Chemistry @ Merton, Oxford in 2019

Interview format

2 x 20 min interviews

Interview content

One interview on organic and inorganic chemistry and one on maths and physical chemistry, nothing but too hard, and no questions outside the subject

Best preparation

Mock interviews with teachers and reading Chemistry World magazine

Test preparation

Practice papers for the TSA

Final thoughts

Don’t stress and panic about them and don’t feel the need to get the ‘right’ answer, go in with an open mind, show the interviewers what you’ve got and enjoy it as much as possible

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

Test taken: Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 1 day
Length of interviews: 20 minutes
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

One interview on organic and inorganic chemistry and one on maths and physical chemistry, nothing but too hard, and no questions outside the subject

How did you prepare for your interviews?

Mock interviews with teachers and read around the subject (chemistry world magazine)

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Practice papers for the TSA

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Don’t stress and panic about them and don’t feel the need to get the ‘right’ answer, go in with an open mind, show the interviewers what you’ve got and enjoy it as much as possible