How Can I Prepare for the Oxford Engineering Science Interview?
There are often a lot of rumours about what takes place at Oxford Engineering Science interview, but we are here to explain the process and how you can prepare.
Tutors are looking for candidates to demonstrate six key competencies:
- Ability to express the core knowledge of Physics
- Ability to express the core knowledge of Mathematics
- To be able to apply what you already know to new situations
- Understanding new concepts
- Application of new concepts
- Rapidity in reasoning
Candidates also need to discuss their commitment to such an intense form of study, and their passion for the engineering sciences.
The process of the Oxford engineering science interview:
For the Oxford engineering science interview, candidates have two interviews. The first interview will be at their preferred college, or the one that has been allocated to them. This one tends to last between 30 and 45 minutes. Later, they will have a further interview at a second college in the afternoon, which will last around thirty minutes.
In general, the two interviews are slightly different. The first covers your interest in engineering and your ability to develop your ideas in physics and mathematics. Both the maths and physics questions will centre around what you have covered in school.
It will involve a maths question, and a question asking you to explain the physics going on in a particular situation you have been given. You will need to develop the maths around this to show you are capable of explaining physical concepts using your mathematical knowledge.
The second interview tends to be shorter. It mainly consists of just the mathematics and physics questions, rather than going into detail again on your interests and passion for engineering sciences.
For more information take a look at the Oxford Engineering Science faculty’s page on the interview process.
“Trust in yourself that you know your material very well – after all you have already been invited for an interview! – and make sure when you answer the questions you are relaxed and approach the problems from the basics.”
Christina’s Engineering Interview Experience
How can I prepare?
The best way to prepare for the Oxford Engineering science interview is, firstly, to make sure you are very familiar with the material. That means being familiar with the maths and physics syllabuses. This will enable you to use concepts which you are expected to know to explain the physical situation you have been asked to describe.
With this in mind, it’s also worth refreshing on what criteria you covered in your personal statement. If you still need guidance on how to put together a personal statement that will stand out, we recommend reading our 5 tips on a personal statement for engineering.
Practice don’t cram
However, the faculty stresses that for the Oxford engineering science interview they do not expect candidates to spend lots of time cramming concepts before the interview. If you are uncertain, it is best to express your thought process out loud. That way the interviewer can point you in the right direction if you are struggling. This is very common. So don’t take this as a sign that the interview isn’t going well!
With this in mind, a great way to prepare for Oxford engineering science interview is to practice working through a problem and explaining your thought process as you go. This will help you at the interview while you are working out a problem, and enable you to develop your thinking.
If you want further guidance and support in your Oxford engineering sciences application, we advise you look into one of UniAdmission’s Oxbridge Engineering programmes.
Prepare for your interview with UniAdmissions
Another great way to prepare for the Oxford engineering science interview is our engineering interview package. Our package provides one-to-one tuition on how to perform your best at interviews delivered by engineering experts themselves leading the way.
You’ll get 30 hours support including one-to-one tuition and a complete resource package that has mock interview questions and scenarios to help you practice. As a result of our Oxbridge interview packages, students who signed up to the tuition in 2017 had a 63% success rate!
Don’t be afraid to find out more about our programmes and get in touch.
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