese panel, sitting on our right. he looked very professional. Really!
~ Well. Can u tell me what is the application of engineering in.. for example.. in KLCC?
This questions is pointed out for the 4 boys who are taking engineering, so i do no have to answer dis question. We do not raise ur hand to answer in the whole section as the panels asked us to answer according to our number. So the 1st boy started, however i thought he was quite nervous, he said something in the beginning but stopped pathway, and kept silent for a while, all the panels are waiting, ( the atmosphere was quite tense guys..) finally he asked the panels for some time to think. Then the other boys take turns to voice out their ideas. Another boy also get stucked in the beginning and the panels skipped him. N it's the 3rd boy turn. He said about electronic enginnering like " KLCC need computer and the pc programmes are so important to facilitate the operation of the office and etc etc.. After all the panels return to the 2 guys. One of them who is taking chemical engineering talked about the materials used in the construction of the building, like cement, need the knowledge of chemical engineering, making the cement stronger and so. But when he finished, the chinese panel asked " So do you think KLCC will collapse when there is earthquake in M'sia?" Oh! when i listen to this i pity the guy who had to answer.. Anyway he reply " I think yes if the earthquake is too strong." The panel cant listen clearly at the first time so the guy repeated. then the chinese panel said " Well.ok" (He looked not so satisfied when he said dis...)

Den it was my turn!!!!!! The chinese panel asked me a question which i did not hav any idea.. sob..
~Well. Biotec.. Can u relate ur course to nuclear technology?"
I was blank for some time when the question was thrown out. I forget what i said (in panic) in the beginning, and i was stucked, the condition was the same as just now one of the boy did. But finally i managed to squeeze out some points like nuclear technology dispose dangerous radioactive waste and create pollution.. Biotech can help in reducing the pollution and lower the harm by creating some environmental chemicals and products etc.. I try to use my full attempt to convey my msg and looked sincerely to the panels eyes!!! N my english get stucked a bit alongway. Finally the panels said "ok, thank you." So i relieved my breath and thought it was really embarassing when everyone waiting for me to talk just now.

~let's talk about Green technology. Relate ur course to this technology, pls. ( The chinese panel again.) N the Malay man beside him asked me to started first.
" Well.. I can use the knowledge in biotec to solve environmental problems like...bla bla bla.. Doing genetic manipulation so that the plants can grow more healthily n resistance to disease... create vaccine to insert in animals to prevent disease like bird flu.. find out chemical to solve the problems of oit spilts on sea...( I dunno whether i had out of topic but i jus manage think about this.) After me the 4 boys' turn. One of the remarkable moment was the chinese panel asked the boy beside me related to the boy's idea, " Do Malaysia able to make television yet?" OOOOO.. The boy answer yes, in a not-sure tone.
" What brand?" The boy get startled for a while and he answer he was not sure..And finally this question ended.............

Last question, in BM, asked by the middle Malay panel.
~Apakah sumbangan yang kamu boleh buat untuk negara kita selepas kamu tamat pengajian dari luar negara? kaitkan dgn course anda ya.. (something like dat..)

Dis time i was the last to talk. The 4 boys before me were trying their best too. And the 3rd boy, i can feel his enthusiasm all along the interview. However, i noticed that the panels are not listening to us concentratedly and they seems feeling boring sometimes when we are talking.. especially when one talked alot.

And so the interview ended..The panels told us dat all of us are excellent.The middle panel also advised us not to be dissapointed when we are not offered for PILN, and we might be offered with PIDN if we din get the luar negara one. N they also said dat about 10000 students are applying for JPA so don be sad if u din get the 1500 places. We thanked them before we left.
P/S: Because the panels are all men, so we do shake hand with them.


The interview was indeed challenging! You have to be alert and quick when the question came to you!

Advice/Additional info:
- Prior preparation is really IMPORTANT!!Especially information about the COURSE u selected. Do some research and do remember some common issues about your course. They will press on your understanding on your selected course mostly.
- Stay calm, even though you screwed up at the beginning, try to modulate ur emotion and start again. The panels' nodding and their agreeing eyesight will brush up your confidence later.
- Don't waste your chance during the self introduction. Knowing that self-intro is a must in the interview, why not be fully prepared before it? Practice and practice(in BI and BM version) so dat u can present it fluently when it is your turn. If you do not perform so well in the discussion part, the intro section still can help. Practice makes perfect!
-And I think sitting posture is very important. You are facing the panels, in a row with your friends, all of you are sitting. You have no tables but the panels have tables.
So do not slouch, sit straight and show your "smartness"~~


= ALL THE BEST TO THE OTHERS WHO ARE GOING TO THE ADVENTURE=

~Be confident, steady, and believe in Yourself! You can do it, man~!

