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Callum Reid

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Australia · HSC, ATAR 94.5 · IELTS 7.5

Interviewed 4 November 2026 at 17:43 · 5 min

Summary

Callum shows strong hands-on electrical motivation through a real inverter repair and a robotics project, and communicates clearly despite self-described developing English. The main gaps are a thinner answer on Khalifa University's specific programs and a leadership example limited to a single classroom setting.

Check before deciding

  • Callum's reasons for choosing Khalifa University leaned partly on family proximity and Callum had not yet reviewed the program course list, so the committee may want to probe program-specific interest.
  • The leadership example is a single classroom episode, so the committee may want to ask about leadership in a larger or less structured setting.
  • Integrity concern: phone in view, looking away from the screen (2×), more than one person in view. Look at the Integrity panel; it is evidence for you to weigh, not a verdict.

Admissions assessment

Band 4 Advanced

50% confidence · level 0.5 ± 0.5

  1. Band 52%
  2. Band 450%
  3. Band 345%
  4. Band 23%
  5. Band 10%

After 6 items the engine's hypothesis was Band 3 (56%). It then asked one item from a random band, Band 5, where an applicant at the hypothesis level has a 4% chance of answering correctly. The applicant answered wrong, as the hypothesis predicted. Three more items followed. The final band is Band 4, so the hypothesis was revised from Band 3.

3/3English
1/4Quantitative reasoning
2/3Science reasoning
  1. 1B3✓
  2. 2B4✗
  3. 3B3✓
  4. 4B4✗
  5. 5B3✓
  6. 6B4✗
  7. 7B5✗
  8. 8B4✓
  9. 9B2✓
  10. 10B3✓

Probe items 1 to 6, random-band check item 7, then affirm items. Bands come from the difficulty each question was written for and are not yet calibrated on KU applicants.

Integrity

Concern

10 flagged moments across 156 camera checks, one about every 5 seconds. This is evidence for you to weigh, never an automatic fail, and it does not change the score or the recommendation.

  1. Assessment 1:35Phone in viewA phone or tablet in view, still there after about 15 s
  2. Assessment 2:11Looking away from the screenLooking away from the screen, still there after about 25 s
  3. Assessment 2:32Switched tab or windowLeft the test window for about 41 s
  4. Assessment 3:23More than one person in view2 people in view, still there after about 20 s
  5. Assessment 3:34Possible second voiceSpeech heard while the applicant's mouth was not moving
  6. Assessment 4:20Left fullscreenLeft fullscreen during the test
  7. Assessment 4:22Switched tab or windowLeft the test window for about 17 s
  8. Assessment 5:18Notes or a book in viewNotes, a book or a second screen in view
  9. Assessment 6:17Copy or paste attemptTried to paste on the test page
  10. Interview 1:58Looking away from the screenLooking away from the screen, still there after about 20 s

Room scan before the test

Tab or window switches
2
Fullscreen exits
1
Copy, paste or right-click attempts
1
Camera dropouts
0

Flagged pictures are kept for 7 days, then deleted. The pictures for these sample applicants are illustrations, not real people.

A website cannot lock a computer the way an installed lockdown browser does. This record is what a browser can see: the camera, the window, fullscreen and copy attempts. A desktop lockdown app is a later phase.

Khalifa University interview criteria

  1. Proficiency in English communication

    4/5

    Callum answered clearly and fluently with some filler words and self-described developing English, but the communication was easy to follow throughout.

    “I'm a hard worker and I actually fix things, I don't just read about them.”

    Callum, in the interview

  2. Familiarity with the relevant profession

    4/5

    Callum gave a specific, technically sound troubleshooting example from the uncle's shop and described measuring voltage and current, though unsure about the daily work.

    “I measured the DC input and the voltage was dropping under load, so it was a capacitor on the board that was already bulging.”

