Medicine @ Gonville & Caius, Cambridge in 2018

Interview format

BMAT; 3 x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: diagrams; population chart and current event; Interview 2: discussed personal statement and the circulatory system; Interview 3: Discussed personal statement and physics questions

Best preparation

Notes from school & youtube videos

Advice in hindsight

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Final thoughts

Revise what you know.

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

Number of interviews: 3

Skype interview: No

Time between interviews: 2 hours

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

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

Interview 1: I was shown some diagrams e.g. a brain scan and population chart. We also discussed some current events. As this was my first interview I went in very nervous, but it felt more like a chat than an interview, so I was able to relax.

Interview 2: Again, I started very nervous and calmed down as the interview progressed. Also, I realised I had enough knowledge to discuss the questions (A level standard). I answered some questions on my personal statement and then on the circulatory system.

Interview 3: This was my hardest interview. It still had the same relaxed atmosphere - like the interviewers were just there for a casual chat. We started off with my personal statement, which was fine. Then we went onto physics questions, which I struggled with a lot. We realised towards the end that my interviewer thought I had done A level physics, hence those questions. However, I still got through the interview and ended up with a sound knowledge of PET scans!,

How did you prepare?

The best preparation I did was using my textbooks and notes to revise the things I had already covered at school. I also watched endless YouTube videos on Cambridge applications, and I was also part of a mentor scheme, so we did a practice interview which was extremely helpful.

What advice do you have for future applicants?

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

I think that revising what you already know, so you can speak about it with confidence, and doing a practice interview are the most important things. Other than that, remember that the interview is more about discussing the questions with you than watching you struggle.