UK Pre-CAS Visa Interview Real Questions And Answers [2024]

To study in the UK, students must apply for the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) before they can enrol at a university. The CAS interview is known as a pre-CAS interview and serves to qualify candidates for admission to the university.

When you are answering the Pre-CAS interview questions, you need to structure your answers in a personalized and clear approach while focusing on the course modules.

It is best to follow the below-mentioned simple and defined structure for your answers.

Use PEE Technique to answer Pre-CAS Visa Interview Questions

You need to use this technique while preparing your answers. It stands for – ‘Point, Evidence, Explanation.

• Point: This should be one thing you want to say.

• Evidence: This should be one or more examples to back up the point you have made. It could include quotes, sources of information, statistics, charts, and scientific information. The evidence you present should be from a credible and reliable source. You should be able to cite where you have obtained your evidence and the date when the information was originally published.

• Explanation: This is where you explain your point and develop evidence and link back to the question.

Keeping PEE Technique in mind, let us through the questions.

Why have you decided to study in the UK and not in your home country or any other country?

Other forms for the same question: What Attracted you to choose the UK? Or Why not study in your Home Country or any other country?

Make sure to cover below points in your answer:

Academic Related
Differences in Educational System
Using accurate statistics and sources of info known
Duration & Cost – Mention the Fees and specify the duration and do not provide generic statements

What makes it better than similar courses in your home country, or other English-speaking countries? Use the names of the other countries and the name of the respective educational institute while stating the comparison.

Sample response:

But before that…

These are actual responses I gave in my Pre-CAS interview which I PASSED😊. You don’t have to exactly repeat or copy my answers. It’s a no-brainer to understand your responses probably differ from mine, according to your course and the university to which you’ve applied. Also, you don’t necessarily have to mention every point below. Only those that relate to you. So, just get a rough notion from my answers on how you should be planning your responses and you are good to go.

Let’s begin…

There are many reasons why I want to study in the UK.

1. When researching countries for my higher education, I researched the UK, USA, and Canada mainly, I considered factors such as tuition fee, cost of living, quality of life, and I found that the UK is affordable and better as compared to the other two.

2. They provide affordable education to international students. Without compromising on the quality of education. For example, my computer science course is going to cost me around 13500 pounds a year. Whereas for the same course, in the US, let’s say Georgia State University, I will need to pay 25,000 pounds a year. Also, it’s tough to get scholarships there. (collegedunia dot com).

3. Course duration in the UK is less compared to course duration in the USA, Canada, or even my country India. For example, in the UK, it takes 3 years to complete an undergraduate course. And 1 year for postgraduate courses. Whereas in the USA, Canada, and India, it takes 4 years to complete undergraduate courses and 2 years for postgraduate courses.

4. US universities require students to take extra courses in their first year of the degree. For example, You are taking language courses, studying physics, chemistry, and social sciences along with your computer science, and physical sciences course. Which is not the case in the UK. In the UK, you only focus on your main degree, and all the modules that you study revolve around that.

Why not India?

5. The education system in India is slightly more focused on theory than practical. Whereas, the UK education system allows students to be creative and concentrate more on practical-based learning.

6. Studying in an English environment will make me a better English speaker. This will not be possible If I study in India because English is not the major language for communication here.

Non-academic points

7. The UK has one of the best public transportation systems in the world and excellent healthcare facilities. And cultural diversity.

8. UK Universities have an easy admission process as compared to Universities in the USA, Canada, and Australia. For example, US Universities require TOEFL and SAT scores. They even consider other things such as Awards, Extracurricular activities into admission. They have a holistic admission process, which means it’s not always guaranteed you get admission there even if you are satisfying grade requirements. Whereas in the UK, you can expect most universities to give you offer letters with a 5.5 IELTS score or English exam score and with your required high school grades (provided you are satisfying the grade requirements).

Why {this University}?

Here: {This University} = my/your University. For example, “Why The University of Manchester?”

Cover the below points in your answer.

Mention the accreditations, or any other “selling factors” like faculty, alumni, and laboratory (Has to be specific to your course or department).
Look at other universities – course comparison.
Personal reasons by the student.

Explain what you know about {this university} and its teaching resources, academic proficiency, facilities, location, accommodation, and other distinguishing factors that should be relevant to an international student.

Students choose their university for a range of reasons, from academic quality to the location of the campus, to positive experiences of family or friends. If ranking is one of the reasons, you must provide the source of the ranking i.e who compiled the ranking information? If, their other universities are ranked higher, why did you decide not to study at a higher-ranked university?

