Engineering @ Emmanuel, Cambridge in 2019

Interview format

Engineering Admissions Assessment (ENGAA); 2x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: conversation about a chosen topic; Interview 2: technical questions

Best preparation

Read articles relating to interests

Test preparation

Past papers

Final thoughts

Re-read your personal statement beforehand

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.

Interview Format

Test taken: Engineering Admissions Assessment (ENGAA)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 3 hours
Length of interviews: 1 hour
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

My first interview was a general conversation about a chosen topic for half and then a few maths/physics questions. The second interview entirely technical questions.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I did a mock interview with a family member where they were very harsh which helped dull my nerves a little as it gave me a feeling of what the worst possible experience was. I read a couple of interesting papers about my chosen topic (not the whole thing just the intro, abstract and conclusion).

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Past papers.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Just try to enjoy the experience - it isn’t meant to be a big scary thing. Don’t get put off by the lack of information in questions, they don’t expect you to be able to answer everything immediately, just try your best and don’t stress too much about it all. Ensure that you reread your personal statement before attending, watch out for potentially controversial statements and research facts to back them. Equally, reread any articles that you have mentioned, as the interviewer may have read them also and be interested in your opinions