Free Interview Resources
Free practice questions, preparation advice, and expert insights for Chemical Engineering interviews at Imperial College London.
Real Chemical Engineering interview questions in the style Imperial College London asks. Try answering each one aloud before you reveal the hint.
Imagine you are in a desert and have to split a full, open-topped cylindrical can of water equally between yourself and another survivor. How could you split the water in half equally?
Problem-Solving
Hint
Think geometrically about the cylinder and about what it means for a plane or tilted surface to divide the volume into equal halves.
Imagine a cube of cheese is dipped in red wax so that all six faces are covered. You then slice it into equal parts along the x, y and z axes. How many pieces do you have, and how many pieces have exactly two red sides?
Problem-Solving
Hint
Clarify how many cuts or subdivisions are meant, then classify pieces by whether they lie on faces, edges or corners.
What can you say about elasticity?
Conceptual & Discussion
Hint
Start with Hooke's law and stress-strain behaviour, then explain where real materials stop behaving ideally.
How are Mathematics and Physics applicable?
Conceptual & Discussion
Hint
Use chemical-engineering examples such as material balances, thermodynamics, reaction rates, fluid flow and heat transfer.
Why do you want to do chemical engineering?
Personal Statement & Motivation
Hint
Connect chemistry, mathematics and large-scale process design rather than giving a generic love-of-science answer.
Structured interviews that combine technical problem-solving with motivation and personal statement discussion.
Imperial interviews vary by department. Engineering and Computing tend to be technical with problem-solving elements. Medicine uses a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format with several short stations. Most interviews last 15-30 minutes and may include a presentation or group exercise.
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
What technical areas or general interests in chemical engineering would you most like to discuss?
entryHint
Choose one concrete area, such as separations, process safety, carbon capture, pharmaceuticals or scale-up, and explain what you have done to explore it.
What is your favourite book, and can you give a quick description of it?
entryHint
Briefly summarise the book, then explain what it changed about your thinking, especially if it connects to engineering judgement or sustainability.
Tell me about a book you mentioned in your personal statement.
entryHint
Be ready to explain the argument or technical idea, not just why it sounded impressive.
What practical engineering experience have you had?
entryHint
Include small projects, experiments, coding, plant visits, reading or competitions, then focus on what you learned about engineering decision-making.
8+
6
4
2
1
Unlock the full guide
Free Resource
The Complete Imperial College London Chemical Engineering Interview Guide
Enter your email to unlock the full question bank, worked approaches, a week-by-week prep roadmap, and the mistakes that cost offers.
Practice with an Imperial Chemical Engineering graduate who's been through it.
Book Mock Interview →Watch & Learn
Shows how Imperial frames first-year Chemical Engineering learning and problem-solving.
Useful for understanding process analysis as an early Imperial Chemical Engineering theme.
Introduces facilities and student-facing themes in the department.
Gives applicant-facing context on student life in the department.
Good career-context video for understanding the breadth of chemical engineering.
All videos are the property of their respective creators.
Further Reading
by Gavin Towler and Ray Sinnott
Useful for understanding process design as a structured engineering activity, though much of it is beyond sixth-form level.
by Richard M. Felder, Ronald W. Rousseau and Lisa G. Bullard
A classic introduction to material and energy balances, the language of early chemical-engineering study.
by David J. C. MacKay
Excellent for quantitative estimation and energy reasoning, both useful for chemical-engineering discussion.
by James Keeler and Peter Wothers
Strengthens the chemistry foundations behind thermodynamics and reaction behaviour.
by Don W. Green and Marylee Z. Southard, editors
A professional reference; not a cover-to-cover admissions text, but useful to browse for the breadth of the discipline.
by UAT-UK
Primary source for ESAT format, scoring, dates and test-day rules.
by UAT-UK
Use to check examinable topics and access official specimen/practice tests.
by Imperial College London
Useful concrete example of Imperial's process-systems and sustainability teaching context.
by Prospects / Jisc
Good overview of sectors, responsibilities, skills and routes into chemical engineering.
by Institution of Chemical Engineers
Helps applicants connect the degree with real chemical-engineering roles.