Sample response:

I have applied to a BSC (Honors) Computer Science course with an international foundation program.

So, {This University} is a career-led university. Computer Science is one of the most competitive majors. It is a profession that requires you to have practical experience and qualifications. So, at the {This University}, I will be learning software engineering, Artificial Intelligence, information security, and other important aspects of computer science, gaining practical experience which is going to help with my career.

{This University} has a decent course ranking for the computer science course. For example, In the latest Guardians university rankings, {This University} is ranked at 54th position. Out of the 130 universities. So, it is apparent that {This University} is good at teaching computer science.

Also, {This University} has BCS accreditation, so my degree is going to be valid worldwide. Plus, the university has excellent computing resources, operating system environments Windows and Linux, software tools for programming, and internet access. They have experienced teachers like Dr ABC and Dr XYZ. These are the people who have great experience in this field and they have been teaching this subject for many years, so learning this course from them is going to be worthwhile.

Furthermore, {This University} was ranked no 1 for student satisfaction for a computer science course in 2020, as per Complete University Guide website.

What other universities did you research other than {this university}? Give three reasons for not choosing them.

Here: {This University} = my/your University. For example, “Why The University of Manchester?”

Cover the below points in your answer.

Find out the unique modules that {this university} is providing and are not being provided at the other 2-3 Universities that you will mention during the comparison.
Provide other supplementary reasons (Not the main reason) for why not choosing any other University like assessment criteria, teaching pedagogy, location, fee structure, scholarship, etc.
Do thorough research on the other universities and do a course comparison.

Sample response:

So, apart from {this university}, I have also researched XYZ, ABC, and NMP university. So, for computer science courses, these universities have low table rankings. For example, In the latest Guardians university rankings of 2022-2023, {this university} is ranked at 54th position, while those other universities have low bottom table rankings, out of 130 universities.

So, {this university} has a better course ranking for computer science courses as compared to those universities.

Also, for Jan Intake, none of those universities offers computer science courses at the Undergraduate level. So, this was also one of the reasons for not choosing them.

{this university} was ranked no 1 for student satisfaction with computer science in 2020, as per Complete University Guide website.

Lastly, I’m looking to live in the university’s accommodation. And {this university} provides on-campus accommodation, and none of those other three universities provides that.

(You can also compare course modules. Although I did not in my case).

Which course did you apply for and why do you want to study this course at {this university}?

Cover the below points in your answer:

Explain the future job title (One single job Title) and then job description in 2 to 3 lines.
Please link the modules with a job description which is the knowledge or skill set that you will gain from these modules which will help you build your candidature for that mentioned job title.

Sample response:

I have applied to a BSC (Honors) Computer Science course with an international foundation program.

And as we all know, Computer Science is one of the most competitive majors. It is a profession that requires you to have practical experience and qualifications. The course is a minimum or recommended requirement in many job descriptions because employers generally prefer candidates with computer science degrees to someone who never studied computer science in university.

So, at {this university}, I will be learning software engineering, Artificial Intelligence, information security, and other important aspects of computer science. The reason why I want to go to higher education again is that I need to gain practical experience in computer science.

Since practical skills are necessary in IT jobs. For example, I’ll be working in groups with fellow students, doing my assignments, and through software demonstrations and presentations.

Modules are excellent and upto date. I’ll be learning 23 modules in total. In my foundation year, 1st Year, 2nd Year, I have 6 modules respectively, and in 3rd Year, I have 5 modules.

So, in my foundation year, there is Applied Maths module, Introduction to computing module, In year 1, I have Software development module, Maths for computing module, and Web Technologies module, In Year 2, I have Mobile and Web development, DSA Module. In year 3, the Artificial Intelligence module, Network security module, etc.

So how are these modules going to help me with my future plans? Let me give you a real-life example.

So, when a person goes for a tech interview for a software development job, usually they are presented with DSA questions to crack the interview. And in order to crack the interview, he needs to have a knowledge of DSA. And DSA is one of the modules in which I’ll be studying in year 2. And in the software development module from year 1, I’ll be learning how to make software applications using high-end programming languages. So, this is one of the examples, of how these modules and courses, in general, will help me with my future plans, when I actually go for my job interview.

In detail, explain how you expect this course you will be studying at {this university} to help you succeed with your 5-year career plan.

Another form: What are your future plans? Please explain what your potential roles, employers, and expected salary is after you graduate.

Please cover the below points in your answer:

Intention to come back to your home country. ***(Don’t ever give the interviewer a hint that you intend to work in the UK after completing the course. They expect you to return to your country after completing your studies).***
Mention any one single job title.
Mention the name of 2 to 3 companies where you would like to work at the above job title.
Mention the expected salary at that job title.

