Natural Sciences (Physical) @ Newnham, Cambridge in 2019

Interview format

NSAA; 2x interviews.

Interview content

Personal statement; problem solving.

Best preparation

Mock interviews.

Test preparation

Past papers.

Final thoughts

Don't be afraid of making mistakes.

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: About 4-5 hours
Length of interviews: 20-30mins
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

There were two questions about my personal statement and two content questions for each

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I did mock interviews with my teachers and practiced working out questions out loud. 

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

I did a test paper and revised my A-level content.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Try to enjoy the interview and relax into it the you will think clearer - and it is ok to openly say what you did was wrong and ask for help to correct yourself to get back on track.