Monday, April 12, 2010

MARA Interview PILN 2010

See the title? I hope my blog will come out when people google it. Honestly, I'm so sick of googling and only a few comes out, especially for Mara interview, Teehee


Bangunan Mara, Jalan Sultan Zainal Abidin

Okay, where should I start? Erm, My interview was on 12th April ( the first day) at Bangunan Mara, Kuala Terengganu. This buiding is near to Istana Maziah and there's a beautiful garden in front of it. I arrived there at 10.20 am. My interview was scheduled at 12.00pm. A
s it was still early, we (my sis and I) went around KT, well just to get used to the roads. (we're not quite familiar with the roads there as we r Kelatenese) & 10 min later, we came back. LOL. FYI, I apply for medicine, non middle-east. So basically this post's about medicine.


In front of the buiding, you will see this. LOL

My sis left me there and I let her to go shopping. xD I went in n asked the staff. They (both r ladies) said that I have to wait till 11.45 am before I could register. Thus, I talked with the staff and ask this and that. She (one of the staff) said that there would be 3 panel and each panel consists of 2 interviewers. I asked her, "who're the interviewers?" but she said that " Akak pun tak pasti. Nanti boleh berkenalan la kat sana." =.=

PRE- INTERVIEW


1. Conduct your researches.

For Mara interview, the things that u should and MUST know are:

#1 Your education n career planning. These include the country you choose, the university, your
career and lotsa.
#2 Mara background ( eg: objectives, CEO, Ministry that handle Mara, and thename of Minister itself- u can obtain these information from their website)
#3 If you're applying for Egypt, you should know how to converse in Arabic, at least you know how to introduce yourself in Arabic. 

#4Some information and details about ur chosen country, especially if your applying for GMi, MFi and such.( as I mention in #1 before). Don't forget to remember the capital city of the country that u're applying for.
#5 Current issues 're not very important (for MARA) as it rarely being asked but i think, it's not a waste if u get ready for these.
#6 The name of Agong. As a loyal citizen, u must remember it, Teehee = Duli Yang Maha Mulia
Al-Wathiqu Billah Tuanku Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi
Billah Shah (for the time being)

2. Essay.
You need to write 300 words essay entitled Autobiography, education and career planning. Basically, about 3 paragraphs at least. At first, i did write an essay and surprisingly it exceeded to 3 pages. hehe. Maybe I'm so obsessed. xD Then I redo it. Actually, it is very much like personal statement that you'll need to write when you are applying for medical schools at overseas universities. So, you might want to goggled and refer some tips writing personal statement in doing ur essay. There're loads of website & blogs that offers guidelines on writing this. ie ucas.com

3. Psychology test
You need to answer lots of psychological questions; consist of Section A and B. Basically, it's just to know your consistency. You need to print "slip pengesahan menduduki ujian."

4. Attire
First impression is the last impression. Dress smartly and professionally. For girls, baju kurung is just nice. Don't need to heavy wear make-ups (U're not going to tackle the interviewer, right? LOL). Wearing a blazer is advisable. Make sure the blazer fits you perfectly (in case u borrow from someone else.) FYI, I'm the only one who wear blazer during the interview session (among female). For guys, I don't really know. shirt, trouser, tie, blazer and shoes. Make sure you polish your shoes. I'm pretty sure that all of you are better in this thingy :)

5. Your english and ways of speaking. My interview session was conducted fully in English. so, start from now, please brush up ur English (for those who're not fluent speakers.) The staff told me that the interviewer once asked a candidate (before my interview sessions), "Do you prefer this interview to be conducted in bahasa or english?" That candidate replied " Bahasa" Later, she was shot with "how come ... bla3" The lesson learnt here is, prefer your interview to be conducted in English.

Just get prepared and if possible, try u talk in matured manner. Eg:-

Even I cant prevent the death, but at least I do give the patients some sort of comfort before their last breath.

sounds more matured: As u know sir, Man proposes, God disposes. Even, I can't change the fate/destiny, but at least ....

6. Documents
Put the Original ones in clear folder. arrange them orderly and nicely. while the non ori (the one to be submitted), u should put them separately. some candidate do make them as scrap book and there're candidate who just clip and put them in envelope. It all depends on u. Just be creative.( I didn't know that, so I just put them all in envelope only ><) This 's my clear folder, that containing all the original certs :



clear folder. I just did as what I saw from a blog

first page of clear folder


D-DAY


1. Be early. Don't late. If u came late means u're killing yourself. Make sure you sleep early the night before your interview session.

