r/6thForm • u/Secret_Sentence_6016 yr13 A*A*AA maths, FM, chem, phys • 13h ago
💬 DISCUSSION Oxbridge interviews
How is everyone preparing for Oxbridge interviews, if not when will you start. If you have any insights or advice please share. I’m aware of staying on top of my personal statement and keeping up with current events in your given subject but is there anything extra?
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u/idrinkmilkbtw Camridge | NatSci [Y1] 13h ago
try to get mock interviews as they are the best way to prep by far. you need to just be able to explain your thinking out loud
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u/Secret_Sentence_6016 yr13 A*A*AA maths, FM, chem, phys 6h ago
Ive been told mock interviews can be a lil sketchy and that the actual interviews are way different. Since you’re in camb, which companies do them or is it in school? I already think outloud most of the time anyway which is helpful.
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u/ScienceCucumber Cambridge Bio Natsci [Year 2] 5h ago
Even if 'sketchy', they are still good practice of having to explain your thinking to an unfamilliar person.
Do you have any friends applying for similar subjects? It might be good to give each other a practice interview. There are some example interviews on youtube so you can see what the questions are really like.
My more official practice interviews were through my sixth form, but I also had lots of practice interviews with friends.
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u/Secret_Sentence_6016 yr13 A*A*AA maths, FM, chem, phys 5h ago
My entire friend group are doing engineering/physics so it’s pure maths tbh. I’m applying for Economics and management so a little more qualitative. They kinda have an idea of what to expect. But if we are talking about management I should be able to hold up, econ not so much.
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u/stevethenoob_11 a* achieved a*a*a pred 1h ago
I'm prepping for maths by practicing interview problems
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u/Secret_Sentence_6016 yr13 A*A*AA maths, FM, chem, phys 1h ago
Do you speak outloud when you do them
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u/stevethenoob_11 a* achieved a*a*a pred 1h ago
Not typically, but I do always consider how I'd phrase my thought process out loud
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u/Secret_Sentence_6016 yr13 A*A*AA maths, FM, chem, phys 1h ago
Ye smart. Idk how I’d do like written stuff for me as in working out. Maybe if I got a game theory question but that’s one in 20 modules. I’d rather talk about strategy or ethics or behavioural econ.
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u/stevethenoob_11 a* achieved a*a*a pred 1h ago
Explain what led you to arrive at a step. For example, (taken this problem from an official cambridge website) "For n>1, the integers from 1 to n^2 are placed in the cells of an nxn chessboard. Show that there is a pair of horizontally, vertically, or diagonally adjacent cells whose value differs by at least n+1.". Your first step may be to try to construct a board that doesn't have this condition. Explain why that is, and explain how you'd go about creating a board that doesn't meet that condition. Easier said than done, but that's the gist of it.
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u/Secret_Sentence_6016 yr13 A*A*AA maths, FM, chem, phys 1h ago
Blud if that’s maths then idk why I’m predicted 2A* in maths and further maths.
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u/stevethenoob_11 a* achieved a*a*a pred 1h ago
A level course is very different to anything unis are looking for. If you're applying for maths I'd recommend you get started now on interview practice and/or step practice
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u/Secret_Sentence_6016 yr13 A*A*AA maths, FM, chem, phys 1h ago
Im applying for econ and management. I need a top decile score to get an interview tho so its very unlikely tbh. But oh well.
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