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Oxbridge
Interview
Scenarios
 General Oxbridge Interview Scenarios

1. Have universities lost their relevance?

When approaching this question, it’s important to consider why this question may be
asked. Has there been much debate recently about the relevance of universities? Are there
other routes that have proven to lead to more success? Are these new routes still too new
to eliminate the importance of universities as a whole? Think about more creative career
paths or apprenticeships – do these paths require one to attend university. What are
employers looking for nowadays and does this suggest that university only has relevance
for those wanting certain jobs? This line of thinking should lead us to contemplate whether
universities may only be relevant for some and not so much for others. This does not mean
that it is irrelevant overall.

Ultimately you want to answer by saying ‘no’, because otherwise why are you being
interviewed? However, this question is all about acknowledging the wider debate and
weighing up different perspectives from your own.

2. What do you not like about this college?

This question requires you to strike the appropriate balance between being honest and
being overly critical. You want to avoid going on a tangent about all the different things you
hate about college. The interviewer is not looking for you to say that the college is perfect
and there is nothing that you would change. Instead use this as an opportunity to address
any genuine concerns you may have about it, in a respectful way. You want to maintain the
position that despite any concerns that you may have, this is still a place that you really
want to go to.

Bad response: “I really hate that the college does not offer any ensuite rooms and that there
are no ovens in the kitchen. The college is too far from the centre of town and I probably
won't make many friends here.”
This response appears to be way too negative and critical of the college. It does not give a
sense that you’re actually wanting to go there.

Good response: “Compared to all other colleges, this is a place that I felt would be best
suited to me. Nonetheless, I do still have some concerns about how accepted I will be in the
college community and whether or not I will find people with similar interests to me.”

3. What one object would you give someone that would

encompass who you are as a person?
This is a really great question, that allows the interviewer to understand you a bit more as a
person. Your object should be insightful and unique to yourself. Think about something that
is important to you or something that you could not live without. Think about the best way
you would describe yourself as a person and what object would best represent that. It is
also worth thinking about an object that also encompasses your passion for your chosen
subject. However, if taking this approach, remember to keep the right balance, you want to
show your personality as well as your interest in the field. For example, a compass could
link to your interests in Geography, but it could also be used to present you as
adventurous.

There is no wrong or right object to suggest, so you can be as creative as you want.
However, there is a right or wrong way to answer the question, so ensure that you give a
comprehensive explanation as to why you have chosen this object. The strength of your
response will be in the way that you link your chosen object to who you are as a person.
For instance, choosing a passport is a good choice of object but if given with the
explanation of “…because I like to travel”, then this becomes a rather weak response.

A stronger response may think about what one would find when they open your passport.
Your details are on your passport so someone would have a clear idea of some basic facts
about yourself (i.e., age, place of birth, country of citizenship etc.). Your passport may also
include stamps about where you’ve been. Many stamps would indicate that you like to
travel. There may also be patterns to identify within these stamps about the types of places
you prioritise visiting and you could give insight into what that tells about you as a person. It
could also give insight into your appreciation for culture and discovery.

4. How many potholes are there in the UK?

The trick with these questions is to give a structured step-by-step response with
reasonable assumptions, rather than randomly guessing. Break the question down into
more accessible units, to demonstrate your problem solving skills:

A bad answer could be “The UK is fairly large, and I know from experience many roads
have potholes. Let's say there are around 5000 roads in the UK, with 3 potholes a road
gives us 15,000”.

A better answer could be “Let me first work out the landmass of the UK.
I know London to Aberdeen is around 8 hours, but Aberdeen is not northernmost, and
London is not southernmost, so lets say 10 hours from top to bottom of the UK. Since this
is mainly motorways at 60mph, we can assume this is 60x10=600 miles.
In regards to width, Hull to Liverpool is around 4 hours, and again assuming we drive at
60mph, this is 4x60=240 miles.
So we have an area of 240 x 600. To make life easier I will do 24 x 6 and add 3 zeros =
144,000 square miles.
To include Northern Island, let us round this to 164,000 miles (adding an extra 20,000).
How much of this is roads? Well, the UK has lots of farmland and forests, so many 5%,
giving around 8000 sq miles in the UK.
If the average road is 0.1 sq miles (since lots of very small roads and few large motorways),
we have around 80,000 UK roads.
If potholes are common in the UK, let us assume 75% of UK roads have potholes of some
sorts, so 60,000 roads have potholes. If we assume 2 potholes on a road, this is 120,000
total potholes.”
 5. If you could choose, would you pay for your education here at
Oxford/Cambridge?
Often, the interviewer is looking for students to be able to think about a range of responses,
thinking about different perspectives. This is one of the key skills that Oxbridge students
will have – being able consider different perspectives and counterarguments, rather than
just focusing on one, more narrow answer.

A bad answer may be “University fees are very expensive, and I will probably have around
£50,000 in debt by the time I leave. Many other countries have free or subsidised education,
such as Germany, so it is more fair on students to adopt a similar model in the UK”. Whilst
you may think that UK fees are too expensive, this answer has not developed a strong
response, considering both sides of the argument.

A better answer may be “On one hand, university fees are quite expensive. Especially when
looking at many European countries, such as Germany, where University fees are often
subsidised by the government, meaning education is cheaper or free. In an ideal world, this
could be replicated in the UK, however, it is not as easy as that.
Firstly, where would the money come from? If the UK government were to subsidise
thousands of pounds of fees for thousands of students, this money would have to be
collected from somewhere. The obvious answer is increasing taxes, but this raises other
problems: we are currently in a cost of living crisis, and an increase in tax could have serious
negative implications.
Secondly, the fees mean that I am guaranteed a high quality of education at Oxford. If fees
were reduced, tutors would be paid less, and could transfer to other universities around the
world. This would mean the quality of my education could reduce”.
 Economics / PPE Interview Scenarios

1. Why do governments tax, and maybe think of a few reasons.

Which, if any, do you think is the most important?
With these types of questions, it is important to show the interview that you are thinking
holistically. Scrutinise the key terms of the question: what do we mean by “most
important”, for example? Show you are considering a wide range of answers, and try to
extend your answers beyond a basic list of ideas.

A bad answer could be “Governments tax for many different reasons. Governments may tax
individuals or businesses directly, such as through income tax or corporation tax. They
could also apply more indirect taxes, such as excise duty on demerit goods, like alcohol and
cigarettes. This tax then raises government revenue, which they can spend on public goods
like education or healthcare”. Whilst this answer mentions some relevant points, it is fairly
basic, and importantly does not really answer the question!

A better answer could be “Governments tax for many different reasons. They may want to
apply tax in order to raise government revenue, such as indirect taxes like VAT, or direct
taxes like income tax. Alternatively, they may want to increase taxes in order to control
aggregate demand – if inflation is growing excessively, increasing taxes means consumers
have less money to spend, and hence could reduce inflationary pressure.
Taxes can also attempt to correct market failures. One example could be a carbon tax –
where carbon emissions are a negative externality.
Hence, which is most important depends on the government's key objectives they are trying
to achieve with the tax. For example, if the main objective is to reduce inequality, one
important tool could be increasing income tax at the high level, and reducing VAT on
essential goods (as this tax disproportionately affects the poorest in society).”

2. How would changing income tax change incentives to work

and why?
Always make sure to talk through your thought process out loud, clearly explaining how you
logically arrive at your answer step-by-step (rather than just stating a brief answer to the
question). Similarly, it is important to consider a variety of points, and any assumptions that
are important.

