Churchill Mock Interview - Computer Science
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- Опубліковано 23 чер 2020
- Our Fellows and students show what you could expect from a Computer Science interview at Churchill College, the University of Cambridge. However, it should be noted that all undergraduate interviews are now held online via zoom rather than face-to-face. Please refer to our interview page for guidance about current interview formatting: www.chu.cam.ac.uk/study-us/un...
My mind would turn to mulch from the sheer pressure of the situation and having to deliver right then and there. Props to anyone who can keep a cool head and think calmly in moments like this.
You will make pointless mistakes due to sheer time and emotional pressure. There is literally no time to think. My son had interviews this week. For 25 minutes, he had to answer 3 questions, with subset questions for each one question. He said no time to think because if he does not speak solutions in 3 seconds, the tutor started to speak.
@@zengjanezhu you’ve got to continually speak and speak through your thoughts; when I had my interview for engineering I literally said “I’m thinking this could be that, but only if this other thing works” but even then if you can’t keep that up, the interviewer will only speak to give you a hint which you need to pick up on
@@Samester48 I think for some people, speaking interferes with thinking. My son did speak a lot and also made quite a few quick mistakes, quick as when interviewers asked him to check, he corrected them quickly.
Are you applying this year?
bro my brain won't even function in a situation like that lol, let alone keeping my head cool lol.
It’s all logic and if you’re a trained logician through A level Maths, Physics or Computer Science, you’ll get through this. What’s artificial is the test environment and its affect on frontal lobe processing of information because in a high pressure situation your ability to think is compromised through the autonomic nervous system’s fight or flight response.
Imagine if “can you find your way back to the main building?” was the real interview question all along.
I loved how they make him feel at ease with their humor ...
Im an electrical engineering student, and as i progress through the program I feel dumber and dumber because there is just so much i dont know.
Be of good heart - realizing that there is so much you don't know is the first step in becoming educated. The important thing is to learn how to learn, and build your confidence as you do so. In the end, you will come to realize that many of your teachers have major shortcomings too.
Then do what's only necessary:
Grind your butt off.
@@fragileomniscience7647 That is physically and anatomically impossible...
@@vozamaraktv-art5595 Well, with a cheese grater...
@@fragileomniscience7647 lol . That might actually work!
I might as well confess that I am not as intelligent as these people.
His double the effective rate answer was sharp
It’s stupid for someone to be this smart and someone to be so dumv(I failed gcse)
He’s wasn’t right that his double the considered weight solution was the same as adding extra credit though. Tie breaks where you have to pick between two queues with equal credit potentially work differently.
for anyone thinking why the video related to computer science you would expect coding.... well computer science is not just about coding its about getting a picture in your head on what the problem is. its a lot of logical thinking and reasoning like in 6:40 also you will need some advanced math especially for CS majors.
This was one of the most enjoyable interviews I've ever seen.. impressive
Loved the clock ticking in the background.
For some reason Ive just clicked on this video now as a music student. My head now hurts 😂
For the truck system, perhaps to lower how resource intensive the algorithm is, perhaps the models of the trucks can be noted down in a database along with the weight limit they have, and then the credit system could apply.
This could also help with CO2 emissions as companies would like to maximise their profits so they would put as much cargo on one truck as possible, meaning less trips will be needed, rather than doing multiple trips out of convenience.
I'm in year 11. I hope to go to churchill college and do CS!
Also bear in mind that the ferry's limit is 1 van with no weight specification. So theoretically as the system can withstand the companies putting as many goods as they can on each van, it would ultimately be better to encourage that to ensure as much weight is ferried across per day as possible.
Cool! An Operating System question for undergrad admissions!
What’s even more impressive is that the candidate was seemingly able to build an intuition of mutexes and semaphores. Also scheduling with round robin.
Building a bridge would solve the second question.
As a student who interviewed in 2019, I can say the style of interview (structured, 2 main questions, no conversation on personal statement/further reading) is similar to as depicted.
Don't expect it to look like this - mine was held in a crampt side room lol.
Did you make it?
@@rogerjohan9621 No, I'm at ICL - rejection stung (was torn but would've liked to choose of course) but I'm quite glad of it - knowing what I know now I'd say ICL is better overall for computing, I was blinded a bit by 'its Cambridge' when applying.
@@oliverkillane5358 Glad you are enjoying your course now!
@@oliverkillane5358 thats so cool, ive got an engineering interview at icl .What was your icl interview like?
