JPA Interview Experience 2010

Place: PICC, Putrajaya.

Time: 2.00pm

I'm making this as simple as possible to all potential JPA candidates because I know that you're nervous. I'll just probably number everything.

1.Make sure you've prepared your folder containing all your info according to the list you will find on the official website. Eg: SPM slip, birth certs, and especially the borang pengesahan pendapatan bulanan keluarga because that needs to be authorized.

2. Make sure you know how to get there. If you don't, use Google Earth.

3. Prepare your speech. Don't memorize. Don't write an essay. Just jot down some notes.

Question 1: Perkenalkan diri anda (Name, parents occupation, school life, co-curicular activities, your chosen course, why did you choose that course. All in BM, usually. If your master of the language has "karat-ed" like mine, I suggest you make use of your DwiBahasa dictionary, especially for certain keywords. Bring along to Putrajaya if you have to, like me. You never know when you, or the pretty girl sitting next to you might need it.

Question 2: Discuss (Usually in English)
Although some blogs have posted a list of discussion topics, I strongly suggest that you should keep an open mind. Although topics like Bahasa Malaysia for Science and Maths, Handphones, Wawasan 2020 are predicted, out of the ordinary topics do occur. For example, mine was "The average Malaysian family consists of the parents and 1 or 2 children. Is this ideal?"

Tips: Read the news. Anything hot recently might be asked.

4. Wear formal. Like really formal. There are 10,000 people applying and only 1500 will get it. Unless you're one of the top students in Malaysia. Your chances are merely dust. Don't make it worse by doing a bad presentation.

Guys: Long sleeve shirts, tie, slacks, if possible leather shoes.
Girls: Baju kurung (Even for non-malays), or those office clothes you see executives wear.
Nothing too short.

5. If your interview is in the afternoon, make sure you have your lunch (and I mean a full one) because your interview time might be late. I couldn't eat my food (because I was so nervous) so I just took enough and I thought that if my interview was going to be late, I might have some time for a quick snack. WRONG!!!! If your interview time is set at 3.00,4.00 or 5.00, you had better have a full meal because you're going to the waiting rooms starting at 2.00, even though your turn will be at 5.00.

6. Get to know the people who are going to be in the same room as you. Make friends with them, and share. It does help take some stress of you as well as pass time. It certainly has made me forget about my hunger.

7. Upon entering the interview room, keep smiling. No matter how nervous you are, keep it to the minimum. Shake hands with the interviewers and greet them. Remember to say thank you when you're done.

8. After everyone has had a chance to introduce themselves, the interviewers will give a topic and about 3 minutes to think about it. Everyone will have a chance to say something about it. Try to use points that are more mature, relating it to the current issues in and outside the country.

9. Don't be too shy to voice your opinions and neither should you be too gung-ho until you dominate the discussion. It's not all about you.

10. Whatever it is, the interviewers just want to see how well you speak in both languages. They already know everything about you. You just have to tell it to them again.

11. All the best to you. Pray hard.