Post Assessments - Pre-interview Ask an Admissions Tutor

It will probably (though not definitely) be with a scientist of some description and may well focus about things on your PS. It will still have an academic focus but I can't tell you more as I'm not at Selwyn!

Hello all. Having discussed things with other colleges involved in TSR, we agreed to re-run the thread from the same time last year to try to offer reassurance and general advice to candidates between the admissions assessments and the interviews.

I can't discuss the content of the Admissions Assessments so please don't ask nor can I say for certain how colleges are going to be using them in their decision making.

The purpose of the thread is to provide general advice and reassurance about the process between now and the start of the interviews in early December, so if you have a query please do send it. I will try to answer as quickly as possible but please bear in mind that things are busy at the moment in Cambridge admissions offices so have patience and I promise to get back to you.

I can't answer on behalf of colleges other than Murray Edwards but I can provide some advice or at least a window into the way colleges behave so don't feel you have to be a Murray Edwards applicant in order to ask. A lot of the time, though, the answer will be 'email your college and ask!'

A series of short tips about how to prepare for your interviews will be going up on the Murray Edwards Instagram account over the coming days and weeks from interviewers, students and members of staff at Medwards so do check those out.

Thank you and best of luck in your preparations for interview.

Hi,

Please see my post https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5041956
what is your advice on what I should do now (or if I should do anything)?

Any tips for preparing for a (hopeful) economics interview?

Hello there,
Someone mentioned to me that there may have been a change to the compulsory pooling requirements, is this true? Particualrly for Post-A Level?
Thanks a lot.

Thank you for your answer!
I am a post qualification applicant having done the French bac. The French bac includes chemistry but is taught at the same time as physics, hence my chemistry knowledge is really quite low compared to someone who has done chemistry "properly". Will the tutors most likely be aware of this or will this be penalized? (I'd like to do physics, material sciences or computer science and earth sciences in 1st year)

Are multiple code sections of admissions assessments marked by a computer? E. G. NSAA section 1.

Also, what personal questions should I prepare for at interview?

Yes, Section 1 is marked by computer and the moderated results sent to all the colleges.

I’m not sure what you mean by personal questions? The questions will be academically focused.

But on the website it says written work must be submitted by the 8th November

Do computer science interviews involve much more than maths? Is there much emphasis on PS? Are you expected to have examples of programs that you have made (if it is clear in your application that you have experience programming)?

does the essay section in the ecaa receive a scaled mark like section 1 or is it just used as evidence?

Would my interests in science not be asked about?

Hello, thank you for doing this. I am applying for History and (I did an open application and my application went to Girton, though I'm not sure this is relevant). On the moodle website it says 'Please note that written work is only requested from applicants at the point they are invited for interview. The details of any written work required will be included in the letter inviting candidates to interview' . So I haven't sent in any work. But on the website it says written work must be submitted by the 8th November and other people I know applying for history have had to send in work. Should I have sent in work?

Well science is academic, so yes it might be, but our focus is more likely to be trying to figure out how good you are at science (or whatever your chosen subject might be) rather than how much you like it (though the two things might well be linked of course through your super-curricular activities).

Maths will probably be the most important part of the interviews for Comp Sci but there will be other elements too, especially if you're applying for Comp Sci with Natural Sciences or Social Psychology. You might get asked about your PS but it's probably not going to be a big part of the interviews. If you've done programming and make it clear that you have, then it wouldn't be unusual for you to be asked about it.