Natural Sciences (Physical) @ Jesus, Cambridge in 2017

Interview format

Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment; 2x interviews.

Interview content

Interview 1: maths and physics; Interview 2: physics.

Best preparation

Recap your personal statement.

Test preparation

A Level revision.

Final thoughts

The interviewers are not your enemy!

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: 10 minutes
Length of interviews: 20-30 minutes
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

I was asked two questions in each interview, and one about my personal statement. In the first they asked a maths question, then a physics, and in the second they asked two physics questions. When I found parts difficult, they nudged me in the right direction.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I looked at A level papers, and read over my personal statement. 

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

I used A Level revision to prepare. 

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Treat the interview as a meeting with a friendly teacher. They’ll ask tough questions but are there to help you, and will appreciate you being friendly as well.