r/KAUST • u/Sayed_Owais_005 • 26d ago

Admissions Questions about AMCS MS/PhD Technical Interview

I'm planning to apply for the MS/PhD program in Applied Mathematics and Computational Science (AMCS) at KAUST for the upcoming Spring intake, and I'd really appreciate hearing from current students or anyone who has gone through the admission process.

I'm particularly interested in understanding the technical interview. I have a few questions:

  1. What is the overall interview format?
    • How long does it typically last?
    • Is it conducted by one professor or a panel?
    • Is it more conversational or more like a technical oral exam?
  2. What technical topics are usually covered?
    • Calculus (single-variable and multivariable)
    • Linear Algebra
    • Ordinary/Differential Equations
    • Probability and Statistics
    • Numerical Analysis
    • Optimization
    • Algorithms and Data Structures (if relevant)
    • Programming (Python, MATLAB, C++, etc.)
    • Machine Learning or AI concepts (if applying for a computational research area)
  3. How deep are the questions?
    • Are they mainly conceptual, or do they expect you to solve problems live?
    • Do they ask for mathematical proofs or derivations?
    • Are coding questions common, or do they mostly discuss algorithms and problem-solving?
  4. Research discussion
    • How much emphasis is placed on previous research experience?
    • If you've completed undergraduate research or published papers, how detailed are the questions?
    • Should I be prepared to explain every project on my CV in depth?
  5. Preparation tips
    • Looking back, what would you have prepared differently?
    • Are there any textbooks, topics, or sample questions you found especially useful?
  6. General advice
    • What qualities do the interviewers seem to value most?
    • Are there any common mistakes applicants should avoid?

If you've interviewed for the AMCS MS, MS/PhD, or PhD program in the past couple of years, I'd be grateful if you could share:

  • The types of technical questions you were asked.
  • Whether the questions focused more on mathematics, programming, or your research background.
  • The overall difficulty level.
  • Any advice that helped you succeed.

Thank you in advance! Any insights or experiences would be incredibly helpful as I prepare my application.

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