A bad answer could be “If income tax increases, then less people will want to work: they
get less money in exchange for their labour, so the labour supply will fall and could increase
unemployment”. This answer is quite narrow focused, and would benefit from expanding on
the points they raise, and considering different assumptions.

A better answer could be “This is an interesting question! I suppose it depends on whether

the substitution or income effect dominates.
If the substitution effect dominates, then the higher tax leads to lower wages, so work
becomes less attractive than leisure. Because people are being paid less, leisure becomes
more attractive, and this could decrease labour supply.
On the other hand, a higher income tax means people are poorer. This means people may
instead want to work more hours to maintain a target level of income, with this being true if
the income effect dominates”.

3. The government is in a recession and borrows money to help

fund tax cuts. What effect does this have on consumer
spending?
Try to take a few seconds to think through your answer before you speak. Consider
multiple different possibilities, and what assumptions these different possibilities rely on. It
is always good to bring up any relevant economic theory you have learnt, either in the
classroom or in your own independent study!

A bad answer could be “We know in economics that a government tax cut means that
consumers have more disposable income. Because consumers feel richer, and have more
money, this means they will increase their spending. For example, they may want to spend
more on luxury goods (such as expensive watches), and less on inferior goods (such as off-
brand cereal).” Whilst this answer brings up some interesting points, it could be improved
by considering different answers to the question.

A better answer could be “On one hand, a tax cut could increase consumer spending. If
governments cut tax (such as progressive taxes like income tax, or regressive taxes like
VAT), then consumers have more disposable income: and may be incentivised to spend this
extra income on extra goods and services, boosting aggregate demand.
On the other hand, if Ricardian Equivalence holds, consumers will understand that tax cuts
financed by government borrowing mean that taxes will rise in the future to pay off this extra
debt. Hence, consumers may instead prefer to not change their income (to save this extra
money for later), as their life time income remains unchanged, even though they are ‘richer’
now.”
 Politics / PPE Interview Scenarios

1. “Globalisation has made the strong stronger and the weak

weaker, and has led to an increase in global inequalities” Do
you agree?
With questions like these, try to pick apart the key terms of the question. Many terms are
ambiguous, and your definition of the term will change how you approach the question.
Importantly, how would we define “Globalisation” – what does it include? Who are the
‘strong’ and ‘weak’, and can we give any examples? What types of inequalities may have
risen? Is this always the case, or may the opposite be true? This can really show the
interviewer that you are willing to critically engage with the question rather than just
accepting it at face value.

A bad answer could be “Globalisation has definitely been a positive force which has led to
global inequalities. One example of this could be within the North American Trade
Agreement (NAFTA), where many Economics argue that the gains from trade have been
unfairly concentrated in the US and Canada, as opposed to Mexico. Furthermore…” Whilst
this answer does bring in some relevant points and examples, it could perhaps benefit from
taking a step back to consider how we define Globalisation, or whether Globalisation is fit
for a definition at all, or too all-encompassing?

A better answer could be “I think a good starting point to this question would be to first
discuss what we mean by the term Globalisation. I would say that this term could be defined
as the process of integration amongst people, companies and governments, incorporating
numerous realms – from the political, cultural, environmental, and economical, for
example…
Next, it is important to discuss who we mean by the ‘strong’ and ‘weak’. Perhaps the weak
could be those who traditionally have less power than other actors, such as less developed
countries (on the state level), or non-state actors, like terrorist groups fighting against a
government.
One example where the strong could have been made stronger, leading to inequalities
could be….. However, this is not always the case, as shown by…”

2. What skills do you think a good politics student has?

For this question, it could be useful to refer back to your previous study of Politics (if
applicable), or think about the important skills needed for the various modules within the
study of Politics at Oxford. Show the interviewer you have done your research, and can
explicitly state what skills would be useful, but also why.

A bad answer could be “One important skill is that of time-management. Politics studies
have a very high workload, and often get multiple essays a week. This means a good
student would be very organised, and would know how to analyse lots of different sources
to get the relevant information. They must then be able to synthesise all this important
information in an essay, where they must have strong persuasive skills, considering different
points of argument and any possible counter-arguments”. Whilst this is a decent answer,
the word “Politics” could very easily be replaced with “History”, or “Law”, and could still
make sense. Try to make your answers specific to the subject: a good way to do this is to
do research and give examples.

A better answer could be “I think one important skill would be being able to utilise both
quantitative analytical skills, alongside the qualitative, written skills. In Politics, these two
skills often overlap, for example in the more practical side of Politics. Students may have to
analyse a journal which contains detailed regressions, which they then may critically engage
with, analysing the author’s methodology and conclusions. They may then have to
synthesise numerous sources and notes into a more concise written essay, in which they
must convincingly put forward their argument, whilst taking into consideration various
counter-arguments. More so…”

3. “The US should not be worried about ceding its grasp of

global power to countries such as Russia and China, as the
US is still the most powerful country in the world, by far”.
Discuss
With many questions you could be asked in politics, your answer depends on how you
define the terms of the question. For example, if someone takes power to be focused on
military strength, they may answer this question differently than someone who defines
power in economic terms. Consider explicitly stating how you would define key terms of the
question before giving your answer.

A bad answer could be “The US should not be worried about ceding its grasp of power to
other countries. Although China and Russia have seen significant economic growth in
recent years, the US still remains dominant, with a GDP of $7 trillion more than China’s, and
$15 million more than Russia’s. Importantly, China has seen a faster level of economic
growth than the US – although the US has more power in the present, China could close the
gap in the next few decades”. This candidate has implicitly defined power = economic
strength, without stating this clearly. Further, they could extend their definition: what else,
apart from economic factors, may be important to consider when defining power?

A better answer may be “This is an interesting question, and our answer importantly
depends on how we define power. In pure economic terms, the US is still the global
hegemon – with a significantly higher GDP than both countries. However, China has seen
double the economic growth compared to the US – which poses interesting questions for
the next few decades.
Importantly, if we extend our definition of power to incorporate global influence, the US has
less competition, evidenced by strong “soft power” like widespread American culture such
as Hollywood films….”
Material Science / Physics Interview Scenarios

1. What material should house guttering be made out of?

The essence of this question is based on materials selection with the basic
objective/constraints of a lightweight material with waterproof properties. They should be
prompted with what properties might be desirable for this application. You can begin if
they're struggling or end on, if they’re finding it easy, by discussing what the Romans used
for their guttering. They used lead pipes, which is where the Pb sign for lead comes from
and the word plumber. Lead is actually quite a heavy metal making it quite impractical, but
it was reasonably readily available, making it good for large infrastructure and is very soft,
making it easy to cast and shape into the desired structure. It oxidises pretty easily, as it's
just below iron on the reactivity series. Its oxide is carcinogenic to humans, so although it is
waterproof, the water from it would be dangerous to drink.

This point should get them thinking about some of the more desirable/undesirable
properties. For metals, the downside would be oxidation/corrosion, weight and cost.
Ceramics and glasses would be too brittle and expensive to manufacture. Woods would be
expensive to manufacture and rot easily. This leaves polymers which is what they're
actually made of. The parts are easy and very cheap to produce by extrusion, waterproof
and can be made water resistant, lightweight, and not too brittle that a gust of wind or a
clog of leaves could cause them to snap and the only downside would be that exposure to
UV light can cause embrittlement due to destabilised chains which is fixed by the addition
of a stabilising component in the manufacturing stage.