Sample response:

Computer Science jobs are highly paid. It is a profession that requires you to have practical experience and qualifications.

So, after completing this course, I will be eligible to apply for computer science jobs. I would want to work in a junior software developer position or web developer position.

In a software development position, my job will be to write software programs that do certain things, and debug them if they don’t function well. And In the web development position, I will mostly work on the front and backends of websites and web-based applications. So, modules like Software Development, Web Development, and Artificial Intelligence, are necessary to learn all of that.

After completing this course, I would like to work in software companies that sell software as a service such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and TCS, Cisco in India.

The average salary in India for these companies is roughly 28 Lakhs in Indian Rupees or 29000 Pounds. (According to Glassdoor.com).

(Personal reason below)…

After completing this course, I would like to come back to India and work here because my father is an army personnel and he is mostly stationed in another state, away from my family. And I have a younger sister and mother to take care of.

Where do you plan to live in the UK?

Cover the below points in your answer:

How much does accommodation cost per month?
Journey duration. Costs of everyday commute.
Full Address with Pin Code

Explain where you will live in the UK and have your research done well in advance.

Sample response:

I’m looking to live in the university’s accommodation. The address is ABC, London, UK

Accommodation is divided into East Halls and West Halls, so I would like to live in west halls. It is going to cost me around 150 pounds a week. I will get a 10sq room with shared dining, it will have storage, wifi connection, study table and chair, and cupboard space. Also, the university provides laundry facilities, which is great.

The reason for choosing University accommodation is that living on campus makes it easy to make friends and connect with like-minded people.

Also, transport facilities are great. Cyprus station gives you access to central London which is less than 30 minutes away. Regular buses are also operating near the campus. I will get an Oyster card which will cost me 7 pounds. I have researched this information from UK’s official website.

Please explain your last qualification, what you have been doing since graduating and why you would like to study the course you have applied for now.

Another form: How is the course you have applied to study at {this university} related to your previous qualifications and/or work experience?

Ensure to provide relevance with the course.

Many interviewees make that mistake of offering a lengthy, unfocused summary of their education/employment background.

Explain what you were doing during this time and the skills you have gained that will help you in your studies and long-term career plans.

It’s important to get the facts straight when you’re listing your work experience so that the interviewer won’t think that you are misrepresenting the fact. Make sure you know the exact date of your qualifications and jobs, qualification names, job titles, company names, your roles and responsibilities etc.

Sample response:

I completed my class 12th in July 2020 from CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) in five subjects, English, Maths, Physics, Chemistry, and Physical Education.

After that in 2021, I appeared for the Improvement Exam as a Private Candidate. CBSE allows students to appear for Improvement exams who want to improve their grades too. Therefore, I appeared in four subjects: English, Maths, Physics, and Chemistry, and got my result back in September 2021.

And after that, in Dec 2021, I took my Toefl test in which I scored 86/120.

After that, I started building my technical skills. For example, I have a tech website where I write tech articles. I’m getting roughly 7000 monthly visitors presently. Also, I have been teaching myself coding languages such as CSS, Javascript, C, and C++ and taking DSA courses from free YouTube videos.

So, these are the skills I’ll be learning in the University, as the university will teach the concepts from the basics. So, having knowledge of these concepts will help me understand concepts in my course content and modules easily and I will be able to manage my studies without much difficulty.

That’s all 🙂

Additional tips while answering:

Provide a minimum of 3 best points per answer
Do not just name the modules, kindly explain at least 3 modules in 2 to 3 lines for each.
Personalized answers with focus of academics as you are planning to apply for student visa
Ensure information is accurate and supported with sources
Please remember to not talk too fast
Do not repeat your words or statements
Please prefer to use Chrome browser for the interview
Please ensure to create a logical link between your previous qualification or experience to the course you have applied for and eventually with your future plans
Mention any number like cost of travel or fees in Great British Pounds

Use PEE Technique to answer Pre-CAS Visa Interview Questions

Why have you decided to study in the UK and not in your home country or any other country?

Why {this University}?

What other universities did you research other than {this university}? Give three reasons for not choosing them.

Which course did you apply for and why do you want to study this course at {this university}?

In detail, explain how you expect this course you will be studying at {this university} to help you succeed with your 5-year career plan.

Where do you plan to live in the UK?

Please explain your last qualification, what you have been doing since graduating and why you would like to study the course you have applied for now.

Additional tips while answering:

Other Question Forms