[chaiyeen]

Course Applied: Biotechnology

Venue: PICC

Experience:
* Skip all the waiting part (you wont want to know, it was 5hours long I was in the last batch before their lunch.)

There were 6 in my group including myself, 3 boys 3 girls, 2 biotech 1 german engineering 3 engineering. Our names were called and we were given a number tag each . I got number 1. We then entered the room and greeted them. There were 3 interviewers, 1 Malay lady, 1 Malay man and an Indian lady. After we were allowed to sit, the Malay lady gave the 'welcoming speech' and we started our self introduction in BM. The introductions were brief as they mentioned clearly what they want (name, previous school, family background, course chosen and preferred country). They did ask certain questions based on our introduction.
Mine was-
Interviewer: Why do you want to study in US?
Me: I did some research about this course and found that US is the most advanced country in this field and most of the top biotech universities are located in US.
Interviewer: So which university offers the best biotech course?
Me: Harvard University.
Interviewer: Wow, so you want to study in Harvard.
Me: Well... (I wasnt able to continue my words because another lady continued with the second interviewee )

They also asked:
1. What is your second choice if we cannot give you the course you applied for?
2. What is the alternative path you've planned if you failed to secure this scholarship?

Then we proceeded to the first question about how to menguruskan sampah. I think I screwed this part There wasn't any time given for us to think. Since I was the first one, I was asked to answer first. I froze for one second, then I asked for permission to speak in English and my request was granted. I wanted to talk about the incinerator but I didn't know what is it called!
Me: Malaysia should prepare a... a... a... a place (-.- I was trying to say chamber but it didnt appear in my mind that time ) specially to burn the rubbish in which the gas produced should be treated and filtered before it is released into the atmosphere.
Interviewer: Ohh, you mean incinerator! Pusat pembakaran sampah!
Me: Ahhh yes.
Interviewer: So do you know any country which uses this method?
Me: Sorry I'm not sure about that.
Interviewer: Where did you get the idea of incinerator?
Me: I remember reading about it but I forgot which country is practising it.
Interviewer: Ohh ok, thank you.
[I screwed this part real bad I think Maybe because it was the first question and I was too nervous.]

Next question:
Nowadays internet social networks like Facebook and MySpace are often used by politicians, GMO and organisations to keep in touch with the citizens. As a citizen, do you think it helps? (Cant remember the exact questions but its something like that) You're given 30seconds to think.
I was the second to answer. I said yes, because it is the fastest and easiest way for the citizens to express their view and suggestions blabla, then said I agree with what the first interviewee said, that is we can keep ourselves updated with the organisation's latest activity blablabla so they know what we want and we know what they are doing blabla.

Third ques (asked by the Malay lady):
H1N1 and denggi are now the two most threatening diseases in our country. As you are planning to study overseas, have you taken the H1N1 vaccine?

All of us said no, and she asked WHY?
Again I was the first to answer, so I replied honestly: Actually my mum did call Selayang hospital to ask about the vaccine. However, she was told that it is not available. (No joke, it was only few days ago.) She didn't seem to quite believe me, so she asked me again, which hospital? Oh, Selayang Hospital. Ok I will call them later and ask about this.
Me: Ok..

After asking everyone, she said: FYI H1N1 vaccine is now provided for free in all government hospitals and clinics. Then she told us that for all the suggestions we gave on what the government can do, the government is actually trying to educate the public now.

And that's the endddd! PHEW. The interviewers were actually kind I would say. There was no Q&A session unfortunately. I actually prepared some questions to ask

Rating: I dont know Guess it isnt well.

Advice/Additional info: Like what all the other Recomers said, be confident while you speak

I'm glad that its over, wooo hoooo! I've tried my best and now I shall just pray that I will get it. Good luck all!