A poor candidate will suggest a material with a key flaw that would make its function
impossible, while better candidates will suggest materials with flaws which make its
function possible but slightly impractical(like cost or availability). A strong candidate will
discuss not only the correct material for the job but also potential manufacturing processes
which might be applied.
Subjects Applicable to:
Primary: Chemistry
Secondary: Engineering

2. How would I make a graphene-like structure with insulating

properties?
This question looks at the electrical properties of structures on an atomic scale. You should
prompt them to describe graphene's structure, and what exactly it is that makes it such a
good indicator. You may need to discuss how graphene is manufactured for this question.
Their understanding can be that you put a carbon precursor and a catalyst into a chamber
and input lots of energy. The main idea that they should take away is that the precursor
influences the graphene that is produced.

Graphene's conductivity is due to the free electrons in the sheet. If a prompt is needed,
mention when graphene is doped with boron, i.e. the precursor contains some boron, the
conductivity is reduced; why is that? A further prompt would be what would happen if it
was nitrogen-doped instead.
In order to keep the structure the same, the new structure and graphene would need to be
isoelectric, meaning the number of electrons would be the same per unit cell/volume. This
would keep all of the bonding angles the same. However, as you want an insulating
material, there can be no delocalised electrons, so all must be contained within bonds.
From this, you can conclude that the structure should be made from a 50/50 mix of boron
and nitrogen in the precursor.

A poor candidate won’t be able to explain why the presence of boron influences the
conductivity. Intermediate candidates will be able to explain and understand both effects.
Strong candidates will be able to consider the electronic structure of graphene and how it
can be maintained while losing its conductivity.
Subjects Applicable to:
Primary: Chemistry
Secondary: Physics

3. How might a discus thrower move to increase their throwing

distance, and what is the maximum distance you'd expect a
throw with an initial release force of 1000N to go?
This question looks at forces primarily and how athletes use them to perform to a high level.
They should begin by mentioning centripetal force and the factors that affect it. The mass is
standardised and fixed, so the only changeable factors would be velocity which can be
changed by the thrower by their rotation speed and radius, which will differ from thrower to
thrower depending on their arm length.

Other factors which should then be considered are related to kinetics. The angle of release
will determine the trajectory, the spin applied to or the material of the discus will affect the
air resistance, and the release time will determine how much energy is lost due to the
thrower holding on too long or releasing too early.
Every candidate should be able to get the centripetal force breakdown part, and a strong
candidate will get two of the extra and intermediates one.

For the calculation, they should begin with finding the velocity through a rearrangement of
centripetal force and maximised distance when the release angle is 45o. The mass is 1 kg
for women and 2 kg for men, so anywhere in that range is good(1.5 kg used), radius should
be 0.8-1.25m(1m used). They should then find the flight time of the discus to reach the
release height, which should be estimated to be 1.5m above the ground using suvat. Suvat
should then be used again to find the distance travelled in with the horizontal velocity, and
a resistive force should be considered up to -1N(-0.15N used). This partial distance should
be around 25N(24.1N found); if they haven't considered release height, then this will be
their answer and is at the level of an intermediate candidate. Poor candidates will not have
considered air resistance or got the correct release angle. Strong candidates will then go on
to use suvat to find the time for the final 1.5m before landing and then find the extra
distance travelled, which adds around 8% to the initial answer(26m). Even if only
attempted, this still should be a strong candidate.
Subjects Applicable to:
Primary: Physics
Secondary: Maths
 Philosophy / PPE Interview Scenarios

1. “A town is in absolute poverty. An economist argues that if we

enslave 0.1% of the population, then the fruits of this labour
could help bring the remaining 99.9% of people out of
poverty. Since this action would likely increase everyone’s net
happiness, then we should pursue this policy.” Do you agree?
Often, no matter what answer you will give, the interviewer will push back on a point you
raised and will challenge you. This is why it is important to take a few seconds to really
think through your answer: do you have sound justifications for what your point is? What
might be some of the counter arguments that someone could make?

A bad answer could be “I do not believe such a policy should go ahead. It is unfair to take
away 0.1% of the population's freedom for the benefit of everyone else. Who are we to
make that call, even if it would benefit everybody else?” This answer is very basic, and the
candidate should take some time to really think through their answer before speaking –
remember, you do not have to answer straight away. The interviewer would prefer a
candidate to take one minute to think and give a detailed, logical answer over a candidate
that speaks immediately, giving a weaker response.

A better answer could be “Firstly, I want to scrutinise an assumption made in the question.
The question argues that because wealth increases, this means everyone’s happiness also
increases. This may not be the case – people may derive happiness from other aspects of
life, aside from material goods. They may instead derive more happiness from other aspects
of life – such as through feelings of happiness and security. It is likely that this policy would
harm these aspects of life, hence the policy could instead lead to a net happiness decrease,
rather than a net happiness increase. One other aspect to consider is…”

2. Why is it important to study Philosophy alongside Politics and

Economics?
Whilst this is a Philosophy interview, you are applying for a Philosophy, Politics and
Economics degree. Oxford does not offer either of these three subjects to be studied
independently: consider why this is - you should not only have a strong interest in all
subjects, but you consider why all subjects are studied alongside each other.

A bad answer would be “I have enjoyed studying Philosophy alongside Economics in my A-

Levels! I have studied different philosophical themes, such as utilitarianism, and these ideas
are important to Economics, in deciding how to allocate scarce resources for example. It is
important to study all the subjects together because there is lots of overlap, and many
linkages across the three disciplines.” This answer is quite vague (not going into much
detail specifically about how the subjects are interconnected). More so, the answer neglects
to talk about Politics, and instead just focuses on the A-Levels the student is currently
studying. Make sure you answer the interviewer’s question, take time to think, and try to
give a detailed, structured answer.
A better answer could be “I think Philosophy is so important to study alongside these two
subjects because they are intrinsically interconnected, and can help build a foundation to
help us better understand our study of Politics and Economics. For example, in Logic, we
can learn how to build sound arguments and learn how to identify false premises. In Ethics,
you will study the arguments of different Philosophers, such as Mill’s Utilitarianism, which
has important implications, such as in Economics when we are looking to maximise utility
from the perspective of a social planner.”

3. Do animals think?
A good applicant explores topics of consciousness, personal identity, and definitions of
thinking. Thinking can be understood as a stream of consciousness which constitutes
personal identity. While animals may have brief thoughts, such as calling out to another
animal, they do not have the consciousness that creates an identity beyond the physical
body. We would not say an animal still exists if their body died but a human whose brain
was transported to a vat or into a different body, we may still feel like ourselves.

A poor applicant would respond that animals do think with evidence of how chimpanzees
are intelligent and can speak and work together with other chimpanzees. Or, they would
argue that humans are animals and we sometimes think of ourselves as animals. While
these points can be incorporated in an answer, it needs to be expanded on, such as how
human thinking is different from animal thinking.
 Biology Interview Scenarios
1. What kind of biological threats are facing humans in the
21st century?
This is a question that is looking to see how aware you are of current news in biology, and
the kinds of biological problems that scientists are working towards solving in the modern
day. It is asking you specifically about the threats facing humans, not the environment or
biodiversity as a whole, so it is important to note that and be specific when answering the
question.

A good way to approach this question would be to break down the kind of threats into
categories. For example, you could first talk about the threats posed by disease. The most
obvious first point here is to mention the threat posed by pandemic diseases, and mention
the global devastation caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. You might also mention the
potential for the emergence of new zoonotic diseases that could affect humans and have
similar if not worse consequences, such as the widely publicised potential future avian
influenza outbreak.

