Test taken: English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 20 mins
Length of interviews: 30 mins
Online interview: No

I had to read a passage before I went into each interview room. The first was a modern poem, the second was an 18th century piece of prose. In the interview I had to respond to what I thought of the pieces. I talked about a variety of issues and structures - some specific and some broad. After spending half the interview focusing on the passage, the rest was spent on my personal statement. The interviewers asked me about the books on there and encouraged me to think about them in new ways.

The first interviewers were quite cold at times but the second ones were warm and lovely. Both took place in very comfy offices with armchairs and books. I know it’s hard but try not to panic. Just think hard about what you want to say and don’t be afraid to pause.

Practice papers - you can find them online. I practiced reading short passages and poems and coming up with ideas on how to respond to them. The key to the ELAT is finding an argument or angle. So I read passages and found arguments that I could create from close literary analysis.

I prepared by reading all the books carefully on my personal statement. I also read books around it. Make sure you have a book/poem/play for a range of different themes and time period you can draw upon. Ask teachers for help and try and get them to set up a mock interview. The best thing I did was was putting the books I genuinely enjoy on my personal statement - The Fault In Our Stars was on there! This made the interview so much more relaxed and easy.

My advice is to be yourself and be genuine. Don’t try and fake anything!