Biology / Biological Natural Sciences Interview Preparation Guide
Don’t know what to expect in your Oxford Biology or Cambridge Biological Natural Sciences Interviews?
Oxbridge interviews can seem daunting and hard to prepare for as you never quite know what to expect. However, they are extremely important: some candidates are successful based on interview performance alone.
This is an essential Biology / Biological Natural Sciences interview preparation guide, prepared by U2's Biology & Biological Natural Sciences tutors, all of whom graduated from either Oxford or Cambridge. We walk you through how to prepare to ensure you stand out and increase your chances of success, as well as a number of tips on how to present yourself, analyse problems, and communicate during the interview itself. (N.B. this guide will also be applicable if you receive an invitation to interview at any of the Top UK Russell Group Universities). You may also wish to look at our Chemistry Interview Preparation Guide, particularly if applying to the Cambridge Natural Sciences course!
Core components of U2 Tuition's Oxbridge Biology / Biological Natural Sciences interview preparation guide:
The first section of the our 26-page guide is dedicated to showing you how to build evidence of wider subject exploration in your Biology / Biological Natural Sciences personal statement, and at interview to convey your passion and motivation for the subject. Our Oxbridge Biology / Biological Natural Sciences tutors lead you through key course topics, what to read / explore (primary and secondary material), and how to utilise online resources available. Each resource recommendation comes with a thinking task. Note: ideally, this process should start at least a few months before the Oxbridge interviews take place so you have time to explore enough resources / material!
How to prepare for personal-statement based interview questions: your personal statement may be used as a springboard for discussion in at least one of your interviews!
What to expect in your academic interviews, including accounts from two successful candidates: one Oxford Biology, and one Cambridge Biological Natural Sciences. Each account will provide insight into the Oxbridge Biology / Natural Sciences interview process, and the topics / questions they were asked, including a handful on questions asked on their personal statements
Oxbridge interview preparation tips and core concepts to understand:
Longer worked through past Oxbridge interview questions: five in-depth practice interview questions with discussion points and further reading suggestions
Additional past Biology / Biological Natural Sciences interview questions: 45 further questions covering topics such as biodiversity, genetic engineering, evolution, conservation, taxonomy, food production / biotechnology involvement, plant biodiversity, stem cells and cell differentiation, populations and ecosystems, chemistry calculations, and a handful of general interview questions (N.B these are the most common types of question asked at Oxbridge interview!)
Final tips for success at interview
Looking for a Biology or Biological Natural Sciences tutor to further direct your independent preparation?
Having a Biology / Natural Sciences tutor can present an invaluable learning opportunity - U2 has a wonderful network of Oxford Biology and Cambridge Natural Sciences undergraduates, graduates and postgraduates, who would be delighted to host tutorial sessions giving you exposure to some of the key topic areas within the discipline, support personal statement writing, admissions test and interview preparation. We also host mock interview days in November / December. Book a free consultation on our Contact Us page for further details on our offerings and to discuss your university application.