Not all university courses require interviews; traditionally Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine and the majority of healthcare related courses (e.g. pharmacy, dietetics, physiotherapy etc.) will invite their candidates for interview to assess their suitability for a course. In addition, Imperial might invite applicants to sciences or engineering related courses for an interview. Your interview performance will directly impact your chance of securing an offer.
Oxbridge Interview
The focus of the interviews will be on scientific /academic questions. They are designed to reflect a tutorial or ‘supervision’ that students at Oxbridge experience on a regular basis. These challenging questions will test how well you adapt to different scenarios – and you’ll be expected to talk the interviewers through your thought process as you try to establish an answer. You have to think on your feet, as that is the way they will assess your potential.
Format of the interview questions:
Architecture
Drawing task: Draw the space that you are in right now (from different perspectives)
Should Cambridge build more high rise or low rise buildings to address the shortage of affordable housings?
Economics
What would happen if there is high inflation? Who would be the winner/loser?
Why do countries have different institutions? What can we do to improve poor institutions in developing countries?
Engineering
The clock shows 1pm. When would the minute hand catch up with the hour hand?
Explain an engineering concept you are interested in
English
Analyze an unseen poem “The Butterfly House”
Who is your favourite poet? Why?
Law
What is the point of patent right terms?
Compare the roles of a solicitor and barrister.
Scenario question: Sally drinks a bottle of wine and then crashes her car into another car, causing severe but not life threatening injury to Persons A, B and C. They are then rushed off in separate ambulances to the hospital. Person A is operated on by a junior doctor that makes a mistake, and he dies. Person B has a religious affiliation that prevents him from getting a blood transfusion that would have easily saved his life, and he dies. Person C's ambulance is struck by lightning and he also dies. Is Sally liable to pay damages for their deaths?
Mathematics
Two trains are 30km apart. If they go in the same direction, they meet 50mins later. If they go towards each other, they meet 30mins later. What are the speeds of the trains?
Physics
Estimate the total number of gas molecules in the room that you are in.
If you dig a hole right through the Earth and jump into it, describe your motion.
Psychological and Behavioural Science
What do you think is “normal” for a human?
How can you differentiate the learning process and memory?
How does heroin, with its inhibitory properties, cause an increase in dopamine released? (with a drawing)
All Oxbridge interview coaching would be conducted by Oxbridge graduates / Oxbridge students. The interviewers have gone through the interview themselves and are well aware of the preparation that would be needed in advance.
Medicine / Dentistry / Veterinary Medicine
The majority of Medical School interviews now use the MMI format, while a handful still use traditional panel interviews (e.g. Oxbridge). Regardless of the format, the interviews are designed to explore the student’s personal qualities and attributes which are vital to becoming a good doctor in the future.
You can expect to be asked about your interest in Medicine (or your chosen field), your knowledge of healthcare as well as questions on Ethics, Current issues, Teamwork and Communication. Manual dexterity (dentistry), ethical scenarios and patient communication (medicine) are common MMI stations.
Medicine Interview Workshop
Most students may find the idea of an interview daunting. If you are nervous, interview coaching and mock interviews go a long way to prepare you for the type of questions you will be asked; and ultimately increase your chance of securing an offer.
Each mock session will last 45 minutes to 1 hour which include feedback. At the end of the mock interview, the interviewer will discuss the student’s performance, highlighting areas for improvement.
There will be 6 MMI stations, each station lasts 4 minutes with 2 minutes reading/preparation time.
5 of the stations will be held in English and 1 station will be held in Cantonese (testing your proficiency in Cantonese as medical students are expected to talk to patients mainly in Cantonese and Mandarin their clinical years). The each MMI station will assess the following:
Critical Thinking
Medical Ethics
General Knowledge
Communication skills
Personal Insight
Abstract thinking
MMI stations include Scenario, Hong Kong News/Current issues and Picture stations.
20 minutes interview + feedback.
You can expect to be asked about your interest in Medicine, your knowledge of healthcare as well as questions on Ethics, Current issues, Teamwork and Communication.
*option to extend to an hour for additional interview coaching
40 minutes academic interview + feedback
The interview will mainly consist of scientific /academic questions. They are designed to reflect a tutorial or ‘supervision’ that students at both universities experience on a regular basis.
These challenging questions will test how well you adapt to different scenarios – and you’ll be expected to talk the interviewers through your thought process as you try to establish an answer. You have to think on your feet, as that is the way they will assess your potential.
30-40 minutes interview + feedback
The interviews focus on exploring the applicant’s personal qualities and attributes which are vital to becoming a good doctor in the future. You will be evaluated on the following:
Motivation and realistic approach to medicine as a career
Evidence of working as a leader and a team member
Extra curricular activities / Likely contribution to university life
Evidence of commitment for caring - Understanding the nature of Medicine (including Ethics and Good Medical Practice)
Evidence of commitment to the values of the NHS constitution
There will be 6 MMI stations, each station lasts 4 minutes with 2 minutes reading/preparation time. The focus of these stations will be centered on the following criteria:
Motivation and realistic approach to medicine as a career
Evidence of working as a leader and a team member
Extra curricular activities / Likely contribution to university life
Evidence of commitment for caring
Understanding the nature of Medicine (including Ethics and Good Medical Practice)
Evidence of commitment to the values of the NHS constitution
**note for students having their interview outside of the UK or online – it is likely that the interview will be in traditional Panel style using MMI based questions. You have the option to receive a “generic” UK Medicine mock interview or you could specify the Medical School you are applying, the mock will be tailored to the selection criteria of your chosen Medical School
All Medicine / Dentistry / Veterinary Medicine interview coaching would be conducted by interviewers graduated / studying in the Medicine / Dentistry / Veterinary Medicine field.
Healthcare Related Courses
These include Pharmacy, Nursing, Nutrition and Dietetics, Physiotherapy etc. The Interviews are designed to assess the student’s suitability to be a health professional, including aspects like the Communication skills, Scientific knowledge, Knowledge of ethical issues and Decision making. All healthcare related interview coaching would be conducted by interviewers graduated / studying in the healthcare related field.
Here at CANA Elite, we truly believe that every student is unique and has the potential to reach their goals with the right guidance. Academic excellence is derived from both passionate teachers and eager students. That is why we provide a unique learning experience tailored to each individual student. Named after the location of the first miracle in the Bible, we hope CANA elite can be the place of miracles for all our students, allowing them to achieve their dreams.
