Cambridge Vet School Interview Guide 2025: Questions, Tips & Insider Advice
- terrellht
- Oct 22, 2025
- 3 min read
By A.T. Success Education – Oxbridge & Medical School Preparation Experts
You’ve finished your personal statement, smashed the ESAT and SAQ, and now you’ve reached the final step... the Cambridge Veterinary Medicine interview.
This guide shares insider tips and lessons I wish I’d known when I applied, plus practical advice to help you perform your best on interview day.
What to Expect from the Cambridge Veterinary Interview
Take a deep breath - you’ve earned your spot. The interview is designed to test how you think and reason, not just what you know.
You’ll usually sit two 30-minute panel interviews, with a total of four different interviewers, each exploring different areas of your knowledge and potential.
Part I: Veterinary Knowledge & Motivation
This section focuses on:
Your personal statement and work experience
Your motivation for studying Veterinary Medicine
Awareness of animal health, welfare, and current issues
Preparation tip:Break your personal statement into themes and practise expanding on each one. Use the STARR framework (Situation, Task, Action, Result, Reflection) to structure your answers clearly.
Avoid memorising set responses. Cambridge interviewers can quickly tell when an answer sounds rehearsed.
Part II – Scientific Reasoning & Problem-Solving
The second interview focuses on your scientific reasoning and application of A Level knowledge. You might be asked to discuss unfamiliar topics or extend familiar ones beyond the syllabus.
How to respond:
Start with what you know confidently.
Explain your reasoning step-by-step.
Build connections logically between ideas.
Interviewers are assessing how you think, not whether you already know the “right” answer. Take it from me, I got a couple of things completely wrong, and here I am.
Do I Need to Learn Every Detail of Veterinary Medicine?
Absolutely not. You don’t need to memorise the entire anatomy atlas!
Focus instead on:
Basic comparative anatomy
Common diseases and vaccines
Explaining the reasoning behind your answers
Even if you’re unsure, talk through your logic. The Cambridge interviewers want to see how you reach conclusions.
How to Handle “Weird” or Unexpected Questions
Oxbridge interviews are known for unusual questions designed to test creativity and critical thinking.
Sample questions include:
“Do you think reindeer can tell the difference between seasons?”
“What percentage of the world’s water is contained in a cow?”
“Would you say cats are similar to cows?”
“Here’s a plant - tell me about it.”
Tips for success:
Pause before answering and think aloud.
Look for subtle guidance from your interviewers.
Stay calm, open-minded, and logical.
Even if you think it went badly, don’t panic - interviewers often value your reasoning process more than correctness.
Seven Essential Tips for the Cambridge Vet Interview
Practice aloud: Answer mock questions regularly.
Know your personal statement inside out: Keep up with any research you mention.
Read widely: Bring in relevant books or papers.
Research your college and course: Demonstrate genuine interest.
Get feedback: Reflect on every mock interview.
Use frameworks: STARR helps you structure clearly.
Check who might interview you: Look up tutors on departmental sites or LinkedIn.
Cambridge Veterinary Interview FAQs
Are there free Cambridge vet interview preparation tools?
Yes. Explore widening participation bursaries or the A.T. Success courses. If you are eligible for contextual offers, we hold free interviews. Just let us know.
How should I handle difficult interview questions?
Pause, breathe, and think aloud. Break complex questions into simple parts, then build upward logically. Interviewers want to see your thought process, not memorised facts.
How diverse is Cambridge Vet School?
Veterinary Medicine remains under-represented by ethnic minorities - only about 3-4 % of UK vets are from non-white backgrounds.
That said, Cambridge Vet School is among the more diverse programmes, and as a Black student myself, I find the environment welcoming and supportive.
What if I experience imposter syndrome?
Everyone feels this way sometimes. You belong at Cambridge. Focus on growth, not comparison.
How competitive is the Cambridge Veterinary Medicine course?
341 applied → 80 offers (≈ 4 : 1)
How much work experience do I need?
Cambridge doesn’t specify a minimum, but most applicants have prior placements. I would recommend trying to see practice or animal husbandry throough in person work experience so you know what you are getting into. If you are short for time you could also try a free online work-experience module for revision.
When are interviews held?
Invites are sent in mid- to late November, with interviews running from late November to mid-December.
Final Thoughts
The Cambridge Veterinary Medicine interview is not about perfection, it’s about showing curiosity, logical reasoning, and enthusiasm for the subject.
If you need any help with your interview preparation, contact us. After all I do have a 100% success rate with Veterinary Medicine applicants ;).
Go in confident, stay calm, and remember - you’ve earned this opportunity.
Good luck, you’ve got this!
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