<p>Here's how my Cambridge Natural Sciences (Physical) interviews went, back in December 2010, and the one habit that I think made the biggest difference.</p><p><strong>Starting from my personal statement</strong></p><p>Rather than opening with generic questions, the interviewers went straight for topics from my personal statement, especially a superconductivity project I'd written about. That set the tone for everything: whatever you put on your statement, be ready to be quizzed on it in real depth, and if you can't discuss something properly, don't include it in the first place.</p><p><strong>The physics interview</strong></p><p>The physics interview centred on a maths problem with a recurring expression that looked awkward at first and turned out much simpler once the interviewer gave me a hint. As one of them explained, they usually start with things you should be able to answer from what you learned at school, then build from there. So the early questions aren't traps, they're a foundation you climb from, which is worth remembering when your nerves want to read them as tricks.</p><p><strong>The chemistry interview</strong></p><p>The second interview was chemistry, covering bonding in dimers and some organic reactions. I went in expecting not to know every answer, and that's genuinely fine, they'd rather you attempt something sensible, even if it turns out wrong, than freeze up and say nothing.</p><p><strong>The habit that helped</strong></p><p>If I boil it down to one habit: attempt an answer rather than going silent, and ask for a hint when you're properly stuck. Staying in the conversation, thinking out loud, and using the interviewer's nudges is worth far more than being right first time. Prepare your personal statement topics thoroughly, and treat the rest as a problem to be solved together.</p><p><strong>Final thoughts</strong></p><p>Natural Sciences interviews aren't about knowing everything, they're about being a good person to think alongside, so practise reasoning out loud and using hints without embarrassment. If you'd like to practise Natural Sciences interviews, Oxbridge Solution can help.</p>