Biological Sciences – Oxford Interview Questions
Subject Interview Guide – Biological Sciences
Our Subject Interview Guides help you to prepare and go into your interview with confidence.
The Biological Sciences guide discusses Oxford Interview Questions in depth with answers and approaches – along with possible points of discussion to further demonstrate your knowledge. The Biological Sciences Guide also includes the Oxford General Interview Guide. It has been specially edited for applicants for each subject by a team of Oxford and Cambridge graduates.
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The Oxford Interview Guide – Biological Sciences
The Biological Sciences Interview Guide discusses the following questions in detail:
Biological Sciences Interview Questions
- Why does an egg rot?
- Why are there only twenty amino acids?
- What problems do fish face underwater?
- What evidence is there that humans are still evolving?
- Why can’t humans live forever?
- How has the human diet changed in the last three decades and why?
- What are the problems with the current taxonomy system?
- How would you poison someone without the police finding out?
- What causes the common cold and why is there no cure? How does the flu vaccine work?
- Why do we need ATP, why not just release energy from glucose directly?
- How much of human behaviour is genetically determined?
- What techniques could be used to date how long a disease has existed in a population?
General Interview Questions
- What are your top three skills?
- If you could meet anybody from history who would it be and why?
- If you had to choose a new language to learn, which one would it be and how would you go about it?
- What have you found most difficult at A Level and how did you overcome this?
- Why are you here?
- Tell me everything about you in 60 seconds.
- Tell me about a news article you have read recently that you found interesting.
- What do you think you could contribute to college life?
- If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
- Which is more important – art or sciences
The Oxford Interview Guide – Biological Sciences
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“How can I prepare when the interviewer could ask me absolutely anything about Biology?”
By understanding how the interview works and, crucially, what it is that the interviewer is looking for. The interviewer is not looking to catch you out, but rather for you to demonstrate your curiosity, knowledge and passion for Biology.
“How am I able to do that?”
Demonstrate your enthusiasm and personality
Show that you enjoy studying Biology independently
The easiest way to demonstrate your enthusiasm for Biology is to show that you are self-motivated and have studied the subject in your free-time for enjoyment – for example through online lectures and independent reading. If you don’t know where to start, review our suggested reading list below.
Demonstrate your subject knowledge about and passion for Biology
The key to answering these questions is to always demonstrate your thought process aloud. The interviewer does not expect you to be able to answer every question immediately, but rather wants to determine that you are able to think about and work on unknown topics with confidence, intelligence and clarity – and they won’t be able to do that if you sit in silence! Use the list of questions below to prepare. Perhaps you can have a friend or relative ask you these questions so that you can develop your skills of thinking under time pressure and speaking out loud.
Biological Sciences Suggested Reading
Biology Interview Questions
Why is there salt in the sea?
How do amino acids behave in both acidic and basic conditions?
What is the significance of the human genome project?
How does DNA fingerprinting work? What is its use?
Why are there so many steps in the cascade of reactions?
How do you tell if a protein codes for a transmembrane protein?
Why are there only twenty amino acids?
What shape are bacteria and why?
What is the concentration of water?
What problems do fish face underwater?
What evidence is there that humans are still evolving?
What are the arguments for preserving biodiversity
Why does an egg rot?
Why can’t humans live forever?
Comment on a population pyramid.
Is shopping the new religion?
What does George Bush have in common with a monkey? How can you see they are related?
How could you tell how long a disease had been prevalent in an area
How does the immune system recognise invading pathogens as foreign cells?
How does DNA fingerprinting work? What is its use?
Why are there so many steps in the cascade of reactions
Tell me about this log
If a brain was placed in front of you, how would you describe it?
If you were a virus, how would you communicate your opinions to me?
Give an example of how specialist biological knowledge has helped food production.
Why do leaves have their stomata on the lower surface?
Why don’t animals have wheels?
How can you tell how genetically identical the individuals of a species are?
What evidence is there to suggest that humans are still evolving?
Can you design an experiment to test the effect of bird faeces on lichen growth?
What makes drugs physiologically active?
Why it is easier for oxygen to associate after one oxygen molecule has already done so?
Why is it that everyone regards Darwin as such a great man?
Explain the differences between bacteria and viruses.
How would you test to see if a rat could tell red from blue?
How has the human diet changed in the last three decades and why?
What would you define as a species?
Why is water so important to life?
If you could save either the rainforests or the coral reefs, which would you choose? Here is a piece of bark, please talk about it.
Here’s a cactus. Tell me about it.
Why don’t most herbivores have green fur?
What percentage of the world’s water is in a cow?
Why are there so few large predators?
Give me an example of how specialist biological knowledge has helped food production.
Why is there a higher probability of being killed by an asteroid collision than by a heart attack?
What kind of changes would occur to the environment if a large asteroid impacted earth?
What are the arguments for preserving biodiversity?
Tell me about a banana.
What makes drugs physiologically active?
What would you do if I were a Magpie?
Are humans still evolving?
Are their chances of developing breast cancer identical for two twin girls?
Comment on a population pyramid.
Describe an example of evolution in action.
Describe and draw a Volume/Pressure curve of a balloon and compare it to workings of the lung.
Do you have a favourite animal?
Does the molecular structure of glycine change with pH?
Draw a graph of how a bacterial population changes over time and one for human population. Why is there a difference?
Draw the full chemical structure of DNA.
Draw the structures of as many compounds as you can think of with the formula C4H8O, with an emphasis on the different chemical groups that may be involved.
