Maths @ Robinson, Cambridge in 2017

Interview format

Two 20/30 minute interviews. 1 hour maths test.

Interview content

Hard A-Level maths questions and a question about induction.The test was easier than the interviews.

Best preparation

Interview preperation classes in school.

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

I had two interviews - both around 20/30 minutes. One was with the maths DoS and the next with an academic supervisor in the day. Finally I had a 60 minute test which was more straightforward than the interviews.

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

Firstly, in the interview with the DoS, I was asked about running (since I run competetively) and how I would schedule in my training. He then asked me some hard further maths A-Level questions and then some more complicated questions. I found the last couple of questions challenging and made some mistakes.

The second interview was with a random supervisor who asked me why I took STEP I a year early and other questions. He then asked me a question about induction. He helped me out by guiding me through it but without explicitly telling me how to do it. Halfway through, I had to correct a big mistake I made earlier in the question. I felt the first interview didn't go that well but the second was better. Finally I had a 60 minute test with A-level standard questions which I found easy and quick to do. The test was a lot easier than the interview questions.

How did you prepare?

My school ran 4 Oxbridge classes a week in sixth form which helped a lot.

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

I feel like it’s unfair that my school offered so much Oxbridge help. I would say to those applying for maths that it’s important to learn lots of STEP from early on.