Natural Sciences (Biological) @ Christ's, Cambridge in 2020

Interview format

Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment (NSAA); 1x interview

Interview content

Questions on UCAS essay; two biological experiment questions.

Best preparation

Watched videos about the Cambridge interview; thought about responses to possible questions regarding the UCAS essay.

Test preparation

Reviewed the high school syllabus; did past papers.

Final thoughts

Take time to think before responding, and explain your reasoning as clearly as possible.

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: 1
Time between interviews: 0
Length of interviews: 30 min
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

We first talked about my UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) essay, where the interviewer asked me to elaborate on one of the activities I mentioned in the essay. Then we spent some time going over two biological experiment questions, with the interviewer guiding my response by helping me break down the big problem into small questions. It was more about testing my application of the knowledge learned in school instead of testing me on the facts.

Before I walked in I was very nervous about the interview, but it actually turned out to be quite relaxed. It felt more like a conversation.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I watched some online videos about Cambridge interviews to have a general sense of the style of interview, and for preparation I re-read my UCAS essay to refresh my memory on what I wrote. I thought about my response if one of my activities in the essay was asked about. I didn’t prepare much in terms of subject content.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Briefly reviewing high school content, did some past papers.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Think well before responding; some of these questions need some thought. Also try to explain your reasoning as clearly as possible, the interview looks more at your reasoning and thought process instead of whether your answer is accurate or not.