My interview was in December. I arrived late in the evening so was greeted by porters in the porter's lodge. The next day I went to take the TSA (Thinking Skills Assessment). I had done a few on the train to Cambridge but not many. This test was rather short and I really couldn't tell if I had done well on it. In the afternoon I waited in a room with all of the other candidates. I was taken to two different interviews, each of them fairly short.

My first interview was more about math and physics problems. The focus was on a vehicle, and understanding the how the velocity and acceleration changed with time. Whenever I would get something right, they would ask a different slightly harder question, until I would get stuck. They would then provide me with information to solve the problem.

The second interview was also physics and maths but also about my application in general. This includes the personal statement. All engineering applicants also had to choose from a list of engineering areas before coming and those were discussed then. I had chosen electric cars. I wasn't very prepared for this. Then finally I was asked to explain a few fundamental mechanics laws, solve a simple mechanics problem, asked to derive an equation, and find the limit as one of the variables became large. There weren't any strange or abstract questions. I was stressed and made a few mistakes, I felt as though I had messed up when I came out of the interviews.

My physics teacher gave me a "mock interview" where we did a few physics problems.

I talked to one of the interviewers after I got in. He told me that the most important thing isn't that the interviewees get the answer right. The most important is that they know how to use new information that they are given to move forward in answering the problem. The questions may look unfamiliar and sometimes impossible, but that's fine. It is meant to be challenging. Most people who get in say they thought their interview went badly. So don't overthink it and don't let it influence your attitude moving into your next interview.