Guides · Updated 1 November 2026

The Oxford and Cambridge Engineering interview

Oxford and Cambridge Engineering applicants both take the ESAT. Oxford's Engineering department describes two online interviews: one of about 30 to 45 minutes at your own college, covering why engineering and maths and physics problems, and one of about 30 minutes at another college, mostly problems.

The questions use school maths and physics in situations you haven't seen. Oxford says it's fine to ask for help: you're expected to need it at some point. Below is the format, problems Oxford engineering tutors have published, a worked example and how to prepare.

Oxford and Cambridge Engineering compared

What happens in the Oxford Engineering interview?

Oxford's Department of Engineering Science says your first interviewers will ask why you're interested in engineering and why Oxford, then maths and physics questions on topics you've covered at school, including a scenario where you explain the physics behind what's happening. The second interview may be maths and physics only. The department stresses it's not a test of how much you know but of how well you understand, develop and explain new ideas.

Problems Oxford engineering tutors have published

From Oxford's sample interview questions page (source: University of Oxford, sample interview questions):

• "Place a 30cm ruler on top of one finger from each hand so that you have one finger at each end of the ruler, and the ruler is resting on your fingertips. What happens when you bring your fingers together?" The tutor says this comes later in an interview, after a comfortable opening question, and that they like to see how you react to an unexpected result.
• "How would you design a gravity dam for holding back water?" The tutor says you first work out the forces on the dam, then its stability, building simple expressions for when it would tip, with guidance where you haven't met the material.

A worked example: the ruler on two fingers

• What a strong answer does: predicts first, then actually tries it, and when the result surprises you, says so and looks closer. Slowly, the ruler slides over one finger at a time.
• The key move: with prompting about moments and friction, explaining why the finger nearer the centre carries more load, so the other finger slides, and why that keeps swapping.
• Weak answer: insisting on the first prediction after the experiment has shown otherwise.
• What usually comes next: the tutor says they may move to a quantitative analysis of the forces, or to the difference between static and dynamic friction.

How to prepare for an Engineering interview

1. Revise mechanics. Forces, moments and friction are exactly what both published problems use.
2. Practise sketching graphs and diagrams fast. Draw the forces before you calculate anything, and say what each arrow is.
3. Try physical experiments at home. The ruler, a spinning coin, a bottle rolling down a slope: predict, test, explain.
4. Practise on a tablet. Oxford's Engineering interviews use a Miro whiteboard with a stylus. Get used to writing maths on a screen.
5. Ask for help well. Oxford says asking won't count against you. Practise saying exactly where you're stuck.

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 Oxford, the University of Cambridge or any of their colleges. We use published formats and questions, not insider information.