Engineering @ Pembroke, Cambridge in 2016

Interview format

2x interviews

Interview content

Extension of A Level

Best preparation

Mock interview & online resources (i-want-to-study-engineering)

Final thoughts

They're looking for students they can teach

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

My interview was in early December. I was greeted at the porters' lodgeand told where my test would be in the morning and also where i could go between interviews during the day.

The first interview was going through the test, discussing how I got to my answers and also being given tips to try and do questions I struggled on (rather like a supervision).

My second interview was in the afternoon and i was mainly asked maths and physics questions but was also asked a couple on my personal statement.

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

I was asked maths and physics questions that were A level standard or just above but nothing horrendous eg. integration, resistors, discussing how a ball will fall in fluid, working out a distance in a real life scenario

How did you prepare?

My school ran a mock interview with my physics teacher and I did interview style questions from i-want-to-study-engineering.org which proved to be a very useful resource.

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

I think the most important thing to doing the interviews is show your interest in the subject as the interviewers will be the people who are your director of studies /supervisors [Editor's Note: The people that lead supervisions] and they want to teach enthusiastic student that care about their subject.