Another very topical example is the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Antibiotics
are vital medicines used by doctors to treat and prevent bacterial infections, such as strep
throat, whooping cough, and urinary tract infections (UTIs). However, historic overuse and
misuse of antimicrobial drugs has led to the development of many drug-resistant bacterial
strains, such as MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus). This poses a
biological threat to humans, as the more this happens, the fewer antibiotics we have
available which can effectively treat bacterial conditions, and we could see vast increases
in the levels of injury and death associated with bacterial causes.
Other examples of threats you might mention are threats caused by climate change. For
example, increased extreme weather events and changing temperatures will lead to many
preventable deaths. In addition, warmer weather and higher rainfall levels might lead to the
spread of insect-borne diseases such as malaria. You could also mention the threat
of biological warefare to humans.

A poorer answer might be if you just rattled off a list the first few things that came into
your head! Try and explain your answers briefly so that your interviewer understands your
thought process, and can see that you’ve considered your answer before giving your
response.
Subjects applicable to:
Primary: Biology
Secondary: Biomedical Sciences, Biochemistry, Medicine

2. Should biology be more mathematical?

In order to answer this question, it might be wise to first think about the areas of biology
that heavily rely on maths, and the areas that typically don’t. What utility does maths
provide to biologists? Has this been increasing in recent times with technological
advancements?

A poor answer might try to give a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response to the question first, without much
thought. This could lead you into a trap of having to justify your response to the death,
especially if you suddenly realise mid-answering the question that your interviewer might
have an obvious counter-argument!

A good answer would instead start by acknowledge the complexity of the question.
Biology is a very diverse field, encompassing all studies of life across many scales, from the
molecular to ecosystem-level. As a result, it relies on multidisciplinary approaches in order
to gather information and evidence. Statistical mathematical approaches can be extremely
useful across these scales, as statistics is a crucial tool for testing hypotheses and
predictions, regardless of the system. In addition, fields such as population genetics,
evolutionary biology, and computational biology are heavily mathematical, relying on these
methods for making significant progress. However, non-mathematical approaches can also
be very important in biology – observation alone can tell us a lot about a living system, such
as how species interact with each other. Sometimes, using maths and numbers can reduce
a lot of the complexity in nature down, and prevent biologists from discovering what’s really
taking place/ assigning causation.
Subjects applicable to:
Primary: Biology
Secondary: Maths

3. What other forces can cause evolution apart from natural

selection?
This question is aiming to test whether an applicant fully understands how Charles Darwin’s
theory of evolution by natural selection works, the difference between evolution and natural
selection, and the other mechanisms that can lead to evolution occurring.

Sample Answer A: Evolution is the change in allele frequency that occurs in a population
over successive generations. Natural selection was first proposed by Darwin, and is the
idea that organisms possessing traits which make them better adapted to their environment
are more likely to survive and reproduce, thereby passing the genes that code for those
traits onto the next generation. Natural selection results in an increase in the frequency of
beneficial alleles that confer a survival advantage to organisms in the next generation, and
is therefore an important force causing evolution. Other forces that can cause evolution
include mutation, genetic drift and gene flow.

Sample Answer B:
Natural selection leads to a change in the frequency of alleles over generations by
preferentially selecting for alleles which confer a reproductive advantage to organisms.
Mutation is another force which can cause populations to evolve, as it is the process that
creates new alleles, and therefore introduces new genetic variants into a population.
Another example is genetic drift, which is the change in the frequency of alleles in a
population due to chance events, or gene flow, which is the movement of alleles from one
population to another.

Commentary:
The student giving answer A gives a very comprehensive background which shows that
they understand the difference between evolution and natural selection. Despite all of this
information being correct, however, it doesn’t directly answer the question. The student
only briefly directly addresses the question at the end, by listing three other forces that can
cause evolution. However, they don’t go into any depth of explanation on these forces, so
this is a relatively poor answer overall.
Answer B, however, gives a brief overview to show the interviewer that they understand
what they’re being asked and what natural selection, and then gives some examples of
other forces, which they explain in a bit of depth. They go into a reasonable amount of
detail, whilst still being straight to the point!
English Interview Scenarios
1. Do students of literature need to know about economics?
Sample Answer A: Yes, students of literature need to know about economics because
money shapes everything. It is with money that books are published and distributed, and it
is because of a lack of money that some writers never have their voice heard. It is crucial
that literature students, particularly those intending to become writers themselves,
understand how economic forces shape and influence literature.

Sample Answer B: No, students of literature do not need to know about economics.
Money is separate for boots. We don’t need to bring it into every discussion. Economics is
important for sociologists and finance students, not us literature students. We should focus
more on history and the arts in order to understand literature.

Commentary:
This question is asking you to think about the interdisciplinary aspect of literary studies, and
how large forces at play affect literature. In order to answer this question, you need to come
at it with an open mind. It’s easy to be thrown off by the mention of something like
economics, but the tutors did not ask you it for no reason. They want to see how you
respond to unforeseen situations and how you view literature in other world contexts.
Answer A is a strong answer, which demonstrates a clear opinion. However, it would
benefit from a textual example or a social case study – are there any specific writers who
have had their voice silenced because of economic forces? As a student, do they feel that
economics has affected their experience of literature? It would also be worth reading up on
basic economic theories, such as Marxism and Capitalism, and how they relate to literature.
Answer B is a poor answer, one which does focus on the question but in a very ‘closed’
way. It answers the question as if it were a yes or no question, rather than a prompt for
further discussion. To make this answer stronger, the student ought to be more open-
minded and ready to think about questions in a more positive and fluid way.
Subjects applicable to:
Primary: English
Secondary: Economics, Sociology

2. Do writers always draw from experience?

Sample Answer A: Writers do not always draw from experience. Some writers, for example
fantasy writers, draw from their imagination or the experience of other people, for example
their loved ones, celebrities or from the books of other people. Writing is a means not only
to reflect on your own experience but also to explore experiences that may otherwise be
inaccessible to you.

Sample Answer B: Writing does not need to be purely experiential. Nevertheless, this
brings forward an interesting epistemological debate – can we only write truly and honestly
about the things we have personally experienced? I personally believe that we can write
convincingly about other people’s experiences, because we experience other people’s lives
in a different way when we learn about them.
Commentary:
This question is asking you to think about epistemology, the study of knowledge, and apply
it to literature. It wants you to voice your opinion clearly, and to use textual examples, or the
names of authors, to substantiate your answer. Ask yourself whether you write from your
own experience, and think about how writers go about planning, and then realising, their
ideas for a book’s plot.
Answer A is a good answer, which raises some interesting points about the value and
purpose of writing as an activity. However, it is void of any textual examples, and therefore
does not have any indication that the student has read widely.
Answer B is a strong answer, which roots itself immediately within the context of an
ongoing debate. This is hugely positive, as tutors want to see that you can contextualise
questions within wider critical conversations. The last sentence, however, needs further
elaboration – how do we ‘experience other people’s lives in a different way when we learn
about them’?
Subjects applicable to:
Primary: English
Secondary: Philosophy, History, Sociology

3. Does a text transcend the intention of its author?

Sample Answer A: Yes, a text does always transcend the intention of its author when it is
published. The moment it is published, it is no longer in the author’s domain. This is
because it marks the moment when eyes other than the author’s read it and interpret it in
their own way. When the text goes into the hands of the public, members of the public are
in control of their own interpretations, which does not take into account the author’s
intentions, as Roland Barthes argues in his theory of the ‘Death of the Author’.

