Natural Sciences (Physical) @ Downing, Cambridge in 2018

Interview format

Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment; 2x interviews.

Interview content

Interviews 1: mathematical questions, A Level content; Interview 2: new material, chemistry.

Best preparation

Practise speaking through your thought process.

Test preparation

Use both NSAA and PAT papers.

Final thoughts

Don't worry about getting things wrong!

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: 20 minutes
Length of interviews: 20 minutes
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

The physics interview was mostly working through mathematical questions and applying equations to slightly more complex scenarios than you usually would, but no real new content. In the chemistry one I was asked to talk through a bond mechanism I hadn't covered yet, but they were very supportive!

How did you prepare for your interviews?

Mostly looking at example questions and making sure I understood everything from class so far (well enough to explain to someone why as well as what). I also worked through past paper questions, speaking through my thought process.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

NSAA and PAT practice papers!

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Don't stress! If you can explain yourself, it doesn't matter if you go wrong (don't let the stress of being wrong make you get more stressed!)