The Student Room Group

Just finish the Nasc interview and too easy, bad sign?

Son just finish the Nature Science interview yesterday in Toronto. He said there is no warm-up question about PS or why Cambridge, nothing. Come in the room and teacher write down one Physics question, and my son solved, then the second one, then the third one. After 3 Physics question, another teacher gave him a Chemistry question, he answered. And ask him if he has any question? My son said not really. Then, finished. On the notice it said that the interview last for 40 minutes, but actully it's only 25 minutes at all. My son said all the questions are easy. I am really confused, why the interviewer use the easy questions for interview. Is this bad sign? They don't want to accept my son, and just use 4 easy question and 25 minutes to let him go? Really upset!
Original post by Janeiswho
Son just finish the Nature Science interview yesterday in Toronto. He said there is no warm-up question about PS or why Cambridge, nothing. Come in the room and teacher write down one Physics question, and my son solved, then the second one, then the third one. After 3 Physics question, another teacher gave him a Chemistry question, he answered. And ask him if he has any question? My son said not really. Then, finished. On the notice it said that the interview last for 40 minutes, but actully it's only 25 minutes at all. My son said all the questions are easy. I am really confused, why the interviewer use the easy questions for interview. Is this bad sign? They don't want to accept my son, and just use 4 easy question and 25 minutes to let him go? Really upset!



The questions are often supposed to be 'easy' (from what I've heard anyway), mainly because they want to see how a candidate would work in the supervision environment (i.e. how teachable they are, if they can take prompts from the interviewers well, etc). That said, making a lot of progress with the questions is probably never a bad thing. If he spoke his thought processes well, and explained what he was doing (and took hints/prompts from the interviewers), then he probably got on well; however there is allegedly no correlation between one's perception of how an interview went, and how the interviewers felt it went (@Doonesbury has a graph).
Reply 2
Original post by Janeiswho
Son just finish the Nature Science interview yesterday in Toronto. He said there is no warm-up question about PS or why Cambridge, nothing. Come in the room and teacher write down one Physics question, and my son solved, then the second one, then the third one. After 3 Physics question, another teacher gave him a Chemistry question, he answered. And ask him if he has any question? My son said not really. Then, finished. On the notice it said that the interview last for 40 minutes, but actully it's only 25 minutes at all. My son said all the questions are easy. I am really confused, why the interviewer use the easy questions for interview. Is this bad sign? They don't want to accept my son, and just use 4 easy question and 25 minutes to let him go? Really upset!


Original post by RedGiant
The questions are often supposed to be 'easy' (from what I've heard anyway), mainly because they want to see how a candidate would work in the supervision environment (i.e. how teachable they are, if they can take prompts from the interviewers well, etc). That said, making a lot of progress with the questions is probably never a bad thing. If he spoke his thought processes well, and explained what he was doing (and took hints/prompts from the interviewers), then he probably got on well; however there is allegedly no correlation between one's perception of how an interview went, and how the interviewers felt it went (@Doonesbury has a graph).


Yup, it's all normal. And the overseas interviewers are very experienced.

And here's the graph :smile:

Cambridge Interview Outcomes (updated).jpg

Basically there's ZERO (0.04 to be precise) correlation between how well a candidate thinks an interview went and their offer/rejection outcome. And this applies to both Sciences and Arts & Humanities interviews.
(edited 5 years ago)
Reply 3
thanks, I felt a little better. After interview, it seems that waiting is the only thing we can do:colondollar:
Reply 4
Original post by Janeiswho
thanks, I felt a little better. After interview, it seems that waiting is the only thing we can do:colondollar:


Indeed, and the wait is interminable... good luck to him, and you, for the 14th January!

Posted from TSR Mobile

Quick Reply

Latest

Trending

Trending