2. Just relax. Don't panic and try to mingle with others. Ask them about this and that. Share your experiences or whatsoever. Well, it's just to make u feel better. And do smile a lot. It helps actually.

The place ( for my interview) is quite small, so there 're not so many candidates there. So, i just talked with a few of them and their moms t0o. I personally think that it's not nice to make you parent waiting for you. But, it depends. Well, just be friendly with everyone.

Anyway, moving on..

At 11.45 am, the staffs asked us to queue. There, they checked our documents. and I saw they put a tick at "melayu" on birth cert. Perhaps, to make sure that we're truly malay. xD. I'm in panel 2. And they asked to wait for a while, and then ushered us to a room (for panel 2 and 3). There, there are a staff, so called "kakak" . We were seated separately (left and right, depends on the panel) I talked with the other candidates and that kakak as well. She's so friendly and even gave us some tips. She also adviced for those who apply accountancy, actuarial science, they should know about current economic issues (KDK, MEB and such). One of the candidates was so panicked when hearing that. We calmed her down and later, that kakak told her briefly. I just joined and listen to the kakak. (Luckily, that kakak is in this field. If I was not mistaken, she's taking business management. FYI, she's doing her practical right now.) She also introduced the interviewers in Panel 2. Yeay!

Erm, There's also a candidate who jotted down all the common question and I saw her memorize. Waa~ I looked at the answers, and I was amazed. The answers was kinda brilliant!

Btw, I'm no 3. Two candidates before me, took approximately 10 min in the panel room. Then, it was my time. That kakak opened the door for me (and the other candidates as well) and i entered with "salaam" ( as they r muslims) I gave them my clear folder and documents, which will be submitted.

- Please sit
- Thx you *smile*
- She looked at my clear folder and asked "Is this your 1st interview?" and I replied "Yes"  and lotsa question was bang to me..

and after approximately 15 to 20 min , it ended. Huh. What a relief! Then, I continue talking with the other candidates and that kakak for another few minutes.

Some Qs that I got during the interview (not in particular order):

1. Tell us about ur background?
2. Which country do u like to study? why?
3. What specialization you choose to be?
3. Why not mid east?
4. Why u choose Mara, not the other scholarship?
5. What do you like to do in your spare time?
6. What if u don't get any offer for this course? (Don't tell them that u're going to change to another course. Show ur passion. At least tell them that u're going to matriculation and then will pursue your studies in medical field. It's just my two cents.)
7. Why there's still lack of doctors in M'sia even though each year we sent many students to
study medicine?
7. There's a lot of obstacles and challenges you need to face when studying abroad, do you think you are ready for that?
8. Is there any question? (Ask them at least a question to show your interest toward this scholarship)

Erm, I don't remember if there's any. But basically, they're all focusing on your education and career planning. I'll update it when i remember the other Qs. There's a guy took 25 min in the panel room. I thought, the interviewer must be very impressed with him.

EXTRAs

All of these questions are from my seniors and friends from the interview session.
1. What's ur opinion about overseas students involved in politics? = senior in India
2. Who's the Agong? = senior at UK
3. What would you do if your patient die during operation? = senior in Egypt
4. Mara is under ministry of? Who's the minister? = a new friend
5. Introduce yourself in Arabic language. for those who apply medic in Mid East
6. Why you want to be a doctor/ engineer/ etc?
7. If they ask you, "what's specialization you choose to be?" They also may comes out with: "so, tell us about stroke" if u previously said that u're interested in neurology.

Sometimes, the interviewers did ask some random/unrelated Qs. It happens sometimes, who knows.
eg: Do you have a boyfriend? Do u know how to cook?

POST INTERVIEW

Go somewhere nice and relax. Don't ponder about the interview too much. Well, we have done as best as we could. Pray for the best. and not to mention, prepare for the worst. I went to the beach as it's quite near from MARA building.

and don't forget to send thank you letter to them. Well, as an appreciation for giving u an opportunity.



Lessons

#1 Don't talk too fast. I did talk too fast and my english became $%^&8
#2 Be careful on what you talk as u 'll just make a fool of yourself.