    Callum, in the interview

  3. Commitment to pursue a professional degree program

    4/5

    Callum shows sustained interest through self-driven fixing, a robotics club build, and a stated focus on power systems and renewable energy.

    “I want a place where I can build real systems and not only do theory, you know?”

    Callum, in the interview

  4. Reasons for choosing Khalifa University

    3/5

    Callum gave a relevant reason tied to research and English-medium teaching but also cited family proximity and admitted limited knowledge of the engineering programs.

    “I read that it's a research university and the teaching is in English, so I can work in labs early.”

    Callum, in the interview

  5. Evaluation of potential leadership capabilities

    4/5

    Callum described a clear personal role in turning around a failing lab group and reflected on leading best through a clear procedure, though the example is classroom-scale.

    “So I, like, asked the teacher if we could redo the setup, and I made a short checklist for everyone to follow before switching on the power.”

    Callum, in the interview

Full transcript

21 turns
  1. Nura

    Hi Callum, I'm Nura, and I'll be doing your Khalifa University admissions interview today. It takes about six minutes and there are no trick questions. To start, what first got you interested in Electrical Engineering?

  2. Callum

    Umm, okay. So, my uncle has a small electronics shop in Abu Dhabi, near the old market, and people bring him solar inverters that aren't working. I started just watching him, and then I was like, wait, why does it stop? So I got really into it.

  3. Nura

    What do you think an electrical engineer actually does on a normal day?

  4. Callum

    I think... they design circuits, or they test systems and find where the fault is. Like, they measure things, they check the voltage, the current, and then they fix or improve the design. Maybe they also write code for, uh, control systems? I'm not fully sure about the daily part.

  5. Nura

    Can you give me one specific example from the shop?

  6. Callum

    Yes. One inverter kept shutting off after like ten minutes in the afternoon. My uncle thought it was the panel. I measured the DC input and the voltage was dropping under load, so it was a capacitor on the board that was already bulging. We replaced it and it ran fine. That was the moment I thought, okay, this is what I want.

  7. Nura

    What have you done outside class toward this field?

  8. Callum

    I joined the robotics club at my school last year. We built a line-following robot with Arduino. At first our motor driver kept burning out, which was annoying, but I figured out we were drawing too much current through the wrong pin.

  9. Nura

    What was the hardest part of that project for you?

  10. Callum

    Honestly, the teamwork part. I'm very, um, detail-focused, so I wanted to check every wire myself. My teammates wanted to just try things fast. We had to find a middle point, and I learned to let some things go and test them in a smarter order.

  11. Nura

    Why Khalifa University, and not another university?

  12. Callum

    Uh, the first reason is my family is here in Abu Dhabi, so it's close to home, and my parents would be comfortable. But also, I read that it's a research university and the teaching is in English, so I can work in labs early. I think that matters for me.

  13. Nura

    What do you know about the engineering programs there?

  14. Callum

    Not as much as I should, to be honest. I know they have labs and research groups, and I want to look at the power systems side, maybe renewable energy. I haven't read the full course list yet, so I should do that before the decision.

  15. Nura

    That's fair, thank you for being honest. Tell me about a time you led others or took the first step on something.

  16. Callum

    Okay. In grade eleven, our physics lab group was failing the circuit practical. Nobody wanted to speak up. So I, like, asked the teacher if we could redo the setup, and I made a short checklist for everyone to follow before switching on the power.

  17. Nura

    What happened after you made that checklist?

  18. Callum

    Our next practical was fine, and the teacher even showed it to the other groups. It wasn't a big thing, but I felt good. I think I'm better at leading when I have a clear procedure, not when I'm just talking loudly.

  19. Nura

    Is there anything you want the committee to know about you?

  20. Callum

    Yes. I know my English on the program side is still developing, but I'm a hard worker and I actually fix things, I don't just read about them. I want a place where I can build real systems and not only do theory, you know?

  21. Nura

    Thank you, Callum. That was a clear and thoughtful conversation. Best of luck with your application.