Computer Science @ Robinson, Cambridge in 2022

Interview format

Test of Mathematics for University Admission; 1x interview

Interview content

Questions about personal statement, maths, and computer science

Best preparation

Mock interview, material from College, maths questions

Test preparation

Practice papers from their official websites, school notes

Final thoughts

Prepare early, and practice talking out loud

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: Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA)
Number of interviews: 1
Length of interviews: 45mins
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

I only had one interview. The interviewers asked me some questions about my personal statement, followed by a maths question and a computer science question. The maths question was not easy and it took me a while to figure it out. The most important thing is to keep talking because the interviewers want to know what you're thinking. If you get stuck that's totally fine, they will give you hints. Basically, the whole point of interviews is to know whether this student is able to explain their thinking and respond to the interviews' hints.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I signed up for mock interviews online to practice doing questions while explaining them in detail to the interviewer. I also read the material that my interviewers at Robinson sent me - a website that introduces pseudocode, which was used in my interview. Meanwhile, I did some maths questions to prepare for my interview.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Practice papers from their official websites, school notes

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Prepare early. If you know anyone from school who went to Oxford or Cambridge, you can ask them what they included in their personal statements and their interview process, and if not, check out the InsideUni website! Practice talking out loud when doing questions to articulate your ideas and thought processes.