Medicine @ Fitzwilliam, Cambridge in 2015

Interview format

Biomedical Admissions Test; 2x Interviews.

Interview content

Science-based questions, with very little about personal statement and extracurriculars.

Best preparation

Do practice questions and revise your Biology GCSE/AS-level syllabi.

Final thoughts

Don't be scared if you don't know the answer to questions, just give it your best guess!

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: Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 20 minutes
Length of interviews: 30 minutes
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

I was asked very science-based questions; we discussed various organs and organ systems. The questions were quite rapid-fire and they quickly moved on to harder questions once they could see that I knew the answer. This meant they often cut me off midway through an answer, which was a bit scary. I was asked very little about why I applied to Cambridge, my personal statement, or extracurricular activities which I did.

How did you prepare?

For the test, I bought lots of books with practice questions and did the online practice papers. I went on a Kaplan course, but did not find it that useful since the BMAT is more revision and practice than strategy.

For the interview, the most useful preparation was revising the Biology GCSE and AS-level syllabus. I had answers prepared for questions about why Medicine/Cambridge, but I was asked very little on this. I expected some odd thought-provoking Cambridge questions, but in reality, the interview was primarily assessing my understanding of the human body. 

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

They often asked me questions that you wouldn’t be likely to know; make a guess if you can but don’t be afraid of saying that you don’t know. They usually move on quickly and don’t press you more on that subject.