@@husseinmohamud6506 it was awesome, was super stressed going in but I got to do a bunch of maths problems and one on strategies for games. Spent like 15min flat talking about further reading which made us overrun by quite a bit lol. Plus got some free stuff, lunch, a tour by second year students and project demos. Really felt like the put lots of effort into making the day as fun and stress free as possible, night and day compared to my cam interview experience!
What about the following system for the trucks: The company with the lowest „sum“ of weight after adding the next truck will be allowed to drive their truck. If the sum of two companies is equal, the company with the lowest „amount“ of summands is allowed to drive their truck. So for the first few steps it‘d look like this: 2t, 3t, 4t, then of course 2t (2t+2t), 3t (3t+3t), 2t (2t+2t+2t), 4t (4t+4t), 2t (2t+2t+2t+2t), 3t (3t+3t+3t), 2t (2t+2t+2t+2t+2t), 4t (4t+4t+4t), etc.
Before you explore subject at Cambridge, They explore your mind first.
I'm anxious and I'm not even being interviewed
I think the tally system is cool, but what if it was like there are 3 lanes open and those are up for a bidding war between companies for spots in the first, second, third spot, etc.
By having the bidding war, if you bank up a tally, that tally isn't worth a full van spot. It loses value depending on how everyone else is banking as well, making it more incentivizing to not bank up your stuff.
The presence of the sidekick (who'd nod when ok and smirk when not ok) is particularly helpful ... I'd also recommend a ballerina in the background doing demi-pointe like all the time. In any case the main idea for the candidate is clearly illustrated: "remember to answer exactly as expected in less than 10 seconds to any question and to any extra question" -) Extra bonus for convincing spontaneity: silent (count to 10) and then blurt: "Oooooh ... right - I see!"
They literally have a video to keep track of what was said 😂
Would his performance have passed the interview?
i feel like i would be kinda screwed early on in the algorithm question, I would simply just say tough, you're not there on time we will just go onto the next one
Thank you, this was very helpful. Do you know if the interviews this year will be able to follow a similar format, or how they will change due to the pandemic?
they're online
WideHardo Clap
Did you get in?
I can tell he was a first-year undergraduate student. The guy looks like a stereotypical broke student. I knew this feeling well which is why undergraduate studying should be respected more than A -level!
Hi, may I ask if this interview is for undergraduate or postgraduate applicants?
This is an undergraduate interview.
Churchill College, University of Cambridge can you do some postgrad interview please
As someone aspiring to undertake a masters in computer science, it was disheartening to see the question on Trigonometry right from the get go. Of course I understand why they're there (a basic aptitude in maths is required) but sadly I have very little formal traching in trigonometry.
However, my confidence was almost regained when I saw the next problem. Because I immediately thought about quieing the vans based on weight!
So it shows me that I should be looking for courses with more emphasis on logic over mathematics.
If want to give feedback on this mock interview then what be your feedback and decision?
I think this was a good interview. The candidate clearly showed original thought in solving unfamiliar scenarios, he had good ideas, and - most importantly - he was very responsive to concerns about his solutions or changes to the problem on the fly.
He could have perhaps used the pen&paper a bit more, in order to keep his thoughts organised and clear (e.g. by noting down the credits, ...). On the other hand, he picked up on this too, once prompted by the interviewer.
(PS. I've just graduated from this course, but the above is only my personal opinion. I hope it's still useful.)
What is the solution to van Van delivery job
the second interviewer looks confused. 😀
What was the second question on the sheet please?
I would’ve said alpha = beta + n x 2pi when n is any integer constant, since cos and sin are periodic over 2pi.
two minutes in and wondering what this has to do with computer science
All these in a Computer Science interview
How many ''second question''s does this man have?! (5:31 6:38)
Joking (not completely) aside, talking distribution at 11:11, this system is so easily abused. That is the moment you could just as easily (for both parties) assess the practical ability and experience of an applicant. This could have been the moment you introduce the problems that arise in translating theory into practise, and how to solve those problems. But it simply doesn't happen until 16:53 (admittedly, it has been alluded to before that). I think pragmatic understanding about why modelled systems fail, recognizing patterns on the human end, is incredibly important for those who work in Computational Logic or Computer Science; understanding why your impenetrable bulwark is being undermined by the ingenuity of human deficiencies.
