No admissions test; 1 interview
Questions about personal statement; Interpreted pre-read geography material
Discussed topics with a teacher; Re-read books mentioned in personal statement
N/A (no admissions test taken)
Know the interviewers want you to do well and that the interview is just one part of the application process
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: None
Number of interviews: 1
Length of interview: 30 minutes
Online interview: Yes
I was asked some general questions about my personal statement to ease me into the interview. We then went on to interpreting some Geography material they had sent me in advance, and I answered questions about them.
Although I wasn't sure in the first instance, it was reassuring that they almost don't expect you to know and will give hints to guide you towards the answer. The aim is not to grill you, but to emulate what a supervision would be like.
At the end, I felt like it wasn't perfect, but I felt good that I had gotten to the answer for some of the academic questions.
Throughout Year 12 I had one-on-one discussions with my Economics teacher which helped my ability to formulate answers and think about supercurricular topics.
Other than that, it was very important that I re-read all the books I mentioned in my personal statement so that I had the confidence to speak about them in my interview.
On the day of the interview, I tried not to read too much, rather I just got my brain working by doing some light exercise and playing some sudoku.
My advice would be to imagine that they want you to do well and that they are on your side, so that you don't feel pressure.
Also, understand that although the interview comes after the rest of the application process, getting to the interview stage does not mean that the whole application now rests on your performance in the interview. Rather, it is one of many components that they will use to judge your application.
That gives you the opportunity to demonstrate a different skill/quality in each component e.g. showing your passion in your PS and showing your reading ability in your interview etc.