Natural Sciences (Biological) @ Emmanuel, Cambridge in 2020

Interview format

Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment; 2x interviews.

Interview content

Science problem solving questions, prepared topic, biological scenarios.

Best preparation

Read and annotate personal statement, look at research interests of interviewers

Test preparation

Practice papers, maths revision.

Final thoughts

Always think out loud, use hints that interviewers give you.

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: Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment (NSAA)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 40 minutes
Length of interviews: 20 minutes
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

I had two interviewers in each interview - so four in total. Each asked me about a different biological scenario. I wasn’t asked any personal statement questions, it was all science-y problem solving questions.

All the interviewers made me feel as comfortable as possible and helped me when I got stuck. I’d also had to choose a topic to talk about beforehand so was able to revise that before being asked about it.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I researched what my interviewers specialised in and revised these areas specifically. I also read and annotated my personal statement to make sure I could talk about everything I’d mentioned.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Practice Papers and basic maths revision

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Just make sure you know the science and THINK OUT LOUD so the interviewers know what you’re thinking and can give you hints. And make sure you know your subject well.