errr... gap year assumes u're doing something in between of something else. for example, u've just finished 1st year of ur degree, went out to do charity work in tibet for a year (this being the gap year), and then continue ur 2nd year after returning from tibet.

if u've just finished SPM and did not immediately continue for STPM/A-levels/matrics, that's called bumming around.

depends what u're doing exactly. if u're earning money coz u cant afford pre-u, i'm sure it's fine. heck, as long as u can account it to something, it'll be fine too. u just dont have to call it a gap year, because it has a specific meaning attached to it.

what i'm saying is, do something productive if u dont plan to continue straight after SPM. and make sure that the thing u do somehow benefits u in some ways that the potential employer deem valuable. like doing charity work.

they might ask. but it wont have any significant effect to ur employability. i mean even if u say "i'm bumming around with my friends chasing hot girls", what are they gonna do, right?

look, university life can be hectic. if u dont wanna burdened with education loans (like PTPTN), then the most logical way is to sacrifice a year (or a few) of ur life to earn some money before continuing ur studies. employers would see this as ur own initiative to take matters into ur own hands. which is good!

there are other more important questions that they will ask that will directly impact ur employability. i suggest u concentrate on those. for example:

i. working experience
ii. softskills
iii. degree curriculum, syllabus & accreditation
iv. professional license

and stuff like that. if i were to put that on a scale, those four will weigh about 80%, and the gap year probably about 1%. so dont worry about it!

like i said, it doesnt matter. just tell the truth.

if your degree take longer than you should. Let say 4 years engineering and you take 5 years to complete or 6 years

If 5 years, most interview wont blink an eyes because it quite common for engineering student to extend a sem or two at most. If you fail and have to retake. Just tell the truth you didn't do well in that particular subject and have to retake. I noticed that hiring manager don't really bother the duration of your studies but more on how you present yourself. Just the curious one will ask but then quickly proceed to the next question.

We Asian prioritize faster because we want to finish anything or any task as soon as possible.

your qualification is more important than how long you take to complete that qualification. Keep that in mind

Many HR use automated system to filter out possible candidates

The curious ones will ask and i cant say for certain it wont affect your resume etc etc as i am not the hiring managers or recruiters nor the interviewer. What i am doing is giving you the general idea, not the specific details

University wont bother the detail on when you start your pre-u. The sad truth about education is as long you have the financial means, anything also can