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The Yayasan Khazanah (YK) Scholarship application is open from 5th March until 6th April 2020. There are two categories of scholarships offered by Yayasan Khazanah: (1) Global - for universities around the world and (2) Watan - for local Malaysian universities. I was selected in the 2018 March cycle for the YK Global Scholarship; while there may have been a few changes in the assessment process, I believe the essence of what YK looks for remains constant and I hope to shed some light on the entire application process and also share a little of my personal experience. In total, Global candidates need to go through 5 levels of assessment. Stage 1 and 2 are administered online while stage 3 is a combination of online and face-to-face assessments. Stage 4 and 5 are interview sessions. For the Watan Scholarship Programme, there are only 4 levels of assessments (minus the final Stage 5 Interview). While the application process may seem lengthy, do not let that put you off - it is very much doable. Before we proceed to talk about Stage 1, there is an online application form where you will have to provide some personal information, a transcript of your SPM result and also an essay not more than 1000 words about your intended area of study, how that would benefit Malaysia and make a difference in the community/country and also the qualities that you possess. It would be helpful to have a look at YK’s core values but that list is by no means exhaustive and ultimately it would be best to highlight what makes you unique and use experience to back it up. My advice for the essay would be to really take time to reflect on why you chose that course, how would learning X equip you with the necessary skills to contribute back to society. Your goals do not have to be extravagant; I think the key thing is to show that you have given thought as to how you can use the knowledge from your degree to help better those around us.
Stage 1 - Verbal and Numerical Ability Test There is nothing too complicated about this stage, it's a relatively straightforward test looking at SPM-level English and Mathematics skills. I would definitely suggest doing practice tests which you can find online prior to the actual test so you can familiarise yourself with the nature of an online test. There will inevitably be nerves but try your best to stay calm throughout and just go through the questions at a steady pace. Even if you get stuck and the answer really doesn’t come to you, it's alright, move on to the next question and don’t beat yourself up about it.
Stage 2 - Personality & Moral Reasoning Test The purpose of this test is to find out more about you and how you are as a person - the idea is to see how you would respond to different circumstances and also what values do you think are important. My main piece of advice is to always be honest, there is really no point in lying and trying to fit into a certain ‘mould’ - they will be able to tell. The nature of the test is to reflect that there is no ‘correct’ answer and ultimately, they just want to learn more about the real you.
Stage 3 - Assessment centre This stage is a combination of an online e-tray assessment and also a physical assessment where you would be invited to YK’s Headquarters. For the e-tray, I would highly recommend searching for videos online explaining how it works as it is meant to be more interactive (eg replying emails) as compared to the previous two tests. For my physical assessment, it was a one-to-one competency-based interview (I believe group exercises were included in previous years). For the interview, I would advise preparing a list of answers to commonly asked questions in advance and ensuring you have an experience you can highlight to back up each point you make. Personally, I try to make sure I have a few key experiences that I know inside-out (not a full-proof technique but it may help). Your experiences do not have to be academic; it can be personal, family-related, any volunteering work and even general interests such as sports or music. Using the STAR method does help in structuring your answers but it is by no means a strict rule and you can adapt it to your experiences accordingly. The key is to relate every experience back to a competency or value which you believe makes you a good fit for YK. To reemphasize, every person’s interview style is different, there is no bulletproof technique so just be yourself, answer genuinely and try your best to see the interview as a normal conversation.
Stage 4 & 5 - Interviews For Stage 4, it is a panel interview where there will be around 3 interviewers including the YK Managing Director. Stage 5 (for Global) would be the final panel interview including a member of the YK Board of Trustees. The content of the interviews are not drastically different, some questions are just slightly more focused as to your motivations for your course and there may be reference to your written essay. While they did not ask me any specific questions about Khazanah Nasional-related operations, it wouldn’t hurt to have a general idea of what Khazanah does and it’s visions and goals. The main purpose of these interviews is for the relevant people to get to know you and for you to really showcase your personality in different situations. If you have a strong passion for something, do not be afraid to bring it up. To conclude, if you are still on the fence about applying, I would really encourage you to give it a try. Please do not compare yourself to your peers and downplay your life experiences - scholarships are not just about your grades or which school you were from. Stay true to yourself, be authentic and just do your best. I myself was rejected the first time I applied to YK (post-SPM) but I did not let this deter me and I applied again after A-Levels. I hope this gives you some encouragement that it is possible and I wish you all the best for your application!
by Tracy Goh, a Yayasan Khazanah scholar currently studying in the United Kingdom.