English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT); 2x interviews
Interview 1: personal statement, submitted texts; Interview 2: unseen poetry analysis
Talked about literature with peers
Analysing unseen texts
Ask the interviewer to repeat the question if necessary
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.
Test taken:
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 5 mins
Length of interviews: 20 mins
Online interview: No
My first interview was focused on my general interests based on a list of texts I’d submitted, plus my personal statement. (Reread your statement!)
My second was a discussion of a poem I’d never seen before, to see how I responded on the spot - basically like the Practical Criticism classes which are part of the Cambridge English course.
I got myself used to talking about literature and my interests in particular books/writers/theories by discussing them with students and
Official practice papers! For the ELAT you can also pick a random extract or poem from any book and start to analyse it, either verbally to yourself, or on paper.
Try not to overthink aspects of the application process - especially interviews. It’s tempting to try to rehearse why you’re going to say (I kind of tried and it did not work). And if you find yourself going off on a tangent, ask the interviewer to repeat the question. I had to do this and it really paid off! Also, try to be really enthusiastic; these people are the ones who will be teaching you, and they won’t choose you unless you show that you care!