Maths @ Sidney Sussex, Cambridge in 2013

Interview format

1x test; 1x interview

Interview content

Broad range of maths questions

Best preparation

Revise STEP/A-level or equivalent

Final thoughts

Don't be afraid to tell interviewers if you've not covered something at school

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

A test of 10 maths questions, then I carried my paper straight through to an adjacent room with two fellows in it who went over the paper with me. I think I only got two questions out in the actual test but somehow I worked out another six in my head on my way to/ in the interview.

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

Quite a broad range of maths/ mechanics/ statistics questions. I hadn't realised anyone did probability etc in school so I thought I could do those questions. The two fellows were good at helping me work things out and talking me through what I didn't get.

How did you prepare?

My school were of no real help - they said to be interesting and mention extra-curricular stuff. In maths the interviewers only really care about maths so I'd say look over some STEP materials or Advanced Higher/A-Level stuff

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

Focus on the maths you know but if you reckon there's a bit you could work out for yourself in spite of not knowing it, don't be afraid to be bold. However, don't be afraid to mention having not covered some areas in school.

For people doing Scottish qualifications: Advanced Higher Applied Maths/mechanics is pretty easy if you're already doing maths and physics and it looks good. I had to teach it to myself because my school didn't do it but SQA past papers were great.