2 x 30 min interviews and PAT
Manufacturing methods, mechanics (maths calculations), atomic structure and spacing, ions in crystals, along with general algebra
Mock interview
Solid foundation of A-Level knowledge
Show your enthusiasm for your subject.
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: Physics Aptitude Test (
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 6-7 hours.
Length of interviews: About 30 mins
Online interview: No
A mixture of things: manufacturing methods, mechanics (maths calculations), atomic structure and spacing, ions in crystals, along with general algebra.
A family friend is an Oxford graduate in medicine - she helped me practice answering in an interview style using some of her own questions and some that my school provided me with.
Ensuring I had a solid foundation of A-Level knowledge and doing practice papers, which I would then go through with my maths and physics teachers.
Show your enthusiasm for your subject. Though it’s nerve wracking, remember to smile and talk - the interviewer is just another human being after all. It’s ok to make mistakes and ask your own questions, too, so long as you take on board their answers and show them how it has influenced your thinking.