Pre-interview Notes for King's Candidates

1. December interviews in Cambridge

Should we invite you for interviews, these will most likely take place from Monday 4 December to 12th December 2023. Those candidates being interviewed in person will in the majority of cases only need to be in Cambridge on one day. Please note that we will be unable to arrange interviews outside our scheduled interview times. Most invitations to interviews will be sent out in the second half of November. 

Interviews will be with one or more members of the teaching staff in the subject you intend to study in the first year. Please check individual subject pages for details about the number of interviews you will have, and their duration. Generally, an interview will last between 25 and 35 minutes, depending on subject.

2. Decisions and the January Pool

Decisions will be sent to you in mid-January. Candidates who are placed in the Pool may be invited for interview at another College in mid-January. It is important that you give us both the address and telephone number at which you can be contacted in January 2024. If you intend to be at the home address given on your UCAS form, no action is required; if you will be elsewhere, please send us details as soon as they are known. You should also let us know if you are not available for interview in January.

3. Correspondence with King's.

All correspondence with King's must start with three or four pieces of information:

• Your name (exactly as you wrote it on your UCAS form - please do not use alternative or abbreviated names during the admissions process)

• The subject you are applying for

  (Please write it out e.g. 'Medicine' not 'A100'. If you are applying for Natural Sciences, please always write 'Biological Natural Sciences' or 'Physical Natural Sciences')

• Your UCAS number

Please continue to use this format even if you write to us several times. If each and every email we receive starts like this it saves us a lot of time and enables us to respond to your messages faster.

You will need to submit one piece of written work for Archaeology, and Candidates taking modular A levels are required to send a UMS form by 2 November 2023. Any candidate who declared a learning difficulty, disability or long-term illness on their UCAS form, or who receives adjustments for exams taken at school, is asked to submit an adjustments form by 23 October.

For candidates invited for interviews with King's:

• Candidates for Archaeology have two interviews.

• Archaeology candidates also take the Archaeology Admissions Assessment if invited for interview. It lasts one hour. This will be organised by King's, and no registration is required. More information will be provided in due course. 

• Information and forms for students invited for interview is provided in the Cambridge interviews section of the Applicant Information. Please read it thoroughly. It includes details about sitting the Archaeology Admissions Assessment.

Candidates taking modular A levels are required to send a UMS by 2 November 2023. Any candidate who declared a learning difficulty, disability or long-term illness on their UCAS form, or who receives adjustments for exams taken at school, is asked to submit an adjustments form by 23 October.

For candidates invited for interviews with King's:

If you are applying for an AMES language only:

• You will have an AMES interview with the Director of Studies at King's and one other Fellow.

• You will have one other interview with language specialists from the Faculty. 

• There is no admissions assessment taken at interview for those applying to study AMES language(s) only.

If you are applying to combine an AMES language and a European language:

• You will have an AMES interview with the Director of Studies at King's and one other Fellow, for candidates with Arabic or Persian as a language this interview also includes a language specialist.  

• You will also have an interview (and pre-interview reading) for the European language. Please see the MML notes for details.

• You will take the Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment in the weeks prior to interviews. You will hear about this in due course if you are invited for interview.

All candidates for Classics are required to send two pieces of written work by 2 November 2023. Please read the written work page for details. Candidates taking modular A-levels are required to send a UMS form to arrive by 2 November 2023. Any candidate who declared a learning difficulty, disability or long-term illness on their UCAS form, or who receives adjustments for exams taken at school, is asked to submit an adjustments form by 23 October.

For candidates invited to Cambridge for interviews at King's:

• All Classics applicants invited to Cambridge in December will have two separate interviews with different King's Classics Fellows.

• Classics candidates take a Classics Admissions Assessment if invited for interview. The assessment is different depending on whether you are applying for the three year or the four year Classics course, and there are different topics covered for those who have studied Latin to GCSE or AS level (or equivalent), and for those who have no knowledge of the language at all. The assessments will be organised by King's and the Classics Faculty, and no registration is required.

You do not need to submit any essays for Design but candidates taking modular A-levels are required to send a UMS form by 2 November 2023. You will also need to submit a 6-page portfolio (mentioned below) online by 2 November 2023, and bring a copy of this with you if invited to interview. Any candidate who declared a learning difficulty, disability or long-term illness on their UCAS form, or who receives adjustments for exams taken at school, is asked to submit an adjustments form by 23 October.

