Engineering @ Pembroke, Cambridge in 2021

Interview format

Engineering Admissions Assessment (ENGAA), 1x interview

Interview content

Motivation for studying subject, then a range of questions using A-level knowledge, including graph sketching

Best preparation

Using Isaac Physics and https://i-want-to-study-engineering.org/ and practicing talking about subject and motivation for studying it

Test preparation

Past papers and other similar physics and maths questions

Final thoughts

Don't be afraid to ask for help, and use the interviewers' hints to help you

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: 1
Length of interviews: Two interviewers, each around 20 minutes on different topics
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

I was asked why I wanted to study Engineering, technical questions on electricity, application questions with real life use cases, then theory questions on said applications, using A-level knowledge, and a graph sketching question (explicit form, not implicit form so it wasn’t too bad).

How did you prepare for your interviews?

Isaac Physics, https://i-want-to-study-engineering.org/ (legit website, I’m not making it up), practice interviews with teachers/friends, having basic questions prepared (why engineering, why Cambridge).

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Past papers, Olympiad papers, various public exam papers (multiple choice section only) for physics and maths

What advice would you give to future applicants?

The whole application is a luck-based process. What you can do to prepare is to play the right hand (do the right prep) to increase the odds in your favour. Also, interviewers look for teachability; admit it if you don’t know things. I got a fact-based question way off, and one question I had no idea, and asked for a hint. I used the hint and got the answer.

Think out loud, and break the problem into easier problems/steps, they are there to help you if you’re stuck.