Natural Sciences (Physical) @ Emmanuel, Cambridge in 2015

Interview format

2x interviews; 1x test

Interview content

Maths based: graphs, binary numbers & geometric sequences; physics: circuits, mechanics

Best preparation

Online website: issac physics

Final thoughts

Don't overanalyse afterwards

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

2 interviews in the morning, each with two interviewers and an aptitude test in the afternoon. I got to stay in college the night before and had all my meals provided, there were current students helping out with taking us to the rooms and so on, they were really friendly. I also got to chat to the other applicants, some of whom are now my really good friends. I had a couple of hours free before the test so I went for an explore round Cambridge and did some shopping.

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

One maths based: graph sketching, a question about binary numbers, geometric sequences. One physics based: circuit diagrams, fermi estimation, simple mechanics.

How did you prepare?

Issac physics for physics problems - it's literally designed by the Cambridge physics department so is their style of questions.

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

You never know how you did in an interview - so don't make false assumptions.