Purpose of interviews

Why do we interview?

Interviews give us the opportunity to find out more about you, assess your suitability for the course and go beyond your paper application. Interviews also allow us to confirm that you are ready to study your subject at a very high level.

The style of academic discussions between an academic and the candidate in an interview is similar to the discussion that would take place during a supervision as an undergraduate. Part of the purpose of your interview is for the interviewers to understand how teachable you are and whether you will thrive and develop in the specific learning environment of Cambridge.

What do we look for?

We are looking for the best and the brightest students, regardless of background, who showcase strong academic ability and potential. During the interview process, we want to see that you have a genuine interest to study this subject at a high level.

We want to know how you learn and how you think, specifically how you apply your existing knowledge to new ideas or concepts. Critical thinking is paramount during your interview as the ability to use previously acquired knowledge to approach unfamiliar situations is a crucial skill for undergraduates at Cambridge.

What to expect

Interviews are always discussion based and academically focused. Rather than asking you a series of questions about your personality, like you may encounter at a job interview, the interviewers will draw you into a conversation about a topic and develop the discussion through related questions. In addition to understanding what you already know, the interviewers want to teach you new content and discuss how this relates to your existing knowledge.

Amongst other areas, the discussions may be based on:

Your personal statement
Super-curricular activities you have done
Written work you have submitted
Visual materials you have encountered either directly before your interview, or during your interview. Amongst other media, these could take the form of a poem, graph, image or article
Real world examples or case studies
Mathematical or scientific problems to work through

What doesn’t matter in an interview

There is no dress code for interviews, and you should wear what you are comfortable in. Your interviewers are only assessing you based on your academic ability. However, we would encourage you not to wear anything that could make you stand out in a negative way.

You are going to be exploring new ideas and concepts, so it is natural to make mistakes. Provided that you explain your thought process throughout, so that your interviewers can understand your logic when making a mistake, it does not matter. If you do make a mistake your interviewers will steer you back in the correct direction. This is common in an interview, and you should not feel like you have given a bad interview because you made a mistake or were prompted.

It is very normal to experience nerves before your interview, and our interviewers are used to this. Feel free to ask your interviewers to repeat or rephrase a question if you didn’t understand it first time. Your interviewers will do their best to put you at ease and ensure that you can perform to the best of your ability.