Geography @ Homerton, Cambridge in 2017

Interview format

Geography Admissions Assessment (GAA); 2x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: interpreting graphs, scenario questions; Interview 2: pre-reading questions, personal statement

Best preparation

Brushed up on A Level Geography content

Test preparation

Similar test papers

Final thoughts

Look at the course content beforehand

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: Geography Admissions Assessment (GAA)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 30 minutes
Length of interviews: 30 minutes
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

Lots of random questions (in line with Geography as it's a fairly random degree!) Naturally I was given graphs at one point, and was asked to highlight trends and changes. I also had a few scenario based questions and questions about the pre-reading, plus a couple of questions about my personal statement. The interviewers were a little tense as I had two interviewers both time, and I was going up multiple flights of stairs beforehand so was a little out of breath! One of my interviews was with two professors and the other two with two PhD students (the former was much more relaxed). I think the most important thing to remember was that they weren't trying to trip me up - they were just pushing me!

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I read up on my personal statement and the content surrounding it. I brushed up on my A Level Geography course. I re-read the book that I mentioned in my personal statement, I did a mock interview with a teacher at my school. I also read all sorts of things online, some useful, some not so useful.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Past GAA papers, past TSA papers, general reading around these sorts of assessments!

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Remember that interviewers aren't looking to trip you up - they want to push you and your thinking! It's handy to be brushed up on your personal statement and look at your course and have a vague idea about the types of content you might be studying!