#3 Don't worry, the interview is just simple and enjoyable. So, no need to be panic k :)

All in all, I sincerely hope that this post help for those who are gonna face MARA interview. And sorry for the language :p. Feel free to ask me any questions -formspring at the sidebar or simple leave ur qs in the comment box below. Geez.

ALL THE BEST~

P/s: I hope I can secure this scholarship (a convertable loan- to be precise). The result will come out one month from now, the interviewer did tell me, but i forgot the exact date. xD. If I'm not mistaken, 17th May. One more, there's no quota for each course. Mara would choose 1000 scholars from 2000++ who went for interview.
but my friends said, out of 5000. which one? Nvm

75 comments:

Fawwaz said...

wishing you the best of luck tik !
:D

aizad said...

hi im going for the MARA interview tomorrow for accountancy, may i know if you've seen anyone who was in your batch got asked any controversial topics, or global news related questions? I'm asking because i'm worried after reading the part about "knowing economic news" since i i'm not entirely well-versed with such topic.

thanks

AtikAh said...

@ fawwaz: thanks. pray 4 me ep :)

@ aizad: hi!I'm sorry but I don't think I've known anyone who's taking accountancy. Btw, good luck.

khaulah said...

gud luck!!

Afiq Khalid said...

sorry 4 interfering...
got my frens applying 4 accounts..
none of them got dat type of q`s actually..
the most they got is bout accountancy course n career planning in da future...
juz stick 2 ur ground bro..
best of luck..

AtikAh said...

@ stradivarius: oh, thanks 4 the info. Since Im applying for medic, I doesnt know bout that at all. The staff there told me but still I doesnt know the truth of her statement. I think it depends of the interviewer. Again, thanks~

@ nawal: thanks :)

faradeeba said...

Assalamualaikum...thank you soo much for the post...I'd read it and it helps!!

Anonymous said...

nice post :)

Nuruljannah BadrulHisham said...

alhamdulillah..jumpa juga saya dengan site yang membincangkan tentang perkara yang saya cari...terima kasih...terima kasih banyak2..post awk ni betul2 membantu..insyaallah saya cuba implement.. coz saya pun ade interview session..thanks again..

Anonymous said...

assalamualaikum.
i've some questions to ask you.
1)when the interviewer ask which country do i prefer to study,i would say **.what if they ask "what do u think if i send you to india or indonesia instead of ur chosen country??"what should be the answer?
2)what should i say if i'm not sure or dunno the answer?

faizahomar said...

ive heard bout the probs occured wth mara scholarship,,,especially bout the not-on-time monthly allowance etc...is it really true?
n can i know,,,which scholarshp is the best between mara and jpa,,,especially when im really interested in pharmacy....

Unknown said...

hello....when actually i need to apply for MARA scholarship? Is it straightly after SPM results released?

Anonymous said...

salam,

may i know before the interview r u from boarding school or normal school?and what exactly did u put in the clear folder?

AtikAh said...

@ anonymous 1:

waalaikummusslm. sorry 4 late reply.


All i could say, the choice is yours. Ask urself and tell them ur choice & feeling. But beware! every words of urs represent urself.

If u dont want it, perhaps u could say that U'll consider the other offer. as u're looking for qualities. Then, convince to them that u deserve a better offer/country. But again, dont downgraded them (india/indo).

Still, just stick to ur ground. All t best. just my 2 cent.

Be confident k :)

@ faizahomar:

not sure bout that.

JPA or mara? it depends on you. Mara is convertable loan while JPA is scholarship but u've to work with govt for a few years later on. (for medic-10 years)

I heard JPA wont send students with SPM to overseas anymore.

@ dayana nazirah:

yes. it's true. usually a day after that. just keep up to date with the website. they also announce it on papers..

@ anonymous 2:

wsslm.

previously, i came from a normal school.

i just put resume, ic, & certs in t clear folder..

hafizhilmi said...

assalamualaikum..

for the intrview rite,is it hard?and what sort of preparation you had before going to the intrview?im planning to take eng course coz my eng was not fluent

AtikAh said...

wsslm.
it's good to join an english course asit's not only for the interview but it'll be very useful when u're in preparatory programme/university soon.

for the interview, confidence is utmost important. start practise eng in your daily conversation.

lastly, read newspapers daily especially the latest & popular news. u can cut them and put them in a file if u want. :) All the best..

hafizhilmi said...

but i lazy to read newspaper...naah juz kidding ^^

aite,thanks

AtikAh said...

just focus on popular issues..

u r welcome. am going back to college tonight..