Damn, can't you guys film so we can what he writes
Me know nothing! But where are the facemasks? (I did tell a porkie pie. I understood the very beginning sin2α + cos2α = 1 but I'm not a Maths Major -- only a lieutenant). However, I liked the style of the interview.
Don't worry - this was filmed pre-Covid 19!
@@churchillcollege I knew you had a good reason for your procedures.
They have technical interviews for undergrad admissions in the UK? Or is this for grad school?
This is undergrad, 17 and 18 year olds are doing these interviews at this time of year
@@benwilliams1267 oh wow. is this standard for all schools or is it only highly selective schools?
The US has interviews for some colleges also but they are nothing like this, no technical questions at all. More just asking about you as a person.
Also, where do high school students (or the UK equivalent) learn this stuff for interviews? The first math question could reasonably be learned in high school, but the second algorithm question is usually something you would see in the second semester of a CS major in the US. Do UK kids learn this in high school?
@@Baconator1368 mhmm i didn't find the second problem too complicated especially with the questions by professor leading you in the correct direction. back when i took ib cs hl we did do networking and scheduling problem which is kind of similar. the 2nd year cs youre talking about is on optimisation algorithms in scheduling i assume, but this question is not so much technical than ingenuity/idea tbh. im grad school now though so i can be a bit biased in the difficulty of the question.
@@akirakato1293 I agree the question itself is not too complicated, but I think it definitely helps to have some sort of background in seeing optimization in scheduling algorithms before, which I think the interviewee obviously has. Hence why I'm asking where a high school student would learn something like this in the UK?
In the US, at least for "normal" high schools, the most we get is a basic intro to coding.
@@Baconator1368 you only tend to get interviews from the Oxford and Cambridge (possibly some others too). Most universities require a written application and your grades (and predicted grades for final year). I think some courses across all universities might have an interview stage too, like medicine (I could be remembering wrongly).
Cambridge and Oxford also generally require applicants to sit an examination to get through to the interview stage. They are harder than the standard UK exams because applicants are generally expected to be top students who have done study beyond what is required in the national curriculum.
Did he get in?
the next person in the panel didnot talk anything , he is totally audience
Classic intimidation tactics. Had three blokes behind the desk in one of mine. One of them was wearing a tank-top and knuckle-dusters. Fluffed a question on crytographic hashing functions and ended up at Birmingham Poly.
@@jackalexander102 Birmingham 😂😂😂
How tall is Imhotep?
Yooooo I didn't expect to see a look around you reference
In the first question when they asked about what relation will alpha and beta hold for the equation to hold, couldn't we just say that alpha has to be equal to beta for the equation to hold?
Because we know that cos^A + sin^A = 1
The question is for general A and B, for what values does the equation hold. A=B is the trivial solution. Other solutions exist
@@andrewzhang5345 ah I see, ty
Let b = Pi/2 - a
Then sin²(a) + cos²(b) = sin²(a) + cos²(Pi/2 - a) = 2sin²(a)
=> 2sin²(a) = 1 => a = arcsin(1/sqrt(2)) +k*2Pi, k in Z.
as a sufficient condition
a = b + kpi or a = -b + npi is the full set of solutions (k, n are constants) a=b satisfies this set of solutions
We "could" yes...
Can someone answer me this?
What was the point in the guy who didn't speak?
Intimidation. Haha.
Two people are there so that they can both take notes and discuss candidates, makes it easier than it all being on one person who may not notice certain elements.
@@Samouraii I've been interviewed for jobs where its the MD and commercial director together a few times over a couple of hours and they have always taken notes but always both have spoken at some point.
This just comes across as weird.
What in the heck was that maths OMG!
WideHardo Clap
I want him
I didn’t understand a single word spoken. Must have clicked the wrong link, although watched the entire interview and now know all about vans crossing rivers.
Instead of knowing all about vans crossing rivers, i would say i now know why we have supply chain problems these days.
this is a basic jee level question.
yeah this is terrifying
What going on here
Is this candidate successful? (Would this candidate then become a student at Cambridge)
You can't know that. The interview is not the only part of the application, it's just one more thing they take into account
If the person did well on the admissions test then yes, but if he did just well enough to get shortlisted on the interview then maybe not, but I'm not sure.
@@Exachad It's brutal isn't it?
I want to join in this college
For CSE first year
What is the fee please tell me please
It should be on their website. But if there is any questions, they do have an email?
