Natural Sciences (Physical) @ Fitzwilliam, Cambridge in 2021

Interview format

Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment (NSAA), 2x interviews

Interview content

Discussion of book mentioned on personal statement, and general physics and maths questions

Best preparation

Practicing difficult questions/concepts and explaining them to people

Final thoughts

Practice problem-solving and remember the interviewers aren't there to trick you

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: 20 minutes
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

I was asked about a book mentioned on my personal statement, and general physics and maths questions. 

How did you prepare for your interviews?

Lots of practice questions on Isaac physics, past Kangaroo maths challenge papers, explaining a tricky concept to different people. 

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Do as many questions as you can — the more problem-solving the better! The interviewers are not there to trick you and they just want to see how you think.