Natural Sciences (Physical) @ Jesus, Cambridge in 2021

Interview format

Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment (NSAA), 2x interviews

Interview content

Questions about physics, maths and chemistry

Best preparation

Practice talking, including explaining physics concepts and questions. Being genuine in the interview.

Test preparation

Practice papers and other similar questions

Final thoughts

Work hard throughout the year

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 min
Length of interviews: 15 mins
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

They didn't ask about my personal statement, or anything else personal about me. They only asked me questions about my subjects. Although I made it clear in my personal statement and application that I only applied for physics and maths, they asked me some chemistry questions as well, although they asked about the chemistry that most applies in physics.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I practiced talking about myself and the university. I practiced explaining physics concepts in person and solving questions.

The best thing I did was remind myself that I had to be myself and not lie or give the answers I expected them to want to hear. Most of my preparation didn't do all that much as they only asked me to solve problems, but being myself I think definitely helped.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Practice papers, practice papers from a different type of test that were still useful

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Don't stop working after you get your application accepted. Work still has to be done to get into the university afterwards. Sounds obvious but I relaxed after my offer.