Materials Science @ Mansfield, Oxford in 2016

Interview format

2x 30 min interviews, over 1 day

Interview content

Interview 1: Extended Project, maths question, physics/chemistry question; Interview 2: personal statement, maths question, physics/chemistry question

Best preparation

Show enthusiasm (e.g. by completing online courses)

Advice in hindsight

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Final thoughts

Don't panic if you don't know the answer immediately.

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: PAT

Number of interviews: 2

Skype interview: No

Interviews spread over 1 day

Length of interviews: about 1 hour each

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

One of my interviews started with being asked about my EPQ, and in the other we discussed an article I had mentioned in my personal statement. We then moved onto a couple of problems, which made up most of the interview.

Both interviews had a maths based question and then a physics/chemistry question. When I was struggling the tutors conducting the interview gave me hints so that I could work through to the next part of the problem.

How did you prepare?

I used past papers, revised A-level content, and tried similar papers such as the Physics Olympiad.

Try and read some articles so that you have specific examples you can discuss in your interviews. Try and show initiative and enthusiasm for your subject wherever possible, for example by completing online learning courses.

What advice do you have for future applicants?

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

Make sure you're relatively comfortable with the A-level content you have covered when you go for interviews and don't be afraid to say if they ask you about something you haven't covered.

The tutors are trying to push you, so don't panic when you don't know the answer straight away. The most important thing to do is to talk through your thought processes so that the tutors can help you when you're on the right lines and see how you think.