For candidates invited to Cambridge for interviews with King's:

• You will have one interview.

• In preparation you will be asked to upload samples of your portfolio of selected drawings, photographs, sketches, models or other visual material which you feel best displays your general interest in design. The choice of material is up to you; successful candidates have including paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and constructions of all kinds, particularly material that conveys a spatial and three dimensional interest. You will also be required to bring your portfolio with you to your interview. Please be prepared to discuss that portfolio in your interview.

• Design Candidates invited for interview take a College-Based Admissions Assessment. This will be organised by King's, and no registration is required.

Pre-Registration Required Admissions Assessment: All candidates in Engineering must take the Engineering Admissions Assessment (ENGAA) at their school or other registered test centre on Tuesday 18th October 2023. There is no fixed score that will secure you an interview and we base our decision on your whole application. Please see the admissions assessment page for further information.

You do not need to submit any written work prior to interviews for Engineering, but candidates taking modular A levels are required to send a UMS form by 2 November 2023. Any candidate who declared a learning difficulty, disability or long-term illness on their UCAS form, or who receives adjustments for exams taken at school, is asked to submit an adjustments form by 23 October.

Applicants for Engineering are advised to make use of the i-want-to-study-engineering website.

For candidates invited to Cambridge for interviews at King's:

• You will have one interview with two members of the Engineering teaching staff. During the interview you will be asked some technical questions related to subjects you will have studied already (in particular Physics and Maths). These questions will extend into less familiar areas in order to explore your approach to tackling new problems. You will also be expected to explain your motivation for choosing to study Engineering.

Please read the written work page for details. Candidates taking modular A levels are required to send a UMS form by 2 November 2023 (see the Applicant Information page). Any candidate who declared a learning difficulty, disability or long-term illness on their UCAS form, or who receives adjustments for exams taken at school, is asked to submit an adjustments form by 23 October.

Applicants will not be expected to have done any specific reading for the pre-interview admissions assessment or interview. We know that school work schedules can be very busy. But for applicants who wish to advance their interests, we have provided some reading suggestions.

For candidates invited to interviews at King's:

• You will have one interview with at least one academic from the Department of Geography.

• Half an hour before your interview, you will be asked to study a short written passage, map, or other illustrative materials for discussion during the interview. We will tell you what time and how to access your pre-interview material in your invitation to interview.

• There is no additional written test taken at interview for Geography candidates.

All candidates for History and Modern Languages are required to send two pieces of written work by 2 November 20223. Please read the written work page for full details. Any candidate who declared a learning difficulty, disability or long-term illness on their UCAS form, or who receives adjustments for exams taken at school, is asked to submit an adjustments form by 23 October. Candidates taking modular A levels are required to send a UMS form by 2 November 2023.

For candidates invited to Cambridge for interviews at King's:

You will have two interviews as follows:

• One interviews will be History interviews with specialists in History.

• One interview will be with a specialist in your chosen language. If you are studying your chosen language at school (at A level / IB Higher or equivalent), you will be asked to arrive early for your language interview so that you can study a short passage in the language and sometimes some grammar exercises to discuss in the interview. We will tell you what time to collect your pre-interview material in your invitation to interview. If you are applying for a language from scratch, you will also be asked to arrive early, but the passage we give you to study and discuss in the interview will be in English.

• History and Modern Languages candidates applying for a language which they are studying at A level, IB Higher or equivalent take the Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment. This will be organised by King's, and no registration is required.

• History and Modern Languages candidates applying for a language from scratch do not sit the Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment, but a test with a language aptitude section and a discursive element . This will be organised by King's, and no registration is required. 

Candidates are not required to submit any written work for History of Art. Any candidate who declared a learning difficulty, disability or long-term illness on their UCAS form, or who receives adjustments for exams taken at school, is asked to submit an adjustments form by 23 October. Candidates taking modular A levels are required to send a UMS form by 2 November 2023 (see the Applicant Information page).

For candidates invited for interviews at King's:

• You will have two separate interviews with members of the History of Art teaching staff.

• History of Art candidates take the History of Art Admissions Assessment in the weeks before interview. It lasts one hour. This will be organised by Cambridge, and no registration is required.

You do not need to send in any written work for Law, but Candidates taking modular A levels are required to send a UMS form by 2 November . In addition, any candidate who declared a Specific Learning Difficulty, disability or long-term illness on their UCAS form, or who receives adjustments for exams taken at school, is asked to send an adjustments form which we must receive by 23 October.

