Classics (3 Years) @ Magdalene, Cambridge in 2020

Interview format

2x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: discussion of pre-reading (Latin literature) Interview 2: discussion related to personal statement, then about a coin

Best preparation

Reading through material provided and practice interview

Final thoughts

Speak your thought processes out loud and don't be afraid to say you don't know something

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: None
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: A couple of hours
Length of interviews: About an hour each
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

In the first, we stuck to the content they gave me to look at (a piece of Latin literature). I was asked questions about its context, literary techniques, and grammar.

In the second, they mostly used my personal statement to delve into topics such as linguistics and translation, then showed me a coin and we discussed the symbolism.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I read through the material they gave me and did a practice interview with my teacher.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

If you need time to think, say it. Speak your thought processes out loud so that the interviewers can tell that you're not just time-wasting. If you don't know a piece of information, say so and they will usually be happy to supply it because they are testing your way of thinking more than what you already know.