It is never easy during the Yayasan Khazanah scholarship application process, it is when you show your determination, your perseverance and your dedication in giving your commitment and performing the best you can.
Hi, I am Henry Tan, Yayasan Khazanah Global Scholars 2021, currently pursuing A Levels at Kolej Yayasan UEM. Really appreciate the opportunity for me to share my personal experience during this tough and challenging scholarship application journey. I know that it would be quite frustrating and anxious to face a variety of unknowns and uncertainties during the scholarship application process. That is why I am here to share my real experience with you. Without further ado, let’s get started!
A small introduction to Yayasan Khazanah
Yayasan Khazanah (YK) is a foundation established by Khazanah Nasional Berhad – the sovereign
wealth fund of Malaysia with the aim to grow long-term wealth for the nation. Yayasan Khazanah is entrusted to groom and nurture exceptional individuals to become leaders of industries in Malaysia.
How do you choose the field of study and what is your ambition?
To begin with, I intend to pursue actuarial science as my degree course. The first time I got in touch with the term ‘Actuary’ and ‘Actuarial Science’ was during my Form 5 Year, when I was consulting the school counsellor regarding my interest. Having a list of careers regarding Mathematics, the phrase ‘Actuarial Science’ caught my attention.
After further research, I found out that Actuarial Science is a field regarding risk management, probability and statistics, data analysis, and economic management based on strong Mathematical knowledge and skill. You cannot really imagine how wonderful Mathematics and Statistics are- How probability can be used to determine the pricing of various policies; How Statistics can be used to portray the overall social welfare of the community; How data can be converted into graphs and then mathematical models which can be used continuously.
At the same time, I was always keen on exploring other fields of study. Actuarial Science indeed provides a wide range of different subjects for me to explore by pursuing only one degree course. Economics, for example, is a combination of general knowledge regarding market operations and the fundamental principle of various economics theories. Data analysis, which involves the combination of Mathematical Skills and Programming Language knowledge in Python, especially, has further increased my passion and curiosity to that particular field.
The key which drove me to determine my final field was the situation at that moment. Multiple and repeated Covid-19 lockdowns which led to economic recession and unemployment in our country made me aware of the difficulties faced by the community and our country. There was little doubt that various financial programs, Pemerkasa and Prihatin for example, have helped the community from the financial side, but the effect only sustained in the short term. That was the real occasion when I realised how important risk management and systematic fund allocation were. The ambition of helping my beloved country and community to avoid the economic recession in future started to bloom in my heart, driving me to become an actuary- the hero of the day.
How was the scholarship application process and what preparation had you done?
Just like the other scholarship application process, the first thing you need to do is simply to click ‘ Apply’ at the Yayasan Khazanah Scholarship Portal. To be honest, I was never concerned about the scholarships offered in Malaysia until I finished my SPM and spent a few weeks afterwards researching the scholarship available. However, I would suggest you to only visit the scholarship portal once your SPM results are released as it would be more effective.
Application
The application process is pretty straightforward: fill in your details and write an essay. The essay generally revolves around you and your future ambitions and how they relate with Malaysia. Make sure to remain genuine and passionate in what field you intend to enter and develop. It would be better for you to relate your essays with current issues that are happening nowadays, to portray to the scholarship examiners that you are not only focused on studies, but you have a good time management and spend your time following the latest news.
Yayasan Khazanah (YK) essays require 1000 words minimum, so do prepare to sharpen your essay skills. You do not need to add in flowery or bombastic language as you are writing an application essay, but not novels or stories! Delivering your points in an organised way and systematically are the most important things.
The second thing is making sure that you have prepared all the required documents in softcopy and in a neat and tidy way to give a really good impression to the interviewers. Don’t be last minute! After you have filled up all the required information (there are a lot of columns to fill in , so be prepared!), submit it and wait for the confirmation email.
Stage 1: Logiks Numerical and Logiks Verbal Assessment
The name of the online tests sounds challenging right? I have to admit that it is really challenging, especially when you have stopped touching any academic materials after 3-4 months of post SPM break. Logiks Numerical tests your mathematical skills and your sensitivity towards data, whereas Logiks Verbal Assessment tests your reading and comprehension skills. You are given a really limited
time, so be prepared! You can find a few practice tests via Google. The key is sitting the test in a most relaxing , comfortable and quiet place. You will receive the emails from YK regarding your test info and how to login the test, etc.
