Natural Sciences (Biological) @ Corpus Christi, Cambridge in 2017

Interview format

2x interviews (c. 40 mins each)

Interview content

Two academic based interviews. First interview: knowledge-based and hypothetical questions; second interview: discussion of sample.

Best preparation

Practice interviews aren't necessary; just know your stuff and practice explaining your thoughts.

Final thoughts

No

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

I arrived and signed in and went to the JCR. A few other applicants were there, I had a chat with them. I went to the first interview which was about 40 mins. I then went back to the JCR before the next interview. Both interviews were academic and with two interviewers.

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

I had a biochemistry interview and a whole organism/ecosystem interview. Both were fairly relaxed. I was asked some specific questions about a topic and then went through some hypothical questions. In the second interview I had to describe a sample and suggest uses for it. This was based on A-level knowledge but needed application beyond the scope of the normal courses.

How did you prepare?

I had a practice interview however this wasn't really relevant. I think being good at expressing yourself and thinking out load is useful but practice interviews aren't as much. there isn't much preparation you can do apart from know your stuff and be prepared to explain.

Looking back, what advice would you give to your past self?

No.