Computer Science Admissions Test; 2x interviews.
Interview 1: pre-reading discussion, personal statement, current affairs; Interview 2: maths/physics questions.
Mock interviews, YouTube videos, preparing answers to potential questions, math practice.
Talk through your thought process; know what's in your personal statement.
Remember this advice isn't official. There is no guarantee it will reflect your experience because university applications can change between years. Check the official Cambridge and Oxford websites for more accurate information on this year's application format and the required tests.
Also, someone else's experience may not reflect your own. Most interviews are more like conversations than tests and like, any conversation, they are quite interactive.
Test taken:
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: One was in the morning, the other in the afternoon
Length of interviews: About 20 minutes
Online interview: No
In my first interview we discussed the bit of pre-reading I was given before the interview, which was about some maths that I hadn’t come across before. I was asked some fairly basic questions about it to see if I understood what I’d read. Then I was asked about some of the programming things I’d said I’d done on my personal statement. I was also asked if I’d read anything related to computer science in the news recently (luckily I had prepared an answer to that in advance). The personal statement discussion was the bulk of the interview though. I was also asked if I had any questions at the end - you absolutely do not have to have one!
In my second interview, I was given some mathsy problems to try, one of which was based on physics. The interviewers would happily give hints when I was stuck to help me get through the problems. They were all very friendly and helped me to relax more.
Practice papers, MAT questions, general problem solving maths questions
When doing a problem in the interview, try and talk through what you’re thinking (even if you think it might be wrong) and don’t be afraid to ask if you get stuck!
You’ll find the interviews are more of a conversation than interrogation. It’s useful to make sure you know what you put in your personal statement and be prepared to talk about it, it’s great if you can talk about something you’re really interested in or passionate about as this is exactly what the interviewers are looking for.