Natural Sciences (Physical) @ Girton, Cambridge in 2018

Interview format

Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment; 2x interviews.

Interview content

Interview 1: maths questions; Interview 2: Physics and Chemistry.

Best preparation

Use resources like Khan Academy to revise topics.

Test preparation

Use past papers and revise unfamiliar topics.

Final thoughts

Listen to what you are being asked and don't be afraid of asking follow up questions!

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: Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment (NSAA)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 1-2 hours
Length of interviews: 20 min
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

I had two interviews. My personal statement was never discussed. My first interview consisted of me working through a maths question sheet. My second interview consisted of one interviewer asking me physics questions and another asking me chemistry questions. Both interviews had a relaxed atmosphere.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I revised everything from my last few high-school years in physics, chemistry and maths using high-school textbooks. I also watched youtube videos (for example Khan Academy) if I felt I didn't have a good understanding at a particular topic. My revision of chemistry was especially useful as I hadn't studied chemistry the previous year but they still asked me chemistry questions in the interview (also I had previously written in my personal statement that my primary interest is in physics). I felt like my preparation was very adequate and never felt totally lost in the interview.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

I prepared by solving previous papers mostly (very important to time yourself, because time constraint is biggest issue in these exams). If I met an unfamiliar concept would read standard textbooks.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

It is very important to think carefully during the interviews and also to discuss your ideas with the interviewers so they know what you are thinking. It is also crucial to listen very carefully to the interviewers and understand what they are asking of you - you shouldn't be afraid to ask them to clarify a question if you didn't understand it the first time!