Free Interview Resources
Free practice questions, preparation advice, and expert insights for Economics interviews at Cambridge.
Real Economics interview questions in the style Cambridge asks. Try answering each one aloud before you reveal the hint.
Sketch the graph below for positive c, explaining turning points and limiting behaviour.
Problem-Solving
Hint
Start by asking when the squared term is zero, then consider what happens as x becomes very large in either direction.
Sketch the graph below for positive c and describe how c affects its shape.
Problem-Solving
Hint
Rewrite the expression so that the linear and reciprocal components are visible separately.
A firm chooses output q when price p is fixed. Find the output that maximises the profit function below.
Problem-Solving
Hint
Differentiate profit with respect to output, set the marginal condition to zero, and check the second-order condition.
If the firm's optimal output can be expressed as a function of price, invert that relationship and comment on the shape of the implied supply relationship.
Problem-Solving
Hint
Use the first-order condition from the previous problem and solve for price as a function of output.
Now suppose the firm can influence price through its output. Maximise the profit function below for positive output.
Problem-Solving
Hint
Substitute the demand equation into profit first, then optimise a single-variable function.
Supervision-style interviews with problem-solving and academic discussion, often with two interviewers.
Cambridge interviews usually happen at your first-choice college. Most applicants have two interviews, with some subjects requiring a third at the pooled college. Cambridge interviews tend to involve two interviewers and may include a written assessment or pre-interview task sent on the day.
Interview Invitation
Late Nov
Arrival to Interview
Early Dec
Technical Question
Mid Dec
Decision
Early Jan
Interview Invitation
Late Nov
Arrival to Interview
Early Dec
Technical Question
Mid Dec
Decision
Early Jan
In a village with n people, a crime is witnessed by v people and each witness faces a reporting cost c. How does the probability of the crime being reported change as the number of witnesses rises?
hardHint
Think first about individual incentives, then about how each witness's expectation of others' reporting may change.
Is a sandwich stall likely to be a profitable business? Analyse the main revenues, costs, and competitive constraints.
entryHint
Break the problem into fixed costs, variable costs, price, volume, and the availability of close substitutes.
Some chief executives earn far more than the average worker in their firm. What economic explanations could justify or challenge that pay gap?
midHint
Compare marginal productivity, incentives, bargaining power, tournament models, and fairness arguments.
A currency trader sells one currency for another and later reverses the trade. What must happen for the trader to profit?
entryHint
Track the exchange rate in both directions and be explicit about which currency is the numeraire.
Why can a fixed exchange-rate regime become vulnerable to a speculative attack?
hardHint
Think about the central bank's reserve constraint and what traders infer when the peg looks unsustainable.
What economic channels could explain movements in the pound around the Brexit referendum?
midHint
Separate trade expectations, investment flows, interest-rate expectations, and uncertainty.
What does the fiscal multiplier try to measure, and why might its size differ across countries or recessions?
hardHint
Identify the initial spending shock, then consider leakages, spare capacity, monetary policy, and expectations.
Tell me about one economics idea from your reading that genuinely surprised you, and explain why it changed your view.
entryHint
Choose a specific argument or model, not just a book title, and be ready to test its assumptions.
Your personal statement mentions economic growth. What, precisely, do economists mean by growth, and what might GDP fail to capture?
midHint
Define the measure first, then distinguish output, welfare, distribution, sustainability, and non-market activity.
Why do you want to study Economics at university rather than only following economics in the news?
entryHint
Contrast academic economics as model-building and evidence-testing with commentary or political preference.
Could a law requiring drivers to wear seatbelts increase the number of pedestrian casualties? Explain the economic mechanism.
midHint
Think about risk compensation: how might a rule change the private cost of risky driving?
How would an economist define greed, and can that definition be separated from moral judgement?
midHint
Try translating the word into preferences, utility, externalities, or revealed behaviour, then note what the model loses.
If a policy raises total economic welfare but leaves one identifiable group worse off, how should an economist evaluate whether it is desirable?
midHint
Separate efficiency from distribution, then ask what compensation, rights, evidence, and political feasibility would change the judgement.
Can an economist analyse inequality without making a moral judgement? Explain where positive analysis ends and normative evaluation begins.
midHint
Start with measurement and mechanisms, then identify which claims depend on values rather than only on evidence.
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Book Mock Interview →Further Reading
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A comprehensive non-official set of economics interview-style practice questions, useful for mock-interview preparation. Covers microeconomics, macroeconomics, game theory, logic puzzles, and mathematical applications.
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Official TMUA specification, content outline, dates, and registration information. Essential reference for test preparation.
by UAT-UK
Free official TMUA practice materials, sample papers, and guidance notes. Recommended as the starting point for test preparation.
by University of Cambridge
Current admissions data by course and college, including acceptance rates, offer rates, and applications per place. Updated annually.