You would apply via UCAS which costs £20 for one choice and £26 for up to five choices (and considering it's only £6 for four universities you send the same application to, you're likely paying the latter).
Deadline for 2021 entry was 15th October though so you need to apply next year.
About 2.5 cr including the hostel fee and everything
£33,850 per year Tuition Fee, £10,185 per year College Fee, plus accomodation costs and living costs.
I felt that this candidate wasn't assertive on both of the questions. Second question he could have formalise his reasoning by drawing a flowchart or running a priority queue algorithm or even demonstrate a naive approach of algorithm by showing that the fair system could be implemented equally by sharing quotas of each company onto the ferry's trip each time, then looping to make decision whether or not the level of products remaining are the same for all companies or whether the loading share needs to be revised in order to maximise the full capacity usage of goods being transported.
I legit answered every math related question here (I messed up the OS questions) and I'm just a sophomore but the problem is, I'm not rich enough to afford Cambridge also not poor enough to get a scholarship from my government, also I never had enough resources to do any good extracurriculars. Life's selfish innit
take a loan why not
@@SuperChooser123 there's a huge inflation because of currency exchange and taking a loan that huge with my currency would probably mean that I'll have to pay for it till I'm like 60, I really don't wanna do that and I never had any good extracurriculars because there is no opportunity here. I still try to make the most of what I have
@Celty Sturluson don't know how to explain this without telling you my location but no such thing happens in my country. And as I said already, I may have a really great academic record but I don't have a good extracurricular. It's kinda pointless to think about getting into one of these colleges for me because I know I have no chance but I will try to get my master's from here
@@Ava-fl7hd Cambridge aren't looking for extracurriculars
@@glaucophane yes of course, but it does need more than stellar grades I mean I they look for overall development so it's obvious I need to be doing something other than sitting in my room and writing codes. Also, finance is a big issue
What in the name of god is this? Was this guy doing his A-levels while this was being recorded? 😂😂
He is a first year student simulating an undergraduate interview
Comrade Pingu - I salute you
THE FİRST QUESTİON WAS GOOD BUT THE SECOND ONE WAS NOT PLEASING.IT PROBABLY WOULD BE BETTER, IF THE STUDENT WAS EXAMINED BY BEING ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT UPGRADING A COMPUTAIONAL SYSTEM OR INVENTING A NEW GADGET.OR ANY SOFTWARE QUESTION.
Calm down
The second question was great
They are not interested in your knowledge about computing but your ability to solve problems and show sharp, original thinking. They are not looking for coders but software engineers.
@@johnvonhorn2942 Indeed. It's about ones inquiry of problem solutions.
Gosh why put yourself in that situation if you're not good enough. I wouldn't!!!! His ears looks like a pair of tomatoes.
I am actually disgusted by watching this, who do you think you people are? Why do you put young people under such pressure? This is almost as bad as the modern coding interview. I guess the interviewers really feel smart now having put that kid in his place. I am glad I didn't even bother going through this (I got 4 A's at A level in the 2000's, two of which were self taught [needs improvement school]) went to a "lesser" university, graduated top of my class and have a great life thank you very much.
When someone applies to Oxford or Cambridge they know exactly how the process is going to go. If you don't want to sit through a tricky or stressful interview, don't apply for Oxbridge! This kid (presumably an undergrad student) and everybody who applies KNOWS they are going to do the interview. They want to do the interview. You cannot criticise an institution for something that is not a surprise. The interviews are meant to be incredibly challenging, because they usually don't care too much about the answer you give, more the way that you think. If the interviews weren't hard or full of pressure, how would you expect these universities to have such a high-level status? They are looking for the best, after all. Moreover, the performance in interview isn't entirely indicative to them to accept you. I know my friend (who is currently at Cambridge) had a rather unsuccessful History + Politics interview, where she completely misinterpreted a question and gave a very incorrect (factually) answer. Regardless, she is still at Cambridge. My interview last week also was very difficult and stressful, but it was still a fun challenge and I enjoyed the experience. It is meant to be a challenge, and if you don't want that sort of situation that's absolutely FINE - but you must know that everybody who applies is aware of what the interviews are to be like.
