Classics (3 Years) @ Pembroke, Cambridge in 2020

Interview format

Translation test, 2 interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: Greek and Latin unseen translation; Interview 2: Discussion around personal statement topics

Best preparation

Looked over personal statement and practised talking about Classics with a teacher and peer

Final thoughts

Engage with the interviewers

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: Translation test

Number of interviews: 2

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

My first interview was a Latin and Greek language test. I was given an unseen passage of Greek and Latin to translate into English, and 10 grammar questions to answer. It was A-Level difficulty, but I didn't realise I would be tested on this, so I was a little unprepared, because I didn't revise any of my vocabulary and grammar, so I was just trusting what I knew. It was quite nerve-wracking given that I felt unprepared, but the interviewers were very nice and not scary. When I got something wrong, they corrected me but in a very understanding way. I made sure to stay engaged with what they were saying, and I made it obvious that I was trying to learn from my errors.

In my second interview, there were 2 interviewers, and they each asked me an essay-type question. One was on Greek theatre, which I had mentioned in my personal statement. But it was more like a conversation rather than a question which needed to be answered with a finite answer. I could take the conversation in any direction I liked as long as it somehow related back to the initial question. After the second interview, I was stressed that I didn't do very well, but so it seems, I couldn't have done that badly. So I think it's normal to feel like you messed up or didn't do as well as you could.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I studied my personal statement, making sure that I hadn't forgotten what I had written about, in case they asked about it. This was well worthwhile, as the interviewer asked about the essay I mentioned in my PS, and asked me a question based on that topic. I also did practice interviews with my Greek teacher and another Classics applicant. We had a page of random questions on classical topics, and we took turns asking and answering them. I think the practice questions were very helpful as they made the process of thinking and talking on the spot feel less alien.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Don't get stressed, trust what you know, and be interested in what the interviewers have to say. If you don't know something, ask questions about it or try to relate it to something you do know about.