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TAR UMT Sweeps Top Prizes at Karnival Kimia

Gideon Chong Soong Yang (centre) emerged as the Champion.

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Caleb Tan Zhi Xuan (centre) took the First Runner-Up position.

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Tey Yi You (centre) secured the Second Runner-Up position.

Mastering the complexities of analytical chemistry is no small feat, but TAR UMT’s A Level students proved they are more than up to the challenge by sweeping the top three prizes at the Karnival Kimia Malaysia (K2M) 2025’s Malaysia Schools' Analyst Competition. Held from 12 – 13 April 2025 at IMU University, the competition organised in collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry, United Kingdom, assesses students' abilities in analytical chemistry through practical problem-solving.

K2M is an annual flagship event by Institut Kimia Malaysia (IKM) and K2M 2025 is supported by Minggu Sains Negara (MSN) under the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI). It aims to foster students' interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and to build a highly skilled talent pool to achieve the goal of a high-tech nation by 2030.

TAR UMT emerged triumphant in the Pre-University category, with Gideon Chong Soong Yang clinching the Champion title, Caleb Tan Zhi Xuan taking First Runner-Up, and Tey Yi You securing Second Runner-Up. Tey Yi You and Lee Yong Heng were honoured with the Outstanding Analyst Award in the preliminary round.

The competition began with an online preliminary round featuring 18 multiple-choice questions and 2 short-answer questions. Only the top 30 scorers advanced to the final round, where participants conducted two rigorous experiments, titration and qualitative analysis of functional groups based on a real-life scenario. The students were required to interpret their experimental results to solve the given problem.

Reflecting on his win, Gideon Chong said that discipline and focusing on his goals were the underlying factors for his win. “I stay driven because I have a clear aim—to get into one of the top universities abroad, like Nanyang Technological University (NTU),” he shared. “In our A Level programme, we do practical chemistry regularly. That hands-on experience really sharpened my skills and gave me an advantage over students in other programmes. What made a huge difference was the dedication of our TAR UMT lecturers. They didn’t just teach us the syllabus – they trained us to think critically and apply what we learned. Their guidance and encouragement really pushed me to aim higher.”

Tey Yi You echoed that sentiment, adding that familiarity with the competition content boosted her confidence. “Most of the topics were already part of our A Level syllabus, so it didn’t feel overwhelming. I just needed to revise what we had already covered in class,” she said. “On that note, I am glad I took my lecturer, Mr Low’s encouragement to compete in this competition as the experience was a great exposure for me. I truly appreciate how approachable and supportive our lecturers are. They always take time to explain concepts clearly and ensure we’re confident in applying them. That made all the difference for me.”

Caleb Tan, meanwhile, offered words of encouragement to aspiring students. “Work hard and stay true to yourself,” he advised. “It’s okay to stand out if it means you’re following what’s right and meaningful to you. Keep chasing your dreams with purpose.”