English @ Pembroke, Cambridge in 2019

Interview format

English Literature Admissions Test; 2x interviews.

Interview content

Interview 1: Pre-1800 literature, personal statement, poem analysis; Interview 2: Post-1800 literature, poem analysis.

Best preparation

Preparing conversation topics based on personal statement; mock interview with a teacher.

Final thoughts

You don't have to know everything; inform the interviewer if you're confused.

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

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

My first interview was structured to focus on pre-1800 literature and I was asked several questions on my personal statement and my reasons for applying to Cambridge. I was also given ten minutes before the interview to analyse a poem which we then discussed.

My second interview was on post-1800 literature and I was asked a lot about famous authors from this period, even though they were not in my personal statement. However, it did not matter if I did not know who an author was, as my interviewer only spoke about topics I could contribute to. I was also handed a short poem on the spot to read aloud and talk about.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I learnt lots about the authors I included in my personal statement and made sure I had interesting opinions on each of the texts which would spark a topic of conversation I felt comfortable talking about, such as mentioning feminism when asked about the Brontës.

The best experience was the mock interview I had with my English teacher as he gave me a poem to analyse and talk about on the spot, to get me used to the stress of this situation and not being afraid to make educated guesses.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Looked at practice papers and worked out timings

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Take confidence in the fact that you do not need to know everything. Tell your interviewer if something confuses you or if you don't know who they're talking about and they will gladly teach you/move on to a better topic.