Medicine @ Clare, Cambridge in 2019

Interview format

Biomedical Admissions Test; 2x Interviews.

Interview content

Academic and problem-solving questions.

Best preparation

Make sure you're comfortable talking about anything on your personal statement and A-level specifications.

Test preparation

Do practice questions, particularly essay questions.

Final thoughts

Relax and be prepared to answer questions relating to A-level content.

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: about 3 hours
Length of interviews: 20 minutes each
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

Almost all questions were academic (eg circulatory system, statistics), while some were problem-solving questions with multiple layers. The questions were reasonably tricky so don't be afraid to talk over your thought process with the interviewers and ask questions. Some questions were on my personal statement.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I made sure I was confident in talking about anything on the A-level specifications and everything in my personal statement (eg work experience, volunteering).

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Lots of practice questions, especially practicing Section 3 essays under timed conditions.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Just be prepared to talk about what you have learnt, the interviewers don't expect you to know anything more advanced than A-level content. Relax and don't be afraid if it didn't go as well as expected - most people think that after the interview is over.