Engineering Interview-style Questions

Note: Oxford and Cambridge do not publicly release any interview questions because they often reuse questions across application cycles. Below are interview-style questions of suitable difficulty that will help you prepare for your Oxbridge interview.

Question 1

You stand in a boat on a lake holding a heavy cannonball. You drop the cannonball into the water where it sinks to the bottom.

Does the water level of the lake rise, fall, or stay the same? Explain your reasoning.

Question 2

A tap drips water at regular intervals. As each drop falls, it accelerates. Sketch how the spacing between successive drops changes with distance fallen. Explain the pattern.

Question 3

A solid sphere, a hollow sphere, a solid cylinder, and a hollow cylinder (all of the same mass m and radius r) are released simultaneously from rest at the top of an incline.

In what order do they reach the bottom? Explain your reasoning.

Question 4

Sketch the graph of y = sin(ln x). What happens as x → 0+ and as x → ∞? Where are the roots?

Question 5

This extended question concerns the design of a concrete gravity dam of height H holding back water to depth H:

(a) Show that the pressure at depth z below the water surface is P = ρgz where ρ is water density.

(b) Calculate the total horizontal force on the dam per unit width.

(c) At what height above the base does this resultant force act?

(d) The dam has a rectangular cross-section of width W at the base. For the dam not to overturn about its toe, derive the minimum width w in terms of H. Take concrete density as 2.4ρ.

(e) Discuss other failure modes and factors that would influence your final design.

Interview Tips

  • Think out loud: The interviewer will be assessing your ability to think through complex problems. They can only do this if they know your thought process.

  • Be familiar with your syllabus: The interviewer can ask you a question from any topic you have been taught already in your A level/IB syllabus.

  • Practice: There is no better way to prepare than to practice.

For comprehensive guidance, visit our Oxbridge Interview Guide.