Sample Answer B: No, a text does not always transcend the intention of its author as the
author’s intention is always present within the text. It is present in the text’s language, the
choice of characters, genre, the way that the events unfold and more. Whilst readers may
interpret the text in different ways, the text is always influenced by the author’s intentions.

Commentary:
This question asks you to think about the relationship between object and maker; between
text and author. It also urges you to think about how the text interacts with the reader, and
in turn how the reader interacts with the text. This is a great opportunity to bring in
philosophy, for example the ideas of Roland Barthes and other thinkers.
Answer A is a strong answer, which has brings up an interesting, but sometimes overused,
theorist. Nevertheless, the answer makes a strong case, and elaborates its points the right
amount. It would go up a level if it could use an example of a book which has had multiple
different interpretations applied to it.
Answer B is a good answer. Its strengths include its clear demonstration of the student’s
argument and thought process, but its weakness lies in its lack of grounding in any
surrounding or contextual information. Despite this, it is a good answer, and would be
received well at the interview stage.
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 Engineering Interview Scenarios

Non – Technical

1. Why would you like to study Engineering?

To answer this question, try and use something personal that gives you the inspiration to
work hard to apply for this subject. The more specific the example, the more the interviewer
can see this isn’t a run-off-the-mill reason, and that you genuinely are passionate about
engineering. What have you written in your personal statement? Did you find your
inspiration recently or a long time ago? The example doesn’t matter as long as you expand
on the why it has motivated you and show you have done background research around it.

Poor Answer: Saying it’s because you want to come to Oxbridge. This is because the
interviewers do not want applicants who apply just because of the university, instead they
want you to apply because of the engineering course itself. So, make sure you don’t use
the university into your answer as the main or only reason. You mustn’t say vague things
like ‘because I am good at maths and physics’ or ‘I like maths and physics’ either, because
even though that might be true, it doesn’t show the beyond-the-curriculum interest in
engineering they are looking for.

Good Answer: Using a specific example from your personal statement, or a story. It might
be a project that you completed over the summer that got you really interested in
aerospace, a documentary that you watched when you were younger that made you want
to build cars, or a role model that you would like to follow. You could also focus on a
particular skill of engineering, like the problem solving or the project work involved, and you
use and example of where you have enjoyed that. If you take a specific reason refer it back
to the course, you can answer this question with very little issue. This sort of question can
be easily answered if you have looked back at your personal statement and revised the
content, which could be quizzed later on. This answer is good as it shows the interviewer a
more personal interest in engineering and the reasons for it, and makes you more unique
amongst all the answers given to them on the day.
Subjects applicable to: Engineering

Technical: Physics
2. A truck has a large airtight glass container attached to the
back of it, filled with air. A helium balloon is attached to the
bottom of the container. The balloon is positioned so that if it
moves in any direction (still attached) it will not hit the walls of
the container. The truck accelerates forward from rest, which
direction with the balloon move in the container?
This is a long physical scenario question that allows the interviewer to see how quickly you
absorb information, and how well you can pick out the subtle but important parts of the
question. They also will be able to gage how well you can apply fundamental physical
concepts to unseen situations. It is worth writing down the key points when this amount of
information is given to you on the spot by the interviewer. Drawing a diagram of the
scenario will help you visualise it and annotating this diagram could help you solve it. All the
points made in this question are designed to help you solve it, so make sure you ask
yourself the right questions when trying to solve this. What effect will the motion of the
truck have on the balloon? What about the air in the container?

Poor Answer: Immediately jump to the conclusion that the balloon will move backwards,
away from the direction the truck is moving in. Yes this would be the case if the balloon
wasn’t within the glass container with air, or maybe if the balloon was filled with air.
However, this isn’t necessarily the case, as you haven’t considered a lot of the information
that was carefully given to you in the question. You must look at the fact the glass container
is large, airtight and full of air, and the balloon is filled with helium. Not factoring this into
your answer or explanation in some way would make this a poor answer, as you have
disregarded most of the detail given to you.

Good Answer: A good answer will require some more thought, and no jumping to the first
initial and seemingly obvious answer that the balloon will move backwards. More thought
about the problem will include the interaction of the helium balloon with the air within the
tank. As the tank moves forward with the truck – what happens to the air? You should
apply Newton’s First Law to the air in the tank and conclude that it will be pushed to the
back of the tank as the truck accelerates forwards, due to the inertia of the particles that
were initially at rest. A good next step is to think about how this altered density of air will
then affect how the air pressure is distributed in the tank, and therefore the movement of
the balloon. You should arrive at the fact that the helium balloon moves forwards, as helium
is less dense than the air surrounding the balloon, and the resultant buoyancy force will
move it forwards. Having this clear and defined thought process, with correct physical
assumptions and reasoning would make this a good and clear answer.
Subjects applicable to: Engineering, Physics

Technical – Maths
3. Sketch a Graph for y = xx
This is a very common engineering interview question, as it allows the interviewers to test
specifically your mathematical skills. Visualising graphs is extremely relevant to engineering
as you progress through your degree, so they want to see if you have the technical ability to
do so, and present to you a graph you have most likely not seen before. If this is the case,
make sure you remember the general schematic to sketching simple quadratics and apply
it to this equation. Where are the intercepts, how will you find them? What are the maxima
and minima? What happens when you tend to infinity or negative infinity?

Poor Answer: Rushing in and plotting the limits, but not looking at the rest of the profile.
Many students may look at this formula and see that as x gets bigger y must tend to
infinity, and that the intercept at the y axis must be 1. You then might think that plotting this
intercept and then roughly drawing an exponential-type curve tending to positive infinity.
Even though the intercepts and behaviour of the graph is right, this is still a poor answer, as
you haven’t considered any possible any maxima and minima. If you neglected to mention
this your interviewers would ask you to find these points, so you must expect to do so and
be very confident at differentiation.

Good Answer: You have found the limits, intercepts, and the asymptotes. A good answer
would include going through all the steps of how you got to these answers, clearly stepping
through all parts of your working. You should then move onto finding the maxima or minima
and know that you must set the derivative with respect to x to zero. Looking at the equation
you can see you can’t apply the chain rule easily, or many other mainstream derivative
rules. This is designed to challenge you, and a good answer would involve you spotting that
you can rearrange this into a more easily differentiable form (with sums of terms instead of
powers), which should help you out. This can be done by taking the natural log of both
sides, and then differentiate both sides separately. This will allow you to rearrange the
expression to equal zero, and to find a solution x = 1/e, showing you that this is in fact a
minima. Making sure you go through the defined steps of graph sketching that you apply to
simpler questions will allow you to perform well at this question, as well as thinking around
tough differentiation problems by rearranging.
 Computer Science Interview Scenarios
Interview Scenario 1
You are given a knapsack with a capacity of W and a set of N
items, each with a weight of w[i] and a value of v[i]. Your task is to
determine the most valuable set of items that can fit in the
knapsack without exceeding its capacity. The items are indivisible,
that is, you can either take an item or leave it. Your goal is to
maximize the total value of the items in the knapsack.
For example, let’s say we have the following items:
Item 1: weight 3, value 7
Item 2: weight 3, value 4
Item 3: weight 1, value 2
Item 4: weight 1, value 9
Item 5: weight 2, value 4
Item 6: weight 1, value 5

For a knapsack of capacity 10, the most valuable set of items that can fit in the knapsack
without exceeding its capacity is the set of items 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, whose weight is 10 and value
is 29.

