2x interviews.
Both interviews subject based, on A-Level content and pushing up to the next level. Felt conversational and comfortable.
Re-read personal statement and did further reading on things found particularly interesting. Felt it made them come across as enthusiastic and passionate.
Relax and don't panic if you are struggling.
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.
Test taken: None
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 2 days
Length of interviews: About 20mins
Online interview: No
In my first interview I was asked about a few aspects of my personal statement (but only bits relating to biochemistry) then I was asked about subject specific knowledge on molecule transportation and protein design for purpose. I was then asked some questions on content that I hadn’t covered in my A level course yet so they guided me through explaining it as we went and asking me to explain my thought processes as I was given the new information and was asked to interpret some graphs to explain more as I went along. My second interview started with some more general questions about why I applied and then they asked me to use a whiteboard to draw my responses to the questions they were going to ask me. In this interview it was much more A level based and just about pushing it slightly beyond so there were sections on fatty acids, condensation reactions in DNA and lipids that all started with things I was familiar with and then gradually progressed beyond the syllabus. It was very conversational and they responded to things I found interesting and gave me new information to help me navigate the problems as I went. I went wrong many times but because I was explaining it out loud as I went they were able to understand my thought processes and see where I went wrong so they could explain further. Both interviews were very fast paced so if I understood something quickly they moved straight on and similarly if they saw where I went wrong they’d acknowledge it but instead of going back over it we moved onto the next question.
I looked over my personal statement and looked at interesting areas around the stuff I’d mentioned to expand on it and to get myself excited for the course. I looked over a few of the more challenging notes from my A levels but not a lot I mainly read and brainstormed interesting things about biochemistry and I made sure I was up to date on the news and interesting things currently happening in the field. I read articles on the New Scientist and choose to looks deeper into the ones I liked and then I used the BBC news app and the newspapers my parents got to look at some current stuff. Then I googled scientific papers on stuff that linked or was mentioned and gave them a read. I made simple brainstorms of the key bits and what area of my personal statement they linked to and took that up with some of the printed articles in a little folder so I could look over them if I wanted to. I also tried to talk about science stuff with my family so I could get used to articulating it. I think my preparation enabled me to come across excited and enthusiastic about the course and allowed me to show my genuine interest in the subject.
Definitely relax so you don’t over stress because you’ll never know what they’re going to throw at you in order to fully prepare, so just do the preparation you need to put your mind at ease. Also try and remain enthusiastic about the subject and don’t panic if you’re struggling in the interview it’s really challenging and don’t be unsettled by the interviewers getting you to jump between questions very quickly it’s just so you can get through as much as you can.