Anglo-Saxon, Norse, And Celtic @ Robinson, Cambridge in 2019

Interview format

Arts-Humanities Admissions Assessment; 2x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: discussed EPQ, given extracts to analyse; Interview 2: personal statement

Best preparation

Re-read summaries of books mentioned on personal statement

Test preparation

Read books on psychometric testing

Final thoughts

Ask questions to further your understanding

Remember this advice isn't official. There is no guarantee it will reflect your experience because university applications can change between years. Check the official Cambridge and Oxford websites for more accurate information on this year's application format and the required tests.

Also, someone else's experience may not reflect your own. Most interviews are more like conversations than tests and like, any conversation, they are quite interactive.

Interview Format

Test taken: Arts-Humanities Admissions Assessment (AHAA)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 5-10 mins
Length of interviews: About 30 mins
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

We talked about my EPQ as it was relevant. I was also given some pictures and extracts to look at and speak about in the interview (no prep time!). I was finally asked a bit about some of the stuff I mentioned in my personal statement.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I re-read summaries or chapters of books on my personal statement that I'd forgotten (sometimes just introduction and conclusion to some books). I looked looked up analysis for texts to make sure I understood them well enough (definitely don't just quote them in the interview thoough - have your own ideas!). I should have looked over some Latin bits I had, as one of my interviewers did Latin and it came up in my interview.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Practise questions! Books on psychometric testing are helpful for the AHAA. Reading around possible subject areas for the essay (analyse an extract of a translation, etc)

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Use time to think - don't just panic and say whatever first comes to mind, they want to see your brain work. Ask questions about any sources they give you, or if you discuss something you mentioned in your personal statement, try to ask them a question about that. Get excited about your subject because they want to see your enthusiasm.