Engineering @ Homerton, Cambridge in 2018

Interview format

Engineering Admissions Assessment (ENGAA); 2x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: personal statement, interests within the subject; Interview 2: maths problem-solving questions

Best preparation

Used practice admissions test papers

Advice in hindsight

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Final thoughts

Practise problem-solving questions

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: ENGAA

Number of interviews: 2

Skype interview: no

Time between interviews: 30 minutes

Length of first interview: 15 minutes; Length of second interview: 20 minutes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

The first interview involved a discussion of my personal statement, including my desired specialism within engineering and my motivations for studying the subjects. Initially I was very nervous, but I calmed down after several warm-up questions based on my personal statement.

In my second interview, we went through problem solving questions and discussed topics like mechanics, electricity and pure maths. The problem solving questions actually seemed quite straightforward and interviewers guided me through them if I was struggling.

How did you prepare?

I prepared by using past papers and practice papers. I used a company called uniadmissions

What advice do you have for future applicants?

Looking back, what advice would you give to your past self?

My advice would be to do as many mock interviews and problem solving practice as you can. I was expecting the interviews to be a lot more challenging and intimidating but the interviewers turned out to be very relaxed and casual. I'd also say college choice doesn't matter too much, because of pooling. You should really pick a college that you feel right in.