If the interviewee proposes a greedy approach: e.g., to sort the items by their value-to-
weight ratio in descending order, and then iterate through the items, adding them to the
knapsack if they fit and their value-to-weight ratio is greater than the items that have
already been rejected.
The problem is that when the knapsack has a large capacity, but the items have a low value-
to-weight ratio, the greedy algorithm may end up including many low-value items that may
not be the most valuable solution.
For example, the value-to-weight ratio for our items would be:
Item 1: weight 3, value 7, value to weight: 2,33 *
Item 2: weight 3, value 4, value to weight: 1,33
Item 3: weight 1, value 2, value to weight: 2 *
Item 4: weight 1, value 9, value to weight: 9 *
Item 5: weight 2, value 4, value to weight: 2 *
Item 6: weight 1, value 5, value to weight: 5 *
The starred items are the ones that the greedy algorithm would choose: items 1, 3, 4, 5 and
6, with total weight 8 and value 27. But this is less than the optimal solution presented
above, that ends up with a total value of 29!

The solution to the knapsack problem involves iterating through all possible combinations
of items and their weights, but in a manner that reduces the number of times we look at
combinations that are not useful.
This approach is the dynamic programming approach: the interviewer can give
the idea behind the dynamic programming formula.
Let be the maximum value that we can get from the first items if we have a
knapsack with capacity .

Then, assuming we have

computed for being
the maximum capacity of our original knapsack, we can think of the problem in the
following way:
• We are now evaluating all the possibilities of including ,
with in our capacity-varying knapsacks.
Then, for each possible capacity , we can either include or ignore
it.
• If we decide to include it, then the leftover capacity for the other (i-1) items
from before is ; but we have already computed this
at So our new total value would
be
• If we decide to not include it, then we have already computed the best
solution at
• So, the best solution for the first items and a knapsack of capacity can
be summarised as the following dynamic programming step:

• We will find the maximum value for our initial knapsack weight W
at , where N was the original number of items.

The interviewer can now move on, if the time is running short; if the student arrived at this
answer quickly, however, the interview can ask the student for the initialisation cases of the
problem – remember that this is a dynamic programming question, so the formula is
recursive: what happens when the recursion breaks down, in the beginning?

Obviously, , but is it necessary to initialise all ? What

about ? Or for any ? Discuss.
Interview Scenario 5
How would you check if a given string of parentheses is balanced?
Balanced means that all open parentheses have a closing pair.
For example, the following strings are balanced:
"(())"
"()()"
"((()))"
The following strings are not balanced:
"("
")"
"(()"
"())"

Solution: this problem can be solved using a stack data structure, where you iterate
through the string and for each '(', push it to the stack, and for each ')' pop the last '(', if the
stack is empty after the iteration or there are still opening brackets in the stack, the
parentheses are not balanced.

The student might not have worked with a stack before; even if they do not mention the
word stack, the interviewer can give them the definition of a stack and ask how would they
use such a structure to help them solve the problem.

A stack is a linear data structure that follows the Last In, First Out (LIFO) principle. This
means that the last element added to the stack will be the first one to be removed. It is an
abstract data type that can be implemented using an array or a linked list.

A stack has two main operations: push and pop. The push operation adds an element to the
top of the stack, while the pop operation removes the top element of the stack. A peek
operation can also be implemented, which returns the top element of the stack without
removing it.

This is a visual example of the push and pop operations:

Then, working through an example, let’s say we have the string (()).
We can go through each parenthesis; the student should come up with the following rules:
1. If the parenthesis is a closing one, e.g., “)”, then:
1. If the stack is empty, then we know the string is not balanced (the
student should explain why).
 2. Otherwise, if the parenthesis at the top of the stack is open, e.g. “(“,
then we pop it out
2. If the parenthesis is an open one, then we push it to the top of the stack.

If we reach the end of the string and the stack is not empty, then the string is not balanced.
[Why?: this happens when there are more open parentheses than closed ones. Meaning the
string is has been left “open”]

A further question for an advanced discussion:

• Does the algorithm change fundamentally if we have more than one type of
parenthesis in the same string? E.g. [[{{()}}]]
(Fundamentally, no, but each closing parenthesis should pop out only opening
parentheses of the same type).
• The rules we had above can be described as an algorithm. Would you be
able to explain to me what complexity is? Can you tell me the complexity of
the algorithm above, in terms of the length of the input string S?
• The complexity of an algorithm refers to the amount of resources (such as
time or memory) required to run the algorithm. Complexity can be described
using big O notation, which expresses the upper bound on the resources
used by the algorithm as the size of the input increases.

For example, a linear algorithm has a time complexity of O(n), meaning that the time
it takes to run the algorithm increases linearly with the size of the input.
On the other hand, a quadratic algorithm has a time complexity of O(n^2), meaning
that the time it takes to run the algorithm increases quadratically with the size of the
input.

The stack algorithm we described above is linear both in time and memory w.r.t. to
the length of the original input.
Interview scenario 3
Given a list of integers and a target number, describe a strategy
that finds two numbers from the list that add up to the target
number.
Input: the list of integers is [3, 5, -4, 8, 11, 1, -1, 6], the target
number is 10
Output: The pair of integers is [-1, 11]

First solution: Iterate through the list of integers and for each integer and check if there is a
second integer that would add up to the target number.
That's a good start, but that would have a time complexity of O(n^2), where n = the size of
the list. We can think of a way to improve this time complexity.
The first hint is that we can sort the input list of integers. Then:
• We initialise two pointers, one at the beginning of the list and one at the end
of the list.
• At each iteration, we check if the sum of the elements at the two pointers is
equal to the target number. If it is, return those two elements.
• If the sum is less than the target number, move the left pointer to the right
(increment the index).
• If the sum is greater than the target number, move the right pointer to the left
(decrement the index).
• Keep repeating these steps until you find the two numbers that add up to the
target number or until the left pointer is greater than or equal to the right
pointer.

The student should then discuss the time complexity of this algorithm. The student should
identify that the two-pointer iteration through the array has complexity O(n) – linear in the
size of the list. The sorting algorithm, however, can have a range of complexities. (See
interview scenario 7).

Very advanced: The best strategy here is to use a hash table to store the numbers in the
list as keys and their indices as values. Then for each element, check if the target number
minus the current element exists in the hash table. If it does, return the current element and
the element from the hash table. However, Oxbridge candidates are not required to know
what hash tables are.
History Interview Scenarios

Abstract/unexpected questions

1. What can historians not find out about the past?

A strong answer would start by thinking about what historians can find out about the past
and the methods they deploy to do this. For example, historians can find out statistics
about births and deaths by using birth records. However, a strong candidate would also
consider the limitations of this particular method, such as why these figures could be
incorrect or have been tampered with, and how the provenance of the source influences it.
They might also point out that figures aren’t useful without context (i.e. what was the size of
the entire population, which kinds of people were perhaps missed out from these figures,
how can we account for geographical discrepancies?). By analysing what we can find out
but also the limitations, it becomes easier to see what is missing or lacking.
The study of History is ultimately guided by evidence and our interpretation of it, but a
strong candidate would recognise that no evidence can be accepted at face value, and it
needs to be contextualised to judge its reliability. Perhaps an alley they could go down is
that historians often cannot find out the objective truth about the past and what happened,
and that there is no way of knowing whether they have or not, because all we have
remaining is the evidence. For a question like this, a theoretical and philosophical approach
is the most effective because it is impossible to analyse every single piece of evidence to
see what historians cannot find out and instead, a thoughtful, generalised answer is most
effective.

