JPA Scholarships Interview Experience 2019

Ola!! This is my first time writing a blog as I find it really helpful to read about people's experiences, so in return, I would do the same too. So here we go :))


After applying for JPA, I received a text stating that I could start checking the status of my application. So I checked on the website, and my application was successful, Alhamdulilah! They mentioned the needed documents and a link to do the personality test (make sure you have done the test before coming to the interview). Their interview is kinda rare since we had to wear sports attire on that day (many questioned about that because we were worried if we had to do a physical test hahaha lol). But there wasn't any, so don't worry about that.


P/S: My advice is to make sure you bring all the needed documents and arrange them neatly according to the sequence. Recheck it many times so that you do not miss anything. Read carefully on what they need, especially the certified parts too!


Moving on next to----


THE INTERVIEW DAY! Which is on the 8th of April 2019 at 2 p.m.


Before Interview:


Luckily, my first interview was in the afternoon, at least I would not be in a rush. It was held at UNITEN, Bangi. So DO ARRIVE EARLY FOR YOUR SESSION. At least you have time to chill and make friends. As I arrived there, only students were brought to level 4 while parents had to wait downstairs. There will be 2 rooms and you will be separated according to the 'kelompok' which had been stated on the website. So before entering, we had to check our names on the board to know our teammates and our turn.


In the room, there will be counters for JPA staff to check our documents and give us our tags. Then we headed to the quarantine room for briefing, and some have been called according to the number. Since I got number 12, I got the second round. We had to wait about an hour, so during that time, try to make friends and get to know each other. Also, try practicing and memorizing important things about yourself so that you do not stutter when being asked!


Oh ya, they even mentioned that out of 2 to 3 thousand applicants, JPA only wants 300 students to be their scholars!


The Interview:


There will be two parts of the interview, each conducted in two different rooms, and each session took about half an hour. These are the Group Presentation & Interview parts;


1. The Interview part:
I was the first to enter the room since my turn was the first. Make sure you knock on the door first, then greet the panel cheerfully, go to your respective seat, and wait for the panel to allow you to sit. Honestly, JPA panels were so kind; we even laughed during the session. So just, you know, keep on smiling and show that you are passionate about getting the scholarship. I'm just gonna list out the interview questions, and for JPA, some questions had to be answered in Malay and some in English:


1. Introduce yourself (they highlighted your intended study field, the country that you chose, and why that country).
2. What is your strength / What do you like about yourself?
3. If you didn't get this scholarship, what is your plan?
4. If you have the opportunity to study overseas and during your last year a company offered you a job with a high salary, would you accept it or come back to Malaysia? (Basically, for this question, they want to know your loyalty and your passion for contributing back to the country.)
5. During your two weeks of examination, you receive a call that one of your parents is sick at the hospital. Would you rather come back to visit your parents or finish your exams first? (This question is a bit tricky as they want to know your priorities and how you handle crucial situations.)
6. If you are bonded with JPA but the job offered to you is completely different from what you studied, are you willing to do it?


I think that's it since there will be 5 people in a group. So just make your answer short but informative, keep it precise so that you can impress the panel, practice your fluency since they look at that matter too, and of course, be confident and smile!!


2. Presentation part:
They will give you a question paper and two blank papers for you to write on, and you are required to brainstorm the ideas in just 5 mins and present to the panels in the most creative way. The presentation must be fully in Malay.
So for this part, they are looking at your leadership skills like how do you manage group works (who's the leader, someone to write and someone as the timekeeper). The topics were about obesity in Malaysia or "Artis atau Tentera" as a career choice, so we had to choose either one.
During the presentation, make sure to divide your points equally so that no one is overshadowing the others. Be firm with your statements because the panels tend to provoke you, but with strong evidence and proof, this will impress them.
Also, read up on general knowledge too! In 2019, the government just launched the 'Sayangi Minyak Kelapa Sawit' campaign, so the panels asked how we support this since we all know that high intake of oil leads to obesity.
Yup, I think that's it for the JPA Scholarships Interview. It's just the same as in the years before (from what I read), so I hope this sharing could help you a lil bit. Good luck future candidates!!


Till then, xoxo 💖