Sixth Term Examination Paper, 2x interviews
Questions solely based on problem-solving (getting progressively harder)
A few practice questions, but not much preparation
Completed past papers in exam conditions
The interviewers are incredibly nice and understanding, so nerves or an off day won’t ruin your chances at an offer
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: 1 hour
Length of interviews: 25 minutes
Online interview: Yes
The interviews consisted of just problem-solving questions the whole interview. The questions started with something very manageable, that would be expected of most maths students, then progressively got harder, to the point at which some prompting was needed.
I did very little preparation for the interview because I was applying for maths.
A few practice questions can help, but for me, it felt like I couldn’t do all too much useful preparation.
I tried all the STEP 2 and 3 papers from 2011 onwards in exam conditions
For maths, the application process initially is incredibly kind. Your personal statement should be good, but it won’t be a determining factor in the application. If you are fit for Cambridge, the interview will be fine, and the interviewers are incredibly nice and understanding, so nerves or an off day won’t ruin your chances at an offer.
However, the STEP needs a lot of practice. It’s worth working through questions throughout the year leading up to the paper to get the style and logic you need to do the questions.