2 x 45 min interviews
Article and book discussion, organic chemistry and biology questions
Made sure I could discuss my personal statement points confidently, mock interviews with biology teacher
Getting something wrong or not knowing an answer isn't a problem!
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: 1 day
Length of interviews: Approx. 45 minutes each
Online interview: No
My first interview was very relaxed and quite discussion based. We started with talking about an article that I was given to read before the interview - I didn't get to finish it but that wasn't a problem. Then we moved onto talking about a book I wrote about in my personal statement and we discussed some of the finer details of a concept I spoke quite broadly about. I was also given a few questions but these were also very discussion based and we worked through them together. We then finished up by just discussing what subjects I was doing at A-Level and the areas I enjoyed most. My second interview was more questions based and I was initially given a few organic chemistry questions and had to work through my answers on a whiteboard. Then I had some biology questions which were very similar to A-Level exam questions which then sparked a short discussion on one of the processes I found particularly interesting. Initially I found this interview a bit more intimidating as I got the first question wrong, but after a while I found my feet and relaxed.
Firstly I made notes on all of the major points I discussed in my personal statement and made sure I could discuss these confidently either to family and friends or myself to make sure I had a good foundation going into the interview. I also looked over some of the topics I had covered in biology and chemistry that were very closely linked to biochem to make sure I was confident in my current knowledge. I also had a couple of mock interviews with my biology teacher in which we chatted a bit about my personal statement and talked through some broad questions on biochemistry. I found this particularly useful as it gave me confidence in my ability to discuss scientific concepts and also helped me realise that not knowing the answer isn't always a bad thing and can lead to some interesting discussions.
Looking back, I would have tried to avoid listening to the rumours about interviews as I made my self very anxious when in reality it was actually an engaging experience and I came out knowing some new things! Remember that getting something wrong or not knowing an answer isn't a problem - you are not being tested on your knowledge, but on the way you think and how you deal with not always being right.