Cambridge / Interview
The Cambridge interview
Interview required, and it carries significant weight in the decision. Here is how it works and how to prepare.
Interview required
Required academic subject interviews, ~20-40 min each (typically 2 interviews), conducted by Cambridge faculty in December, held on campus or online for international applicants
How to prepare for Cambridge
- Cambridge interviews are academic, not personal , expect to be given an unseen problem or text and worked through it with your interviewer in real time; demonstrating how you think matters far more than getting the right answer.
- Prepare to discuss your personal statement and any submitted written work in depth, as interviewers frequently use these as launching points for probing questions about your genuine understanding.
- Do not try to perform a polished answer , interviewers deliberately push past prepared responses with follow-up questions; stay intellectually honest, say when you're unsure, and engage with hints they offer.
- Practice thinking aloud through difficult problems in your subject area before December; silent pauses are less helpful than verbalizing your reasoning, even if that reasoning is incomplete or wrong at first.
Practice before the real thing
Rehearse real admissions-interview questions and get an honest read on your answers, what an interviewer hears, where you sound generic, and what to sharpen. We coach you; we never script you.
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