2x interviews (30 mins each)
First interview: motivations, personal statement, areas of intersest. Second interview: questions about year out, texts read, historical context and personal statement
Interview practice and learning a lot about specific areas of interest
Say what you think and don't worry about getting it wrong! They don't expect you to know it all.
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.
I had two 30 minute interviews with two interviewers each, one at around 2pm and one at 5:30pm. In the meantime, I waited in the
Prior to the first interview, I was handed an envelope containing a short extract. I was taken to a preparation room to read and note the extract for 15 minutes. Then, I was taken to the interview room. The extract turned out not to be the main subject of the interview, though it was used and discussed. Instead, my personal statement and more general questions about the subject dominated.
The second interview was with the current
The first interview was genuinely lovely. It felt relaxed, more like a conversation than an interview. The interviewers would often just talk between each other as if I wasn't there. I felt like I could sink into the warmth of the leather sofa until it was all over. The first question was about my subject interest. After that, we went through aspects of my personal statement: books I'd mentioned reading, and areas I was particularly interested in.
The second interview wasn't so welcoming. I was a post-A level applicant, and, inevitably, the first few questions were about how I was spending my year out. The history
Lastly, she asked me which Shakespeare play I would be most comfortable discussing. We then discussed the significance of scenes within that play.
Finding a specific literary era/theme I was particularly interested in and focusing on it.
The interviewers are just people too! Also, sitting with the other applicants prior to the interviews is very weird and can be anxiety inducing. Do what's best for you.
Also, be honest. If you don't know something, say it. They're experienced enough to see straight through blustering. They want to take someone that they can teach; they don't care whether you seem to know it all.