YTP MARA Interview Experience 2019

As for YTP Mara, the application was the simplest, and there was also a personality test to do, so make sure you have completed it before going to the interview. In 2019, we could choose either MARA and JPA or JPA-MARA and MARA. This was a bit different from the previous years where they had to choose only one.

---YTP Mara Interview, which is on the 14th of April 2019 at Kolej PolyTech MARA in Bangi,

Before Interview:

My session was at 8.30 a.m. There are two groups per session, so it's 'first come, first serve'. The first 120 candidates will go for the interview, while the rest have to wait, so do arrive early to be placed in the first group. When I arrived, each group consisted of 8 people, and 6 of my group mates were boys; only two of us were girls because, obviously, it's engineering (so it's most likely to be dominated by boys).

The Interview:

There are two parts to the interview, but both are conducted in the same room.

1. The Case Study:

   The first part is the case study. We had to discuss that (tips: try to lead the group or pick a leader! and make sure everyone participates in the group discussion or maybe you can volunteer to write the points on the paper). The panels were watching us while we discussed, so everyone should have their own roles. The topic we got was to plan a programme to replace PLKN. The points we discussed and presented were:

   - The Name of the Programme (Think of a catchy one, and as for my group, we inserted a logo beside it, be creative 😉)

   - The Objectives of the Programme

   - Methods of Implementation

   - Challenges & Ways to Overcome

   That's it. Divide all these points equally and budget the time for each person to talk so that your ideas can be delivered effectively to the panels. Do not overshadow others, and if one of your group members gets stuck or stutters, try to help them.

   

   Here are some other case study topics my friends got:

   1. You are the committee of YPM and are going to sponsor the top 10 students to study overseas. What is your plan for their studies?

   2. What is your business plan once you finish high school with a budget of RM10,000?

   3. Smoking

2. The Interview Part:

   The next part is the interview session. These are the questions asked by the panel. The panels I got did not ask open questions; they directly pointed to one person to answer each question. These were the questions:

   1. Being the rose among the thorns, how do you adapt to this kind of situation?

   2. What is your first philosophy?

   3. What is the most important thing in your life?

   4. How do you handle stress?

   5. Why should MARA choose you?

   6. Do you think you are a good leader? Why?

   7. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

   8. In your POV, what qualities should a student have?

   9. What qualities should a leader have?

   10. What do you know about Industrial Revolution 4.0? (My friend got this question, so stay updated with current issues!)

   11. What if you don't score well during your first semester exam? What will you do?

That's it. The session took about 1 hour or less, so my group finished at 10 a.m. Arrive early if you want to be in the first batch for your session! I think the YTP Mara Interview varies every year because, from what I read, last year they had to build something using Lego and gears, and in the years before, they had to act. So be prepared for any changes ✅

In a nutshell, to me, YTP Mara was not what I expected. The questions were a bit tricky, but all in all, I had done my best. So it’s time to leave it to them to judge, and for me, I have to keep praying and hope for the best! Best of luck, people 🙆

Till then, xoxo 💖