Guide to Chemistry Interviews (Expert Oxford & Cambridge Application Advice)
The most important point I want to put across to you is to try and enjoy the interview process, as hard as that is to do. The tutors are not trying to catch you out with the questions and problems you have never seen before, but are instead trying to determine how you think and approach new problems. Each tutor is looking for something different, but ultimately I believe it comes down to three factors:
1) Your fundamental understanding of chemistry – typically just A-Level knowledge that you can apply to new problems.
2) Your thought process – how you approach a problem and your method of thinking.
3) If they can teach you – do you pick up on the hints they are giving you, and therefore you would learn in a tutorial environment.
Preparation
It is important that you prepare for your interview, in particular revising your A Level material and perhaps reviewing a few new topics. Familiarising yourself with new topics should help you practice how to attack problems and concepts you haven’t seen before.
One thing I would mention is that if your Chemistry A Level is structured such that you are learning one of the core modules after the interview date, i.e. you learning organic chemistry in January, I would highly recommend reviewing this subject matter. Typically the tutors will ask you what you have learnt in their subject, and then adjust questions accordingly, but it is definitely a good idea to have a general grounding in each subject.
Unlike humanity interviews you do not have to do a huge amount of wider reading, often your school textbooks are enough. However, if you are looking to build up your chemical knowledge I would suggest reading through several chemical books, such as “Why chemical reactions happen” by James Keeler and Peter Wothers, this will touch upon topics covered in your first year.
When preparing for the interview, I would not spend a huge amount of time researching the interviewers; just a quick Google will do, to determine their subject and specific area of research. If you have mentioned their research area in your personal statement I would definitely review this as tutors like talking about their own research!
Lastly, I highly encourage having a mock interview, as this will allow you to experience the atmosphere and mindset of the day, which will hopeful reduce any nerves you might have.
The Interview
It depends on college to college, but typically you will have 2/3 interviews, which will encompass the three core subjects; inorganic, organic and physical, with maths running through each interview.
Generally, the tutor will try and put you at ease at the beginning of the interview, their method for doing this changes from tutor to tutor. Some will ask you to expand on a point you have mentioned in your personal statement, conversely, some will jump right in with a question that you should have covered in A Levels, i.e. to differentiate and integrate 1/x or the shape of H2O. They will then go on to ask more complex questions, the interview is meant to increase with difficulty as you go along.
When you are answering questions ensure that you are taking the tutors through your thought process, explaining any ideas you have. You may require more information about the situation/conditions when asked a question, do not be afraid of asking questions back to the tutors, as it shows that you are thinking about the relevant information required.
About the day(s) itself
Everyone says this, but it is extremely important; do not be late, this will give a negative first impression suggesting that you do not care about the interview! Do not be intimated by the other candidates, you have no idea how they will perform in the interview itself or how they will deal with new problems, also you have no obligation to them. Next, do not read into whether you do or do not get a second interview at a different college, it is impossible to tell what this means, so do not stress! Lastly, enjoy yourself, although you may not enjoy every interview (it is an interview after all), it is a great insight into whether you would enjoy learning in this unique style and if you want to be part of this university.
Example questions:
Inorganic:
Draw the structure of H2O
Where are the planes of symmetry in H2O?
Draw the Lewis structure of SF6
Indicate any planes of symmetry in SF6
Account for the variation in pKa of the acids given below:
Organic
Consider the reaction below, would there be any difference in the rates of reaction?
Propose a possible reaction mechanism.
Draw a reaction diagram comparing and contrasting these mechanisms.
Physical
This is a phase diagram which shows the phases of a substance, can you explain the graph, indicating at which point the substance is a solid, liquid and gas.
This article was written by Lucy (Oxford - Chemistry).
If you find this content useful, please visit Lucy's profile for further information on applying to Oxbridge. Alternatively, book support now with Lucy, using the form below.
Author: Lucy - Oxford
MSc Chemistry
As a scientist you will always be faced with a new subject matter, therefore I like to focus on how to approach problems, as this provides a much more practical use out of an education. I hope that this method will largely remove the necessity for rote-learning, instead of replacing it with a method of tackling questions.
