Natural Sciences (Biological) @ Sidney Sussex, Cambridge in 2015

Interview format

2x interviews; 1x test

Interview content

First interview: specific questions and personal statement; Second interview: specific questions

Best preparation

Reading over subjects mentioned in personal statement and A-Level notes

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 had a January interview/test day. The first thing was a computer test of various verbal and non-verbal reasoning multiple choice Qs - I think the people I was with were applying to various colleges. This took place at the New Museums site in town. Then at the college I had 2 subject-specific interviews, each with 2 interviewers. Between them we waited in the JCR with some current students to talk to us and escort us to the interview. It was all over in half a day or so.

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

First interview included a problem question about DNA. Then they gave me a (not ridiculously bad) chemical mechanism to attempt. Then some questions about something I’d expressed interest in in my personal statement. In the second interview there were also some questions on DNA and genetics. They also asked me about a certain sort of bacteria.

How did you prepare?

I didn’t do much preparation. I read over the principles of chemical mechanisms because I’d mentioned them in my personal statement, and I read over my A Level notes (as I was on my gap year).

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

No!