Here, let’s consider feedback from two two Cambridge students. The first explains that they had one interview only. They were provided with some questions to look at before the interview, which mainly focused on maths. They feel that the interview was designed to mirror a supervision very closely. During the interview, they went through each question, and discussed those that they struggled with with the tutor. They felt that asking for help was crucial during the interview – it was a back and forth rather than just them providing the answers to questions. They felt that it was crucial to show the interviewer a willingness to discuss and to show that you’re the right kind of student for a Cambridge course and their method of teaching.
A second student explains that they had two interviews, both of which were 30 minutes long. In the first interview, they were interviewed by two chemical engineers, both of whom focused on conceptual questions related to chemical engineering. Discussion included specific parts of the candidate’s personal statement. One question that required the student to write down some working on paper was also asked. Overall, the interview was relaxed. The second interview was run by a chemist and a materials scientist, and here the content included A Level Chemistry questions, as well as more difficult questions focused on mathematical concepts that the candidate was unfamiliar with.