On the other hand, a weak answer would lack the nuance and state that historians cannot
find out anything that isn’t in our existing evidence. Though this is true to some extent, that
kind of objective statement about history is unconvincing, and it shows that the candidate
is unable to read between the lines when looking at sources. It is also important to give
some examples (i.e. of birth and death records as in the strong answer), because no claim
is justified without being backed up, and sometimes focusing too much on the theory
(though useful) leads to a weak response.

Personal statement questions

2. How have your non-academic interests shaped your

ability as a historian?
The focus of this question is not your non-academic interests, so no need to go into too
much detail about that, but what you think the key skills of a historian are and adapt your
extra-curriculars to that. It’s a more challenging way of phrasing a simple question. The
regular qualities you talk about when referring to extra-curriculars, like leadership and
teamwork, won’t be useful here. Instead, focus on other traits. For example, a good
historian needs to be creative in their arguments and perspectives, and you’ve developed
this skill by creative writing which encourages a broader state of mind. Focus on the
historian’s skill and then bring in personal examples. You can even tie in sporting activities,
perhaps to show that dedication in training extends itself to dedication in all aspects of your
life, including your interest in History.
A strong answer might be:
‘I’m a keen runner and have been competing in cross country races for 3 years. It’s been a
fantastic release and is an enjoyable sport, but the skills I've gained from this hobby have
contributed to my success as a historian in many ways. For example, racing requires
determination and dedication in the most challenging moments, and I have learned how to
endure and develop a mindset of perseverance. I have adapted this to my study of History,
where I remain dedicated to reading challenging books and comprehending arguments
despite their difficulty. I recently read ‘Empire’ by Niall Ferguson, and though I found many
of his initial arguments challenging and often unconvincing, I challenged myself to remain
critical and keep reading, where I actually found some fascinating and invaluable evidence
which shaped my understanding of the British Empire’

3. Tips for questions on the essay

The essay you submit as written work often gets ignored in interview preparation but it is
vital. Some candidates have an entire interview based on their essay but you won’t find out
until you are in the interview, and then it is too late. It is an important part of your
application - the essay itself and its mark doesn’t contribute to your application but the
subsequent discussion about it in an interview will count. If you can, ensure you submit an
essay about a topic you’re genuinely interested in, even if it isn’t your best essay, because
that will make the discussion with the interviewer far more authentic, easy, and interesting.

8i) Preparing for the questions on the essay

Read your essay back and make sure you know it inside out. It’s most likely going to be on
content you’re studying at A-Level/IB, so you will already have a decent understanding of
the period without too much revision. Don’t worry about memorising all the specific dates
and facts because the interviewers are less interested in that than they are in your
arguments. Focus on the essay itself and consider what you did well and what you would
improve, so that you are open and aware of different avenues of discussion in case they
come up in the interview. Be prepared to defend your arguments but you would have
written the essay a long time ago and it probably isn’t perfect, so be open to questioning
your view and finding the holes in your argument (as your interviewer will probably be aware
of some of these holes).

8ii) In the interview

At the beginning of the interview, your interviewer might mention they’re going to talk about
the essay. Don’t panic. This, if anything, is the part of the interview you should be the most
confident about because you’ve been studying this History at school and you've read your
essay and received feedback from your teachers on it. So make sure you’re as prepared as
you can be and minimise the surprises! Equally, you will likely make mistakes as you will in
other aspects of the interview, which is completely normal. If you get asked about a date or
key term that you can’t remember, just admit it. The interviewers are human and they
understand - this isn’t a memory game so it’s more than okay if you forget things. Also, it is
possible you’ll get asked a question on a part of the course that you haven’t studied yet
(and the interviewers won’t know), so if that occurs, just be honest rather than trying to
answer a question you can’t answer, and they’ll move onto something you do know.
Medicine Interview Scenarios

1. Pharmacology

What is a drug:
• Any chemical which affects a physiological/biological process
• Can be endo or exogenous

Name three routes of administration we use in medicine:

• IV, Oral, Intramuscular etc

Give an example of a drug administered through these routes:

• IV – Morphine drip, Oral – paracetamol, Intramuscular – vaccines

Explain some advantages and disadvantages of the oral route of administration:

• Advantage – Self-administration, cheap, safe route unlikely to have complications
• Disadvantage – Absorption of the drug varies, harsh conditions in the stomach could
have an effect on the drug, first-pass metabolism

Explain what you understand about first-pass metabolism applying your knowledge from A-level:
• Where does the blood go once it has passed through the digestive system, hepatic
portal vein
• This vessel brings blood into the liver where metabolism takes place, in some cases
the metabolism is so great that only a small fraction of the originally digested blood
reaches its target tissue.

What method of administration would get around this issue:

• IV- the blood travels a greater distance around the body before first passing the liver

Can you suggest a time where we made need to administer a normally orally administered drug
through an IV:
• An emergency where a patient is unconscious

Therefore suggest the shape of the curve for the percentage of drug in plasma against time for
both oral and IV methods of administration
 2. Action potential
What is an action potential:
• A rapid and propagating change in a cell’s membrane potential

Can you please draw me an action potential (nearly all students will draw a nuerone):
• Accurate rough curve, so shape and axis need to be correct but no numbers

Based on your own knowledge how might we define an electrically excitable cell and
what features might they have, give me an example of an electrically excitable cell:
• Cells that can transmit an action potential such as muscles or neurones in humans,
electrocytes in eels.
• They have ion channels that allow for the flow of charge, and these are quite often
voltage-gated.
• Could potentially have myelination in the case of some nerve fibres however is not a
requirement in the case of muscle cells.
• Although sodium and potassium are perhaps the most commonly known it is not
restricted for example muscle have quite a high permeability to calcium ions.

Can you please label your drawing and explain what is happening at each labelled
stage:
• Initial depolarisation – Potential causes include binding of neurotransmitters in case of
synapse or mechanical stimuli. Nociceptor stimulation mechanism is not fully understood
currently however there is literature on potential mechanisms through which pain stimulation
occurs
• Reaching threshold (all or nothing response) opens more voltage-gated sodium
channels (could talk about different genes for sodium channels in different neurones and
muscles etc but not needed)
• Sodium channels have an intrinsic inactivation state (different to closed) and the
delayed opening voltage-gated potassium channels open, slow to close so overshoot and
cause hyperpolarisation
• Mention refractory period if and why it’s needed.

How does the action potential propagate across a neurone:

• Local circuit currents, movement of ions from depolarised region to region of resting
membrane potential, ions will diffuse in both directions however only one direction will
stimulate a new potential because of the refractory period. Not just sodium ions move any
cation will diffuse across and quite often it is potassium.

When we record concentrations of ions around a neurone during an action potential

there is no recordable change. Why is this?
• The moles of ions needed to move to create a difference in charge is so little there is
no recordable change in intracellular and extracellular concentrations
 3. Cystic fibrosis
What is cystic fibrosis:
• Is an inherited disease that results in mucus-producing cells producing a
much thicker and stickier mucus than of someone without the condition. This
mucus builds up in the airways and organs resulting in inflammation and an
increased chance of infection.