[uuyw]

Putrajaya
Panel 9, Group 2
Pharmacy
4 girls, 1 boy

- Intro in BM or BI
~one of the interviewer said that he is from the same school with me, later said he
went to the same uni my brother is studying now, then he asked why am I keep
following him and later he said maybe I will be sitting in his place in the future..
- No group discussion, everyone said their own opinion
- Questions : 1) will you accept other course? (in Bm)
2) why do you want your course?
3) do you think pharmacist should be allowed to prescribe medicine?
(yes or no and why, in 1 sentence)
- it lasted for 30 minutes only
Actually, I am very happy with my own performance, never thought I will be so confident..haha
For those that are going for the interview, just be yourself, the interviewer are quite nice...and pray hard. Good luck..

[hellfired]

Date: 7 April, 8am

Course Applied: Accountancy

Venue: Putrajaya

Experience:
3 interviewer: 1 malay who spoke the whole time, 1 chinese man and 1 chinese woman; both of them didnt speak at all.
Group: all chinese, 3 guys and 2 girls. 3 engineering 1 law and me (accountancy)
We went in at around 9.10. The malay dude said we gotta finish at 9.30 for other to come in also. finish around 9.40

I'm number 5 but when we talk it wasn't in order. They just say anyone can start.

Intro(He spoke to us in eng, so i spoke in eng): Name, school, parents, what and why you want that course. which and why about the country you chose. I said UK because i wanna go to LSE! We weren't ask about co-cu

Group discussion: Global warming, do you agree that technology cause it.
We discuss in english. Present once in BI and once in BM

Finally, they asked what preparatory course we are doing now. Shake hands take back file and then home.
(okay i'm going to skip my experience because i feel additional info and tips are more improtant)

Add info/ advice(plz read this)

The reason I feel this section is more important because the way they conduct the interviews are usually very different person to person.
(whatevery i read, 1malaysia etc. wasnt asked) So high chance all the experience u read here isn't going to happen.

As they were in a little hurry, they didn't want to hear much. So my tip is if the interviewer at the beginning already say that 'we gotta hurry', pandai-pandai lar. Tell them the needed info only (info that they asked). There were some instance that the interviewer started nodding his head, one girl still didn't understand until he said okay that enough.

During intro plzplzplz don't say anything bad about yourself. Hey, it happened okay? The interviewer asked one girl why you want to go to
Korea for engineering and not germany.. She said 'i like korea blablabla AND also my SPM results aren't very good (=.=). The interviewer laugh(hmm not reli d laughing funny) and say 'kita nak pelajar yg keputusan bagus'. the girl was kinda stuck and just said 'NO'.
And also be sure of your course. Such as.. when they say this course got a lot of ppl edi(they didnt ask whether you want to change or not), this guy said *like no confident edi* boleh tukar jugak, tapi tak tau lar, hmm tak confirm. Say things like... banyak orang tapi masa depan, I lah yang terbaik xD

And of cz talk. When they say do the group discussion now, call all your members to sit closer, be the leader. Then start talking. BE THE FIRST. I got the ball rolling by analysing and then saying my points with my members. During presentation, say the points you have just discuss.

When you talk, look them in the eyes. And i said them, so dont just look that the person who asked you the question but all of them. Use a little hand gesture so convery the msg even further. Sit up straight, don't slouch. Speak clearly. And slowly if you aren't fluent in BM or BI. Smile. If you cant find the correct(cz not good in BM/BI) don't break down and get nervous. I once couldn't find it and just beam at them xD(finally I found it also lar)

I believe the reason they conduct this interview is to judge how well you speak and confidence. Not no much about the points you give during your discussion or your ko-ku(so i advice don't talk to much, just moderately)This is because I don't see them taking ANY notes when we presented. (they only take notes on course and country)

So talking is very important but don't over do it. Be nice to your members, if they haven't give any ideas during discussion, ask them. BE A LEADER.

Be confident. Leave an impression. If they call you by you name to ask a question, thats good (I got that xDD) normally they will call you by your number.

Be the first and a leader because the others will tend to follow you. This will make you look better. xD Just follow everything what I just said and other advices given by other recommers(read more of advice and not so much of experience) and I know you will shine.

Finally, GOODLUCK.

p.s. anything you wanna ask, u can msg me.Also, the interview was very in a relax mood, although some things I said here didn't indicate that. But really, the interviewer were nice people.

[bekann]

Hellfired, ...

Were there like any professional accountants there?
I guess they didn't really ask much related to your course right? As your fellow interviewees were applying for different courses.