Test taken: Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment (NSAA)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 1.5 hours
Length of interviews: 20-30 minutes
Online interview: No

Interview 1 was purely problem-based. The first half of the interview was about my topic of choice, and it started with some basic knowledge (definitely not beyond A-level) and then built upon that. I had to apply the theory to specific examples. I remember actually getting the first question wrong - that's OK as long as you are able to correct your mistake if your interviewers notice it. (Definitely don't let it discourage you - an interview is a very stressful experience and it's not so uncommon to say something completely wrong at the start.) In the second part of the first interview, I was asked some questions in a different field. In the second interview, I was asked about my personal statement, and specifically about the methods I used when conducting my research project. Then we proceeded to some problems mainly related to biochemistry. As in the first interview, they started with simple questions (again, basic A-level things) and then built upon them. I got stuck a few times, but was helped by a hint from the interviewers. The atmosphere was very nice. I was quite nervous at the beginning but everyone was really welcoming!

I was given a choice of different topics for one of my interview, and the most useful thing I did was to revise the content with respect to my topic of choice and practice explaining it to myself or to my sister. It really helped with my confidence because I knew I had the relevant content well revised. I also had a mock interview with a mentor from Project Access, which was really useful. It also encouraged me to come up with my own interview questions about the topic - for biology, try to come up with pros and cons of different mechanisms (like negative vs positive feedback, using passive or active transport etc. - this will get you thinking about the subject). If you can get someone to listen to your explanations (a friend, a family member), this definitely helps, but is not essential - the most important thing is to be able to just say it out loud. It was quite difficult for me to start speaking in English, as it is not my first language - I would advise talking to someone or yourself in English, just to adjust to it, if you don't use it daily at home or at school. Make sure you know what you put on your personal statement, but you do not need to do tons of research on each sentence you wrote. Make sure you can answer the very basic questions - why your subject, and why at Cambridge. Also, do not research the areas of interest of your interviewers!

I did all past papers available for NSAA (there aren't too many of them, but they are definitely worth taking a look at). For more practice, I did section 2 from BMAT and some past paper questions from my high school exams (IB DP). It makes sense to practice under time conditions and be strict with yourself with regards to the amount of time you have for each question

Firstly, there really is nothing to stress so much about! The interviewers want you to do well, and if you get stuck they will help you or give you a hint, so it's important to communicate with them. Make sure you tell them what you are thinking when you are working out the question - it also makes it easier to spot your own mistakes this way. When revising, focus on the main concepts you covered at school - it's about applying the knowledge you have to unfamiliar ideas rather than learning university-level books just before your interview! If English is not your first language, talk to someone or to yourself beforehand just to ease into it (but definitely do not worry if you forget a word or make a grammar mistake). I didn't expect the interview to be so much fun - in the end, it is a conversation about the subject you really enjoy, so it's really a great experience!