Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment (NSAA); 2x interviews
Interview 1: personal statement, subject-related and math questions; Interview 2: subject-related discussion
Practice papers, online resources
-
Be familiar with your school syllabus
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.
Test taken: Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment (NSAA)
Number of interviews: 2
Skype interview: no
Time between interviews: 2 hours and 5 minutes
Length of first interview: 40 minutes; Length of second interview: 40 minutes
In my first interview, I had an intro question about a project I'd mentioned on my personal statement (but it appeared that
I misunderstood one of the easier questions at the start which left me
We then talked about diseases and I was asked to derive some maths. I didn't feel very comfortable during this interview, I just got stuck a lot and didn't let myself enjoy it.
In between my interviews I walked through the college gardens with a friend I'd met at interview. This really helped me put things into perspective, and I decided to try to focus on enjoying my second interview. After all, interviews are a unique opportunity, and I'd say part of the purpose of the interviews is seeing whether you'd enjoy this kind of teaching. The uni tries to assess this, but so should you, to help you decide whether you'd actually like to study here.
My second interview was a lot more relaxed: my interviewers started the discussion off casually, asking about my hobbies and home city. They then asked me what I'd like to talk about: I chose enzymes and we talked a bit about lysosomes and we then moved on to other related topics. I felt like this interview was a lot more enjoyable and I got to show some creativity as well.
In general your attitude really determines how you will experience interviews. Try to realise that you have nothing to lose and having fun will not only be best for your enjoyment but also for your interviewers' impression of you. Speak your thoughts however stupid you think they are: interviewers are looking for flexible minds and not people who get everything right.
Good luck!!
For the test - practice papers, looking over the syllabus and using Khan Academy and BBC Bitesize to fill in any gaps.
I prepared for my interview by reading over my notes of the books I'd mentioned in my personal statement. I didn't end up using any of it, but it did make me feel more prepared.
I'd say there is