Female deer appear to select their mates based on the size of their antlers. The older deer have bigger antlers. How would you confirm this experimentally?
Give an example of when specialist biological knowledge has helped a global issue.
How do dolphins regulate their body temperature in cold and warm water?
How does the leg respond to reflexes? What would happen if you stimulated both the sensory and motor neurons at the same time?
How many sulphate ions would you expect in a 0.5 litre aqueous sulphuric acid solution at pH 2.0 assuming it was completely dissociated?
How would you find out which colours a rat can distinguish? What about an octopus?
How can mutations cause an RNA or DNA to be longer or shorter?
How can we cure global warming if environmental measures fail?
How could you measure how much blood is in your body right now?
How do stem cells become specialised?
How do you measure blood pressure?
How does a caterpillar transform into a butterfly?
How does an electron microscope works?
How does DNA fingerprinting work? What is its use?
How does respiration differ between fish and mammals?
How does the immune system recognise invading pathogens as foreign cells?
How is a horse’s leg adapted to running?
How is an elephant’s foot adapted to it’s purpose?
How is aspirin synthesised? What organic reaction takes place?
How long is a gene?
How many atoms are there in a Brussels sprout?
How many genes are in a cell?
How many mice would you use in an experiment?
How many molecules of gas are in the room?
How would you find out what function a gene has in humans? What about in plants?
How would you mass produce insulin?
How would you measure the mass of nitrogen in this room?
How would you tell if a mouse could differentiate between the smell of an apple and the smell of chocolate?
I see from your personal statement that you do a lot of sports. What effects does lactic acid have on the body and brain?
I have just injected myself with an unknown substance. Work out what it is doing to my body by asking me simple questions.
If money was no barrier, how would you scientifically prove life on Mars?
If a brain was placed in front of you, how would you describe it?
If senses work only because our brain interprets electrical signals, what is reality?
If you could save either the rainforests or the coral reefs, which would you choose?
Imagine that I am a research funding organization and I am awarding grants to various research proposals. Why would I award funding to someone studying the mating habits of the Bolivian hairy shrew instead of someone studying a new cancer drug delivery mechanism?
Is it easier for organisms to live in the sea or on land?
Ladybirds are red. So are strawberries. Why?
Radiation can cause cancer yet we use radiotherapy to treat cancer. What could explain this apparent paradox?
Should all stem cell therapy be legalised?
Talk about a piece of recent scientific research. Why was it important and how could it be improved?
Tell me about this pot plant.
Was Lamarck right about inheritance?
What are the problems with the current taxonomy system?
What can you tell me about this skull?
What did you have for breakfast?
What do you know about the bonding in a benzene ring?
What evidence is there that humans are still evolving?
What is a gene?
What is a neurotransmitter?
What is the difference between bacteria and viruses?
What is the Red-Queen Effect? What is its significance?
What is your favourite pathogen?
What safety precautions do medical professionals take when performing an X-ray and why?
When competing for mates, male deer engage in “show-flghting”, and the loser eventually backs down. Is there an evolutionary advantage to this, rather than fighting to the death?
Why are bacterial infections easier to treat than viral infections?
Why are dogs the most common type of pet?
Why are fish slimy?
Why are infectious diseases no longer the biggest killer in the UK?
Why are so few flowers and animals coloured green?
Why can you stay balanced whilst cycling, but not on a stationary bike?
Why can’t humans live forever?
Why do cats eyes appear to ‘glow’ in the dark?
Why do leaves have stomata on their bottom and not top?
Why do lions have manes?
Why do people have different gaits when they walk?
Why do so many animals have stripes?
Why do some habitats support higher biodiversity than others?
Why does an egg become rotten?
Why does the brain:body ratio of moles and bats differ?
Why is the preservation of biodiversity important?
Why is there a higher probability of being killed by an asteroid collision than by a heart attack?
Will the population of mankind ever stop increasing?
Would it matter if tigers became extinct?
Write down an organic reaction you have studied at school and explain its mechanism.
How many animals did Noah take on the ark?
If a carrot can grow form one carrot cell, why not a human?
Discuss ways in which plants are adapted to dry conditions.
Why are big, fierce animals so rare?
How does the immune system recognise invading pathogens as foreign cells?
Describe a potato and then compare it to an onion.
Why don’t animals have wheels?
The Oxford Interview Guide – Biological Sciences
The Biological Sciences Interview Guide discusses the following questions in detail:
Biological Sciences Interview Questions
- Why does an egg rot?
- Why are there only twenty amino acids?
- What problems do fish face underwater?
- What evidence is there that humans are still evolving?
- Why can’t humans live forever?
- How has the human diet changed in the last three decades and why?
- What are the problems with the current taxonomy system?
- How would you poison someone without the police finding out?
- What causes the common cold and why is there no cure? How does the flu vaccine work?
- Why do we need ATP, why not just release energy from glucose directly?
- How much of human behaviour is genetically determined?
- What techniques could be used to date how long a disease has existed in a population?
General Interview Questions
- What are your top three skills?
- If you could meet anybody from history who would it be and why?
- If you had to choose a new language to learn, which one would it be and how would you go about it?
- What have you found most difficult at A Level and how did you overcome this?
- Why are you here?
- Tell me everything about you in 60 seconds.
- Tell me about a news article you have read recently that you found interesting.
- What do you think you could contribute to college life?
- If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
- Which is more important – art or sciences
The Oxford Interview Guide – Biological Sciences