Stage 2: Cubiks Test/ Khazanah Cultural Reasoning Inventory (CRI) Test
The test at the second stage is pretty simple compared to the stage 1, which tests the candidates regarding their attitude and willingness in working as a team, basically it is more or less the same as psychometric tests. Just remember it does not mean that you can simply answer it without thinking rationally, as YK emphasises on your good attitude and behaviour as a condition to become their scholars .
Stage 3: Graphite test and Competency Based Interview
Graphite test is an online assessment as well, but involving more sections from logical thinking skills, numerical sensitivity to high-speed mathematical calculation and entrepreneurship skills. You can also find some tests to practice online but it is a good way for you to manage your time properly. You would not know how many questions are there in a section, so just do it as fast as you can but simultaneously making sure that you are doing correctly.
Competency Based Interview is a two-to-one interview, in which two interviewers will interview one candidate. To be honest, the YK interview session is a very lively and chill session, you can share anything you want to share with the interviewers! I promise the interviewers are more than happy to hear from you, just make sure you do not over-express or give the answers which are out of topic. Most of the interviewers will ask you to share your experience holding high positions at schools, how do you cope with stress and tension, what is the most difficult subject during your SPM, which are basically related to your life. So don’t be nervous, just talk confidently and show the best of you.
Stage 4: Interview with YK management
Great job and congratulations to you if you have made it into stage 4, as most of the candidates are rejected during stage 3! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my interview was held online and I was in a group of 4, together we faced 2 interviewers as well. Again, it was still a very relaxing session for me. It was similar to the Stage 3 CBI process, while the only difference was, we needed to do a group discussion. I still remembered that our topic was ‘Extra-curricular activities, participate in breath or in depth’.
In the session, share what is your point of view and at the same time, show support to the candidates in the same group as you. Simply nodding head on their ideas which you agreed is sufficient enough to show that you are a good listener and respect the speakers. The small action does really make a big difference. Other than that, the interviewers asked me about my involvement in such a wide range of extra-curricular activities and how I manage my time to involve in such a number of ECA , my engagement in volunteering work and the most valuable achievement I had ever obtained.
Stage 5: Interview with YK Board of Trustees
Final stage- meeting the YK Board of Trustees. It was a really long and challenging journey to enter the last stage, meeting with the YK Board of Trustees. Don’t need to feel afraid as I promised every YK Board of Trustees are extremely friendly. You can get on well easily with them. However, the last interview might be more challenging compared to the previous interviews as The Board of Trustees would discuss some current news topic with you. They would like to hear from you about the problems you have noticed so far in our country and what innovative ways you would suggest to solve them.
Overall, it is a really casual session. Just imagine that you are chatting with your friends, discussing the current trend and expressing your point of views accurately and clearly. Do follow up with the current news happening around you as it might come up as the topic of discussions.
Closing Remarks
Thank God! I have received my final confirmation email from YK, I have obtained the scholarship! You can imagine the happiness of entering a prestigious university, meeting excellent students from the whole of Malaysia and finally contributing to the community and nation. It really reflected the idea that the result you get will be equivalent to the effort you put in not only during the application process, but throughout your secondary school experience.
Being awarded Yayasan Khazanah Global Scholarship really sparks my life, opening a new pathway for my life, not only getting a new responsibility of contributing to the nation as scholars, but more towards the valuable experience which you will gain in YK and in future. It makes me better than I was before!
All in all, for aspiring applicants, I wish you all the best and hope to see you as a part of our small family. For those who are rejected, it is not the end of your life. Always believe that there is a blessing in disguise and you will shine and excel in the field that eventually belongs to you. An active mindset is always the predominant key to your success. All the best!
Notes to remember
Whether you are being accepted or rejected, you will receive an email from YK regarding your result, just that they have over thousands of applications and they need more time to filter and decide.
Don’t be anxious when the meeting does not start on time as they will definitely open the meeting, just that sometimes they might be later or might be earlier as well due to their overwhelming workloads.
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