Guides · Updated 1 November 2026

Cambridge interview questions: what you'll be asked

Cambridge doesn't publish a list of interview questions. It says you'll be asked to apply what you know to new situations, materials, problems or scenarios, and may be asked why Cambridge and why your course, about key issues in your subject, and about topics from school or your personal statement.

So the best preparation is knowing the types of question and practising them out loud. Below is each type Cambridge describes, examples in that style (written by us, not by Cambridge), the official practice resources some Colleges point to, and a worked example.

The types of question Cambridge describes

Trinity Hall puts it simply: questions range from topics you've already covered at school to new material you haven't seen before. Downing adds that there is no single structure for a Cambridge interview.

Official practice resources Colleges point to

• Computer Science: Homerton strongly advises applicants to try the past admissions interview questions on Churchill College's practice site (kudos.chu.cam.ac.uk) before their interview.
• Engineering: Homerton points to i-want-to-study-engineering.org for engineering problem practice.
• Example interviews on video: Downing links example interview videos (including Linguistics and Biological Natural Sciences) and says they're an indication of what interviews can be like, not a fixed format.
• Law: the Faculty of Law says you need no prior knowledge of law; interviewers look at your ability to form and defend a logical argument, recognise counter-arguments and explain changes in your view.
• Oxford's sample questions are a good stand-in for the style: see Oxford interview questions.

A worked example: a problem in the Cambridge style

Our example, in the style Cambridge describes for science applicants: "Estimate how many times your heart has beaten in your life."

• What a strong answer does: states assumptions out loud (about 70 beats a minute, your age), rounds sensibly, and shows the multiplication on the shared whiteboard or paper.
• The key move: checking the answer's size makes sense, then saying which assumption matters most (resting rate versus exercise, childhood rates).
• Weak answer: a number with no working, or refusing to estimate without exact data.
• What usually comes next: "How would that compare for a mouse or an elephant?", which moves you into new material, exactly as Cambridge describes.

What Cambridge says about your answers

• The interviewers are interested in how you work out your answers and how you think.
• If you don't understand something, you can ask them to explain it.
• You can answer in your own way; you don't need to say what you think they want to hear.
• You may need to share your working for problem-solving questions in science and maths.

A note on question banks and coaching

Cambridge warns that paid interview-preparation services aren't endorsed by the University and have no access to exclusive information. Lists of "real Cambridge questions" online can't tell you what you'll be asked. What helps is practising each type of question out loud, which Cambridge itself recommends.

AdmitMock is an AI mock interview app for Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL and US college alumni interviews: an AI interviewer asks the questions out loud, follows up, and shows you what to fix.

AdmitMock is not affiliated with the University of Cambridge or any of its Colleges. Cambridge publishes no central question list; our example questions are our own, written in the styles Cambridge describes.