For candidates invited to Cambridge for interviews with King's:

• There will be two interviews with the Directors of Studies in Law and other legal scholars. You will be required to study a test for half an hour before one of your interviews, to be discussed in the interview. We will tell you when and how to collect your pre-interview material in your invitation to interview.

• Law candidates take the LNAT, you must sit this by the deadline of 16th October.

Mathematics candidates are not required to send any written work, but candidates taking modular A levels are required to send a UMS form by 2 November 2022 (see the Applicant Information page). Any candidate who declared a learning difficulty, disability or long-term illness on their UCAS form, or who receives adjustments for exams taken at school, is asked to submit an adjustments form by 23 October.

For candidates invited for interviews at King's:

• Candidates for Mathematics are not required to do any set mathematical reading prior to the interviews.

• You will sit a written test lasting one hour in late November/early December. No past papers are available for this test – you simply turn up and do your best. Calculators are not permitted. The test is designed to be taken by people from all over the world and in all different examination systems. Please do not worry about differences in syllabus.  

• All candidates have two interviews (on top of the written test).

All candidates for MML are required to send written work by 2 November 2023. Please read the written work page for details. Candidates taking modular A levels are required to send a UMS form to by 2 November 2023 (see the Applicant Information page). Any candidate who declared a learning difficulty, disability or long-term illness on their UCAS form, or who receives adjustments for exams taken at school, is asked to submit an adjustments form by 23 October.

For candidates invited for interviews at King's:

• You will have two interviews at King’s, one for each language.

• If you are applying for Russian, Portuguese or Greek, you may have an additional 15 minute interview with the Directors of Studies for MML. 

• For an interview in a language that you study /studied at school (at A level / IB Higher or equivalent), you will be asked to study a short passage in the language and sometimes some grammar exercises to discuss in the interview.  We will tell you what time and how to collect your pre-interview material in your invitation to interview.

• For any new language, you will also be asked to read a text prior to your interview, but the passage we give you to study and discuss in the interview will be in English.

• Modern and Medieval Languages candidates take the Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment if they are invited for interview. We will share more details with candidates who are invited in due course.

• The written work, interview and admissions assessment are designed not only to test what you know but, more importantly, to measure how creatively you think and how clearly you express yourself.

Pre-Registration Required Admissions Assessment: All candidates in Natural Sciences must take the Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment (NSAA) at their school on 18th October 2023. There is no fixed score that will secure you an interview and we base our decision on your whole application. Please see the admissions assessment page for further information.

Applicants for Natural Sciences do not need to submit any written work prior to interviews, but Candidates taking modular A levels are required to send a UMS form by 2 November 2023 (see the Applicant Information page). Any candidate who declared a learning difficulty, disability or long-term illness on their UCAS form, or who receives adjustments for exams taken at school, is asked to submit an adjustments form by 23 October.

Applicants for Natural Sciences (Physical) should look at the Isaac Physics website. Many universities have admissions tests and interviews that involve solving problems. In the area of mathematics, physics, and chemistry, the Isaac Physics website provides an opportunity to practice the necessary skills for such problems. 

For candidates invited to Cambridge for interviews at King's:

• You will have two interviews, each with two members of the teaching staff in Natural Sciences.

• For candidates applying for Physical Natural Sciences, one of your interviews will involve a discussion of some written materials that you will be given in advance of the interview. We will tell you when and where to collect the materials in your interview invitation. These materials will consist of a maths problem, that you can work through during that 30 minute period.  During the interview, you will then be asked to discuss the problem, and your workings, with your interviewers.

PBS applicants do not need to submit any written work, but Candidates taking modular A levels are required to send a UMS form by 2 November 2023 (see the Applicant Information page). Any candidate who declared a learning difficulty, disability or long-term illness on their UCAS form, or who receives adjustments for exams taken at school, is asked to submit an adjustments form by 23 October.

Applicants will not be expected to have done any specific reading for the interview. We know that school work schedules can be very busy. But for applicants who wish to advance their interests in PBS, we have provided some reading suggestions.

For candidates invited to interviews at King's:

• You will have one interview with two members of the psychology teaching staff lasting around 35 minutes. In advance of the interview you will be provided with a short passage to read for discussion in the interview. We will provide more details of arrangements for this in your invitation to interview.

• There is no additional written test taken at interview for Psychological and Behavioural Sciences candidates.