Natural Sciences (Biological) @ Sidney Sussex, Cambridge in 2015

Interview format

2x interviews (30 mins)

Interview content

Biology: focus on object; Chemistry: maths & graphs

Best preparation

School biology club; mock interview

Final thoughts

Everyone was friendly

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

On the day I was shown where the interview rooms were, before waiting briefly in a waiting room. Two 30min interviews. One biology, one chemistry. Biology - one interviewer. Chemistry - one interviewer and an observer.

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

Biology - one interviewer, asked to think about the use of and explain a physical object. I did not manage to work out what it was, but did suggest a number of possibilities, with explanations.

Chemistry - questioned about molecules and maths/plotting. Even rearranging a simple equation took me a few moments of though, and I had to ask for a moment. Asked about a biological topic of my interest afterward we'd finished with chemistry. In general I found that although the interviews were awkward and intense to begin with they had improved by the end.

How did you prepare?

Being comfortable plotting mathematical equations. School biology club allowed discussing of experimental understanding/thought process. Mock interviewsmay have helped my confidence slightly going in, but they didn't help with regards to the material.

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

Although the interviewers were slightly distant, everyone was very friendly!