Test taken: ELAT
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 15 minutes
Length of interviews: About 30-40 minutes
Online interview: Yes

My first interview covered an unseen booklet, and my written work. The first interviewer began by taking me through the unseen extracts, which were a poem, and opening extracts from two novels. I had about fifteen minutes to analyse them, and then we discussed each in detail. The second tutor had picked one of my essays, which was about Coleridge, and basically went through the entire essay, challenging my points and prompting new interpretations. I certainly relaxed into this interview, and it felt far more like a conversation. My interview was online, so it was hard to describe the atmosphere - it was difficult to feel fully connected to the tutors, and I had a few technical difficulties.

My second interview was a lot harder, and I found it difficult to relax into. I'd had no previous interview prep and was slightly in the dark about the process, and my second was certainly more challenging. We began by talking briefly about one of the texts in my personal statement, but quickly moved into wider conversations about the importance of literature. The second half of the interview covered my other piece of written work, which was an essay on Camus. Unlike the previous discussion, the tutor did not discuss the substance of the essay, but wider issues of Camus himself. This fell mostly into translation and language, with discussion centred around differences between languages, texts translated into English, and the difference between translation and interpretation. I had not mentioned this topic at all in my personal statement, and really struggled to put together thoughtful answers, as I felt so on the spot. In hindsight, it was completely okay to ask for clarification! If you don't understand something, or need it worded slightly differently, that's completely fine. Also, it's better to steer the direction rather than not to answer, saying something like 'I think that's very difficult to answer, but it did push me to think about xyz, or maybe xyz has something to do with it? I think this because...'

Re-reading my personal statement and making a list of possible questions was really useful - NOT to memorise answers, but to get used to thinking critically on the spot. I also made some friends read my personal statement, and ask me questions based on it, almost like a mock interview. For a subject like English, I truly think the best preparation is making sure you've read and have opinions on all the books you've mentioned, and have gone back and re-read your written work for submission.

Practice papers, planning out practice questions, and attempting to write them in timed conditions.

My advice would be take the time to think about your answer. Don't immediately rush into speaking the first thing on your mind - it's okay to take a few seconds to clarify a point. I'd also say, try to think of it more like a conversation than an interview. This allows it not to feel as intimidating, so you're more able to speak coherently. It's important to remember that these interviews mimic the 'supervision' or 'tutorial' structure, which are far more relaxed. Try to answer everything with something, even if it's not exactly on the prompt given. Lastly, see it as an opportunity to talk about your passion as opposed to an event that everything hinges on. This is the time to talk and talk about the subject friends and family are probably sick of hearing about, to experts in the field! Try and view it as something exciting, as opposed to with apprehension. Good luck!