Unknown said...

well good luck then..^^

hafizhilmi said...

oh school hols over ady..haha wish you luck =)

AyaFishy said...

thank u so much for posting this! really helpful :)

Sam said...

regarding the psychology test, do i really need to answer it? and if so, where should i? a link would be very appreciated..

AtikAh said...

@ sam:

i'm not sure for this year. since mara didnt mention about the test, so there's nothing to worry.

all of these was for last year (spm 2009)

Wishing you best of luck!~

Sam said...

cool, thanks! really appreciate that.

Nazatul Husna said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AtikAh said...

@ Nazatul Husna: wsslm. As i said before, the post is all about last year. It might change this year. nothing to be confuse about k :)

AtikAh said...

@ Nazatul Husna: wsslm. As i said before, the post is all about last year. It might change this year. nothing to be confuse about k :)

Zulaiha said...

Salams. Thanks so much for this link ! My MARA interview is next week and I'll be using yr post as a guide. Thanks again ! I'm guessing u got the scholarship ? :) All the best in your future undertakings !

Braintasticguy said...

Thanks for the tips! You're awesome.

Faizah said...

CALON SPM 2010! i just checked back the 'semakan panggilan temu duga' page at mara website and the had just added the borang permohonan.In the borang they requested the 300 words essay...not sure bout the test though,but better check the mara wbsite again and again...in case they updated anything...btw, thanks for the tips kak atikah...help a lot! :D

Fikri Kasman said...

nice tips.!i have an interview with mara coming up. Will be using some of your tips..thx.=)

Anonymous said...

thanks akak! very useful tips and guides.

Nur Amalina Omar said...

Thanks for the sharing the experience n the tips! This gonna be useful for my MARA interview next week! ^_^

syeera said...

hye.. i'm just wondering.. where are you studying now? did you got this scholarship?

Anonymous said...

sy akan pegi temuduga MARA nex week n my program is tenaga pengajar..what should i ans if they ask which uni would i choose as they dun list out which uni has tis tenaga pengajar program..secondly do we need put our certs from f1-f5?thirdly,do we need to write resume?if writing resume,need pengesahan dr pengetua? in ur time,is there many student applying tis prgm tenaga pengajar? im a school leaver 2010 n i hpe u might help 2 enlighten my mind..ur ans r welcome..tq:)

Iwan said...

salam, thanks a lot 4 your advice... : ] ....sya nter interview 27 nie n my essay writing just come out really bad......well 4 the essay kne tlis ke nk gi U mne n negare mne? bole x akak tlong bgi opinion cmne nk wat essay tuh...thanks

AtikAh said...

of course they wont list which Uni, but they do list the countries, right? conduct ur own research to find which Uni.
They just want to know ur future planning, it's not necessarily u'll go ur chosen Uni.

resume isn't compulsary.

certs - f4 & f5 only, preferably those "excellent" achievements only..

AtikAh said...

iwan : the essay is basically a personal statement. i think, for mara, u can mention ur preferable Uni and country but not with the "real personal statement".

Unknown said...

akak, sy x fhm yg dlm essay tu part education. means cne? perancgn pengajian sy ke?

and autobiography tu tulis ape?
in first pragraph sy cuma tulis sy ni ank sulong, and parents sy teachers. lepas tu apa yg sy msuk n jwtn sy pgg. jual2 diri sikit. haah

secong paragraph sy citer sy nk gi ngara mne and uni mne. brapa tahun

third, sy wat sy nk jd pakar bius dekt mne and brapa tahun. tu je.

akak, ade apep lg tak. sy xuma x fhm yg bhgian education tu. btw, akak dulu yg final yg disubmit punya essay akak brapa page?

sy stu page stengah.
huu. please help me. =) thank you

Unknown said...

apa mksdnye real personal statement tu kak?

Unknown said...

apa mksdnye real personal statement tu kak?

Unknown said...

apa mksdnye real personal statement tu kak?

AtikAh said...

real personal statement is the one for overseas Uni application. just ignore this part.

personal statement usually only ONE page!!

ok, gotta go & finish the workloads~

Anonymous said...

apa yang sy nak tulis dalam esei untuk perancangan pengajian? adakah hanya tulis course yang kita ambik n uni mana yg kita pilih?
untuk kerjaya tu macam mana? blh akak terangkan.
do i nid 2 include the reason i want 2 b a teacher in my esei?
im so blur in writing tis essay and i seek 4 ur help..hope u can help me..at least u show me some ideas on tis essay..

