I had my PSC scholarship interview two years back in March 2012. I understand that it can be one of the most nerve-wrecking interviews faced by hopeful scholars out there, and that there isn't much being shared by people who have gone through them, that's why I'm writing this, in time for the new interview cycle. (I myself sieved through the Internet for advice, couldn't find much).
Instead of telling you the specific questions to "prepare for", I'm gonna generalize it because, a) obviously they won't ask you the same question, they might, but very unlikely. b) for you to see the pattern and apply to suit your own case.
You know you'll be faced with 7-8 interviewers, with mainly 2-3 taking turn to ask questions. Your interview should last for 15-20 mins.
During that time, be prepared to:
1) Take ANY question that concerns you.
It can be anything associated with you that's reflected on your "report": your choice of uni, country of study, choice of career (most important of all), and even..your background. Every interviewer has pieces of paper laid out in front them, you can imagine what's on there. If they know you've got volunteering experience, it's likely that they'll discuss things relevant to that. This is especially likely if volunteering happens to be the highlights of current affairs at the time.
what they asked me
As I was born in Myanmar, the first question they asked after I barely sat down was "Which is the first country that Daw Aung San Su Kyi visited after her release from house arrest". Myanmar's opening up was a hot topic at the time, so it's kind of expected. I can discuss the topic at ease, but the question nearly caught me off guard because it's so specific, I was able to answer it only because I read the news paper at the reception while waiting for my turn. It was on the first page of TODAY, I didn't even had the time to flip.
Yea sometimes it's luck. It's impossible to know the answer to every question, and the interviewers know it. So when you don't know the answer, my advice is to be truthful. That's what I did. "Sorry, I don't know". They would want to see how you react to questions you have no answer to. So this lady gave me hints. (the same lady who asked about Aung San Su Kyi ), with her help I got the answer, it's like educated guesswork. You can make it work for you, by showing that though you've no answer to that, you know the topic enough to make an intelligent guess. Even if it's an incorrect guess, you've demonstrated your ability at rational thinking. :)
2) Take questions on current affairs...
...even if they are million miles away from your field of interests. Of course they're more likely to ask you questions that are relevant to your experience in JC/CCA/Uni course, that is a given, but what differentiates PSC interview from a Ministry interview is this bit. You need to demonstrate that besides your field of interests, you pay attention to what's going on around you in and outside the country, the topics that might arise in the interview vary, depending on your profile. So be prepared to talk about it:)
What they asked me
the expected:
At the time of my interview, the euro-zone sovereign debt crisis was unfolding, two days before my interview France elected a new President. Since I wanted to study economics in the UK, they obviously pitched on Europe, we discussed the topic for no less than 10 mins : why Greece's defaulting on its sovereign debt, France's new president, whether the election will help solve euro-zone's problems..etc. To be honest, a few minutes into the interview, I became rather comfortable and actually enjoyed the discussion. I'll tell you my way of preparing for all these.
The unexpected:
The expulsion of Bo Xilai, a former Communist Party chief(薄熙来)!! I didn't see this coming at all but did know roughly what happened. So yea, prepared to talk about anything really.
3) To challenge the given
There isn't a rigid formula, that you must say no less than two sentences to challenge the view of the interviewers. There's no answer to what you should say, when to say it and how. It's hard to strike a balance so you don't come across as overtly defiant. Here you need to trust yourself and rely on your instincts and the social self inside you. They'll ask for your opinions on a few things, as they did me, you need to demonstrate that you are able to think critically, approach the question from another perspective and so on.
What they asked me.
(with relevance to Bo Xilai's case) "Is he really wrong? why are many Chinese officials still paying him visits after his arrest? (he gave a figure)" I said something along the line of : Is that figure really representative? I just think that Chinese politics is complicated, what we observe may not reflect the underlying intentions.
4) to discuss your decisions
This is again a given, but it's best to seriously think through them beforehand. Why that uni? why that course? why UK/US/Singapore? Why public service? Not only the big but also the small questions.
I felt good about my interview because:
a) I was being honest with my answers. I was honest to say "I don't know" to questions I couldn't answer, also to tell them that I've applied to another private scholarship. They did delve into that and asked why I chose that particular career and what I think about the two (Teaching for PSC). Be truthful about what you think & how you feel.
b) I was being myself. It wont do you good to pretend like someone you are not, this is true for all interviews in general, not only scholarship ones.
c) I engaged myself and tried to enjoy the discussion. Don't assume that they are out there to catch you, take their questions as a way to get to know you as a person, then trust yourself and answer them such that your personality, your interests/passion reveal themselves naturally.
d) I was not trying hard to impress. Talk only how much you know, especially topics that you are't so sure about. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, if you try too hard to impress on everything, including your weakness, you might lead them into thinking that's your strength and go in-depth on the topic.
What I did before interview:
It's something we all need to work on, not telling you to "study" for interview, just so that you prime yourself nicely and be ready to shine! :) I've picked up some advice from someone while researching for my own interview on the net (A big thank you to that unknown soul!), just want to share so more people can benefit, as they've worked for me.
a) I didn't read much newspaper, instead I tuned in to news channel..
.. when I was at home doing my own random stuff (like cleaning up my room). Because...reading is boring, and I cannot absorb much by reading. Also if you realize, newspaper articles are meant to give a lot of details, date, time, quotes blah blah blah. We might lose focus and in our Kiasu spirit, try to cram in the unnecessary bits. On the other hand, TV channel delivers the news to you in smaller, more concise chunks, in a sweet and friendly female voice that's also appealing to the ears. You can absorb more with less effort! Channel NewAsia is a good option. My favourite is Phoenix TV (凤凰卫视) cuz that's what my dad used to watch every single morning. It's literally the noise backdrop of our household. If you're at home let the news rolling 24/7, the recurring topics they keep discussing on the TV will eventually stick to your brain. (Hopefully)
b) I blogged.
This I picked up from that unknown soul on the Internet, I'm still thankful to him now. You don't necessarily need to blog, at the time I was already blogging so I naturally used it as a platform. It's good to write about the decisions you've made, the experiences you've had, concerning your past/future, uni/courses, anything and everything. The process will help you sort out your thoughts, and solidify certain abstract things. In a way, you're finding the answers to those interview questions through reflections. So when they day comes, all you need to do is articulate what you already have in your heart. It's best if you can start doing it one or two months before hand. It's a good habit anyway so I didn't do it only for the interview:)
Last Piece of advice
I feel that the biggest take away from my interview is that, you can never perfectly prepare for any interview, and the best preparation you can do is to know yourself, inside out. Some questions may seem simple and the answers straight forward, but perhaps it's only until you give them serious thoughts would you know why certain things are the way they are.
Good luck! with lots of love <3
