PETRONAS Youngstar Day 2014

Chapter 3


The next day, I woke up at 4.30am. I was reluctant to get myself off the bed. After some procrastination, I groggily got up at 5.30am to spruce myself up for the selection test. I knew this was going to be bad because I wasn’t energetic and not up to focusing on things. This taught me a lesson – get yourself a good sleep before anything important.

I was dressed in a formal wear and went down to the voluminous main lobby with my father. I staggered up the staircase to the second floor where the event would be going on. There were only a scarce number of shortlisted applicants at 7.10am. So, I moseyed by the hallway with plush sofas arrayed along the long balustrade.

By the way, I did remember mum’s advice - never forget to smile. As soon as I sat on a sofa, another unacquainted candidate came into view. I smiled at him, and he grinned back. Subsequently, he sat on the settee in front of me. To break the solemn silence, I decided to strike up a friendly conversation with him. So, he was from Sarikei. Not as difficult as I thought, I made friends with him. A jiffy later, Qi Zheng turned up and he sat beside me, and the three of us hit it off with each other.

We went to line up at the counter for registration at 7.30am. We were given a card tag to be hung around our necks and our breakfast was ready at another counter. I had my breakfast with the Sarikei dude, while we picked up our hearty chat to kill time. Then we got to know the Sibu boy in front of the Sarikei boy.

So, a small tip here – make as many friends as you can. Chatting with them may counteract the effect of your jitters.


After breakfast time, we attended to the briefing in a big hall as stated in the rejoining instructions. Next, we were divided into two groups, A and B, according to our cards in our name tag. I was in B group.

Candidates in A group did the interview first, while those who were in B group did the Maths and Science Test. We were brought to another room to have the test. However, I couldn’t believe it when the instructor told us not to use scientific calculators. And, I went like what? But then, the rejoining instructions had mentioned that we should bring our own scientific calculators. If we didn’t use it during the test, what we were supposed to do with it? Can you beat that!

Chill, Alexander, chill out. I still could do it without wielding my trusty tool: my calculator. Nonetheless, repeating ‘I can do it’ wasn’t enough to beat it. I hardly remembered anything since I had not touched books for 4 months. Those physics questions really put me through a labyrinth. I was at a loss in the face of time depletion.

Time’s up and I had to submit my answer sheet. I looked over at Qi Zheng’s face and his expression exuded confidence. I guaranteed he’s doing pretty well. After that, I followed the throng to the room where group A’s candidates had first been. We were then split into 4 groups amongst group B’s candidates. I took a seat with unfamiliar people around a table. We exchanged glances with each other awkwardly. It was getting even colder.

We were assigned a case study for a topic. Then, we got to pore over it prior to grubbing ideas out of our brains. Without any discussion amongst our groups, we scribbled down our ideas on a piece of paper. 30 minutes later, we were sent to the imposing hall where the morning briefing was held for the interview. After every individual in the group had been called on for interview, the whole group was compelled to have a group discussion.


Chapter 4


I prayed along the way down to the chamber where my interview would be taken. It’s battle time! Knocking the door for attention, I was told to be seated; yet, I jolly well know the proprieties of interviews, and hence I shook hands with the interviewers before taking a seat.

They started to study my gait, my demeanour, and my expressions with their appraising eyes before introducing themselves. As they asked me to introduce myself, I told them my name, age, former school, and family. Soon after the introducing part, they want me to air my viewpoints about the subject of case study. Nodding in acquiescence, I duly went on with my points of view that had crossed my mind.

10 minutes later, they cut me off. The interviewer commented that I got so many points. She asked me a question, and I paused shortly, apparently stumping for words. Yet, I did my best to answer her in case I fell in a spot.

I wasn’t relieved much as the interview had been wrapped up. After all our teammates had had the interviews, we had our group discussion in the same chamber. We pooled our recommendations and talked it over to reach a general consensus for a definite solution. I strained to err on the side of caution to avoid speaking out of turn. I just suggested my opinions and recommendations. Oh well, to coin a phrase, don't let your subjective attitudes affect your objective assessment. Bear in mind that it's a discussion, not a dominant debate. It's better not to rob your teammates of their presentation time. Team-spirit is paramount at the top of priorities. After all, I was still bested by my teammates’ performances. I’ve got to hand it to them - they fared jolly well.

We laughed off all the burdens on our way out of the hall. Preceding the critical reasoning test in the afternoon, we need to grab a bite. I chattered with my teammates with punch and speed during the lunch time. We segued into conversations of our schools, friends, and hometowns.

After lunch, we had the critical reasoning test. Like the name itself, it tested your logic thinking, reasoning skills, and time management. It’s as tough as what we had been clued in by the instructor. I was dead sure of it because I had done the test online and I failed it terribly. It’s necessary to manipulate your time well, otherwise time may manipulate you. Make it snappy, but you have got to ensure that your answers are accurate and reasonable.

So, after an arduous exam, I was dead beat. The surge of adrenaline and bad hormones were quelled somehow beneath a watery cool. The event ended much earlier than I thought. I presupposed it should end at 6pm but it just ended at 3.30pm. I boarded AK6188 back to Miri airport. I went off like the light of the candle, fast asleep.

To sum up, I really had a whale of a time making friends and of all stuffs I did there. My wish was all the same like any other candidates: to be chosen for the PESP. Nevertheless, I wasn’t expecting much from getting shortlisted because I wasn’t satisfied with my performance. If I put my success in percentage, it would be 30%. Anyway, I hope my experience of attending this event can help those participants in the future. Best of luck and all the best!



(End)