Anonymous said...

bolehkah kita list out our achievements in our essay? cth:antara pncpain yg sy dpt ialah:
akademik
1.pertandingan bla..bla..
2.bla..bla

abc said...

pelajar tajaan mara plu menduduki ujian khas biasiswa persekutuan jpa kah?

baabaablacksheep said...

hello..sy akan g intrvw mara..dan nak tanya akak ttng bagaimana mau tau kolej atau uni mana kita akan bt persediaan sblm g overseas? plu include kh kolej mana kt nak bt psdiaan dlm esei? keliru ni.pliz terangkan....:(

baabaablacksheep said...

why nobody ans?

AtikAh said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AtikAh said...

for essay, just mention ur outstanding achievements only. dont list out all of them. ur essay 'll turn a boring one then. u might write on why you choose the course/ what aspire you to become ****.
u can include ur prefered preparatory college in t essay, but i dont think, it would affect ur placement. I'll say, just write~

ujian khas biasiswa persekutuan? is it psychology test? just follow the guideline provided by them or perhaps, u can contact mara.

college or uni? u can ask during the interview. it depends on which country u apply for. depends on bhgian penganjuran mara.

i've important exam soon. Hope u'all understand. Best of luck :)

Anonymous said...

Hi - I am certainly delighted to find this. great job!

Anonymous said...

Yes, really.

Anonymous said...

umm.. can i ask u something?

akak dpt berapa A result SPM akak?

:)

ezudyn said...

salam..
i was thinking if there was any of kakak's friend had interview for biotech???
i would like to know how ...

AtikAh said...

wassalam.
i have a few friends in college who r under biotech. one of them is my classmate. but unfortunately she doesn't have blog.

Anonymous said...

how to apply for mara scholarship this year?when it will open?

AtikAh said...

erm, this SPC -Skim Peljar Cemerlang (convertable loan)- will open after SPM. When? I cant give the exact date. keep urself up to date with the news. It's better if you call MARA

Anonymous said...

how do we apply for the scholarship?

AtikAh said...

through MARA website

FF said...

thx sys.. it really help.. pray for me.. :)

Anonymous said...

This one is the best guide line i've browsed so far. Thank you so much sister :)

Anonymous said...

thanks for the tips.it helps me a lot :D.btw nice blog

Anonymous said...

hye sis..i'd applied for uni in m'sia, do i've to speak in eng too during da interview? tq :)

IIVstars said...

i wanna ask about choosing course for mara's loan that have high requirements. for an example,i've got 7a's in spm and wanna choose biotech as my course.is it okay and acceptable? as the requirements for that course is 9a's in spm.

AtikAh said...

nuraezizi: I am not sure sis. But I think, still in English.


iivstars: I suggest you to NOT apply courses that you didn't pass its requirements.

ello said...

i would like to know what is ur answer for the question :
why choose MARA, not other scholarships?
(needed ideas on this question)
thanx.... :p!

Khairan Kalil said...

tqvm. this helps a lot.

Nez said...

so u now study at KMB? :D I live here! hehe i've been living here since i was born cuz my mom work here.I'm going to MARA interview this Saturday and this post is really help me a lot thanks^^

madzutech said...

wow. lots of useful tips, thanks for sharing. :)
http://bit.ly/JUXOA1

madzutech said...

wow. lots of useful tips,
thanks for sharing :)
http://bit.ly/JUXOA1

shabby lahh:D said...

a do love this post...
im going to interview today 2pm..so pray for me sis :)

Anonymous said...

sorry,

i just cant look the pictures

why??

AtikAh said...

I accidently deleted my picasa folder so all the pic were missing. Most of the pic r in my old lappy. Sorry can't help u any further

Annur said...

hi akak:) i just got the offer from mara for foundation in acc. so for the interview, they ask me to wear sport's attire.weird right? idk since maybe this is the first year. maybe we're going to have that sort of physical test but logik ke if they doing that interview while we're wearing that kind of attire? just want to ask ur opinion akak :)

AtikAh said...

Hi. congratz for getting the interview offer. I couldn't give a definite answer but anything can happen. The interview does not necessarily need the formal style 2 to 1 or 1 to 1. Maybe they are assessing from those session. All the best :)

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