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Medicine interviews for Cambridge University usually occur in the first three weeks of December. The exact dates vary slightly between the colleges.
For 2023 entry most interviews are anticipated to take place between 5th and 14th December 2022.
To shortlist candidates for interview, the following factors are taken into consideration:
There is no minimum BMAT score required, since applications are considered holistically. The average scores also vary between the colleges.
For 2021 entry into the A100 course, there were 1369 applications and 284 offers were made for the 270 available places.
Cambridge usually sends interview invitations in mid to late November. This year, it is anticipated that interview offers will be sent out between 14th and 26th November.
Cambridge University uses the panel interview format for its Medicine interviews.
All applicants will attend at least two interviews, with each one lasting around 20 to 45 minutes. One of the interviews usually occurs at the college you’ve applied to.
As with the last two years, most interviews are anticipated to be held remotely this year.
International applicants should also be prepared to attend an interview.
At Cambridge, the following topics are often covered in the Medicine interview questions:
Sample questions might include:
Understand the basics
You should be prepared to answer questions on all of the topics you have covered at A-Level and that you have included on your SAQ. It’s also wise to spend some time recapping scientific concepts from GCSE, particularly if you dropped one of the sciences for A-Level.
Know the format of your interview
A peculiarity of the Cambridge interview format is that it varies between colleges. Make sure you research the format used by your particular college. This information is often readily available on the website or in the interview schedule they send you. Ensure you use this information to steer your preparation.
Some colleges have general interviews, whereas others will only have academic interviews. Some colleges may ask you to read some information beforehand and answer questions on it at interview.
Knowing and practising for the specific type of interview you’ll face will ensure you feel calmer and more confident on the day.
Always say something
Cambridge University interviews are designed to push you academically until you cannot go further, in order to see your capacity. It is designed to mimic a supervision-type discussion, which is Cambridge’s name for small group teaching sessions.
You aren’t supposed to get everything right straight away and you are expected to make educated guesses and go off track at some point.
The interviewer is there to guide you back to the right path, but they can only do this if you let them know what you are thinking. Even if it’s wrong or sounds silly, it will be a lot better than sitting in silence because you don’t know what say and are too scared to ask a question.
See this guide for more tips on how to answer interview questions at a Cambridge Medicine interview.
The decision of an offer will be based on scientific and related competencies, personal qualities, and professional and career considerations.
Cambridge will send out all offers between 26th and 31th January 2023 via email.
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