Natural Sciences (Physical) @ Peterhouse, Cambridge in 2017

Interview format

Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment; 2x interviews.

Interview content

Interview 1: A Level topics, mathematics based; Interview 2: organic chemistry, extending on A level content.

Best preparation

Look back over your answers to the SAQ.

Test preparation

Revise A Level content and use practice papers. 

Final thoughts

Don't worry about sounding stupid, view it as an opportunity to learn something new!

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: 1 hour 
Length of interviews: 30 minutes
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

First interview: one of the interviewers asked me which topics I had particularly enjoyed so far in my A Levels. The discussion was then based mostly around these topics. The interview was very mathematical.

Second interview: the questions were based almost entirely on organic chemistry. Both of the interviews were purely academical and the questions built on content covered in A Levels. The focus was on applying the ideas I have learnt during A Levels to more difficult and unfamiliar situations.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I made sure I was comfortable with all of the topics I had said I would have covered before the interview in the SAQ. I also had some practice interviews with the teachers in my school.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Revise A Level content and do timed practice papers. 

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Pretend that you are in a supervision (you will probably have your interviewers as supervisors at some point). Think about the interviews as a chance to learn something new about a subject that you are interested in and try to enjoy yourself (easier said than done, I know!). Ask questions if you don’t understand something and don’t be afraid of sounding stupid or making mistakes.