Yeah cellestyelle is right. Don’t be ridiculous, this is Cambridge which is the best in the UK. You can absolutely expect a more stressful process
Yes interesting, this just shows the "cherry picking algorithm" of Oxbridge, why? Its because Oxbridge is full of lazy staff who only want to work 24 weeks (3 x 8) per year, and hence have 6 months holiday per year. If you have bright students, then its easy. You just lead them (students) to the trough and say "Drink. Come back in two years and we will give you a test for part one of the three legged stool" . Of course if you have less bright students, then you have to work at teaching them. Its harder. This system has been going on for 600 years. Then of course you give them a fake fraudulent "MA" degree when they reach age 25. Of course these people who teach at Oxbridge would not last 2 minutes in industry and commerce, and have little knowledge of solving REAL problems in industry. You can understand my surprise, when in 1986 I was asked to give some lectures at Oxford. "Are you sure? I have only an HND from Manchester Poly, you know" The person asking replied "Well you seem to have a lot of knowledge" Hmmm yes, through real world experience. I would like to have an interview myself, with the protocol, that for every question asked, I would ask one back. We could keep a score.
This was painful to witness.
With the first question he failed to recognize some initial anomalies, such as the metric for arguments of trigonometric functions, then failed to distinguish between an identity and a specific equation with discrete solutions. He got tangled up with periodic solutions for both the identity and the specific equations in solving alpha and beta. These are serious shortcomings in his mathematical knowledge. One wonders what they are teaching them at O and A levels these days.
The poor guy never seemed to understand the difference between trying to solve a question now, with no computer available, as opposed to sketching some ideas for an algorithm. The problems, being open to almost endlessly different boundary conditions [ as demonstrated by the interviewer from time to time ] would seem to be a natural application for what we used to called monte carlo methods, and which if he had known about the historical development of computer science he would have invoked during the interview.
One is naturally curious about certain points - can this candidate be considered average or in any way typical of the general run who think that they would like a Cambridge accreditation in computer science ? Secondly did the college take him on as a student, or was the whole thing staged.
Is this a publicity ploy aimed at increasing the number of applicants [ even the stupid will be considered ] to beef up revenue from students who will be parted from their money and end up on the scrap heap ? Sorry to appear cynical, but it's a legitimate question.
On a philosophical note I'm reminded of the mathematical tripos tradition in which candidates are faced with a huge number of questions - almost too many to contemplate let alone to explore their subtleties. Faced with this situation, only a very few successfully attempted more than about 20% of the questions. These top guns were distinguished with the honorific ' wrangler '. A fair number would be considered successful solving maybe 1% of the total menu and were given a less prestigious honorific.
In practice the best way to " success " in the tripos exam was to employ a professional tutor who would teach you a number of tricks to arrive at quick solutions, rather in the manner in which a fencer is taught to develop a series of automatic reactions to attacks and feint attacks of the opponent.
u should tutor people for interviews seeing as u know how they run
@@farashasyeda4865 Thanks for the suggestion Farasha, but as the old saying goes, you can't teach an old dog new tricks, even though as an old dog I might be able to teach a new dog some old tricks, I don't have the patience anymore to attempt it. That said, I am still of the opinion that a truly good teacher is worth their weight in gold.
I'd also admit that it has been my personal experience that the subjects I studied and did fairly well at at school, now hold little interest for me, whereas the ones I did worst at continue to draw my interest. I don't know quite what that says about pedagogy then and now.
If the truth were known I'd probably confess to be suspicious of the interview process. Unless the party conducting the interview is highly skilled In the art of interviewing, all that can normally be accomplished in a typical interview is whether or not the two parties like one another.
I've also begun to wonder why these Oxbridge colleges are producing these videos nowadays. It could be an effort to encourage people to come forward at a time when recruiting is flagging.
You are right in a lot that you say. The old textbooks are the best. The thing about university education these days (from my experience) is that the system gets in the way of learning and any bit of interest in the subject is quickly squeezed out of you. The teaching is abysmal - I don't imagine it is any different in these "prestigious" universities considering the student feedback in league tables, which funnily enough score quite low compared to "lesser" universities.
The sad thing is that many of the past geniuses would not even be considered for a place at these universities - people like Faraday, Einstein, etc. Imagine how much potential is lost every year because these institutions have gone so far up inside their own backside that they don't see what's around them.
In my opinion, universities function as a way to generate money and keep people in jobs (and students off the unemployment list). Anything learnt from a university could be attained from reading textbooks and online learning. It reminds me of the quote "don't let your schooling get in the way of your education" and why Einstein very much disliked the formal education system.
Idk why u mentioned O levels. This looks way too complicated to resemble anything at GCSE level.
And that was painful to read.