What is the cause of cystic fibrosis and how is it inherited:

• It is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner meaning that having one
copy of a mutated gene is not enough to cause the condition. The gene which
is mutated is called the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator gene (CFTR)

What are the chances of a child born being a carrier of the gene if both parents are
carriers vs if one parent has the disease and the other is a carrier:
• This is actually a trick question, in both cases, the chance is still ½, the
student can always draw a punnet square if they would like and show it to the
interviewer

Experimentally we found that the most common mutation that causes CS does not
create an unfunctional protein, instead, it creates a misfolded one with limited but still
some functionality. Suggest a reason that people with CS do not express enough
functional channels on their membrane surface.
• The misfolded proteins are trafficked and destroyed by enzymes in the
cytoplasm instead of being transported to the surface where they should be
expressed, this is a downside of the protein folding quality control
mechanisms.

How could we use our understanding of these two issues which occur with the
mutation of the gene to produce treatments for cystic fibrosis:
• Potentiators - Increases the gating and conductance of the poorly functioning
proteins. So increases their functionality
• Correctors - Increase the number of transmembrane proteins which reach the
membrane without being destroyed

The graph below is the results from a clinical trial using a newly approved 3 drug
treatment for cystic fibrosis, what can you interpret from these results:
We can see that the FEV1 improves by almost 14 percentage points compared to the
placebo. The lower your percentage of your predicted FEV1 the worse your respiratory
disease is. Improving it suggests that the patient’s condition is improving. Absolute change
means percentage points rather than the relative change which would be a percentage
value. Note however still not the same as a person without the disease, as it is a percentage
of the expected FEV1

What is a potential downside of this drug:

• Is only effective against one mutation, will not have the same beneficial effect
on other mutations which cause cystic fibrosis.
 Psychology Interview Scenarios

1. Experimental design
How many monkeys would you use in an experiment?
This question sounds deceptively simple, but the answer is actually quite complicated. This
requires you to consider several different aspects of experimental design - it’s not just a
question about sample size but also the logistics of doing animal research, and the ethics.

A good answer: I suppose the first thing to consider is whether I need to use monkeys at all.
If I want to find out about an aspect of human psychology, and I can ethically study that in
humans, then I wouldn’t use any monkeys. If I couldn’t study it in humans, then I’d also think
about whether monkeys might be the best model for what I’m trying to study. If I could model
it in rats just as well I might use them instead of monkeys as it could be cheaper. But if I
came to the conclusion that I need to use monkeys to answer my research question, I would
probably need to consider logistical things, like how many monkeys I could afford to look
after with my study budget and how long I have to carry out the study - testing monkeys
might be quite time consuming. The ethical considerations are also necessary, especially if
my study causes any harm to the monkeys. It would be important to use enough monkeys to
get enough data to analyse, but I shouldn’t use more than the bare minimum to avoid
causing excessive harm where it’s not needed. So I think the overall answer to the question
is it depends on what the experiment is.

A poor answer: I think I would use about 20 monkeys. I think that’s probably a decent
amount and hopefully the sample would be big enough for me to get reliable data.

The good answer here has systematically considered several things that influence how
many monkeys are used in the experiment. They’ve considered the situations where they
would or would not use monkeys in the first place, and given several different factors that
would affect sample size when monkeys are used. The poor answer does consider the
implications that sample size has for data, but doesn’t really go beyond that, and they seem
to have just picked a number out of thin air. This isn’t showing much awareness of the
experimental considerations that need to be made when deciding sample size.

2. How would you design an experiment to see if babies

can tell the difference between different faces?
This question is asking you to design your own experiment, so you must apply the principles
of experimental design to your answer. There is an added challenge here that the study
involves babies, who can’t tell you if they recognise a face, so you have to come up with
another way to measure this.

A good answer: Since this experiment uses babies, and they can’t speak or give very co-
ordinated physical responses, I’ll have to find a way to measure their facial recognition
abilities in a different way. I think I could measure the amount of time they spend looking at
faces instead. I could show a baby a specific face for a while until she gets bored of it, and
then show her that face and a new face at the same time. If she can tell that the new face is
different to the one she has seen before, she will probably pay more attention to it since it is
new to her as opposed to the face she is bored of, so she would look at it longer. So I could
repeat this several times with different sets of faces to form my experiment. I would also
have to minimise the other cues available for telling the difference, so I would use images of
just faces with hairstyles and clothes obscured. I would test it on quite a lot of babies - I
know babies will probably have short attention spans and get distracted quite easily, or
some might refuse to participate in the task, so I’ll probably need to recruit quite a lot of
babies. Babies themselves can’t consent, so I would have to get informed consent from the
parents. I can also make sure the baby seems happy during the experiment, and stop if it
seems distressed or isn’t engaged with the task, so I’m not forcing them to do something
they don't want to do. To analyse my data I could compare how long babies spent looking at
familiar faces compared to new faces - if they could tell the difference they would probably
look at newer faces more than familiar faces, so if the looking time for the new faces was
higher, that tells me that babies can tell the difference between faces.

A poor answer: I know babies can’t tell me what they are thinking, so I’m not really sure how
to find out if they can tell the difference between different faces. Maybe I could put them in
front of their parent and a similarly dressed stranger and see which one they go to - I think
babies would probably go to their parent over a stranger. If babies consistently choose a
parent then that tells me they can tell the difference between a parent’s and a stranger’s
face.

The good answer details a lot of the considerations they have made in designing their study,
including sample size, task design, and how they would analyse the data. They have
provided a creative solution to the problem of babies not being able to verbally or physically
respond very well and have explained the logic behind it. The answer overall shows they
clearly appreciate many aspects of experimental design. The poor answer is less detailed
and the task might not be suitable - babies typically cannot get themselves around very
easily so might struggle to ‘go’ to a parent unaided. There would also be other cues - even if
they are similarly dressed the parent and the stranger might have different hair, body
language or smells that might also cue the baby as to which is their parent rather than facial
features. They also wouldn’t be able to collect much data doing one trial per baby. And their
conclusions would be limited - it only tells us if babies can tell the difference between a very
familiar person’s face and a stranger - it doesn’t tell us much about their ability to recognise
faces that they haven’t been exposed to potentially every day of their lives.

3. How would you measure someone’s emotions?

This question is asking you to operationalise emotions. You can’t directly measure the
emotion someone is experiencing, so you have to find things you can measure that you
expect would reflect their emotions.

A good answer: I think I can think of a few ways to measure emotions. A strong emotion like
excitement or fear can give someone a physical response, like their heart rate gets faster.
So maybe you could use heart rate to measure the strength of an emotion, but I guess it is
less useful in telling you what emotion they are experiencing. People usually experience
feelings in association with their emotions, so you could ask them how they feel, but there
might be issues here as people might have different abilities to describe their emotions. You
could look at their facial expressions, but I know that people’s facial expressions could be
affected by their social environment and not everybody expresses their emotions facially the
same way, or at all. I think you could probably get a more reliable idea of someone’s
emotions if you combined these methods.

A poor answer: People usually know they are experiencing emotions so I think you could just
ask them what they are feeling and how strong that emotion is.

The good answer considers the pros and cons of several different measurements, showing a
deeper thought into how emotions could be measured and an awareness of the potential
pitfalls of measuring psychological concepts. The poor answer does not go into this level of
depth and gives a rather obvious answer without considering that method’s flaws.
Questions for Experimental Psychology at Oxford and PBS at Cambridge - also relevant for
Psychology and Linguistics, Psychology and Philosophy, possibly Biomedical Science and
Human Sciences at Oxford and Natural Sciences (particularly the biological route) at
Cambridge.
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