History Admissions Assessment (HAA); 2x interview
Interview 1: source work; Interview 2: books read, types of popular history
Extra reading
Read a varied range of texts
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:
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: A few hours
Length of interviews: 20 minutes
Online interview: No
We discussed books I read and my comments on them. We also talked about types of popular and academic history. There was a lot of source and theme-based work; I had an entire interview on sources. I didn't know many answers but I just made something up. It was very relaxed and interviewers friendly and helpful, and there's no need to dress super smart.
Do past paper questions and extra reading around your subject.
Read as much as you can! Reference books you have read and historians/schools of thought. A depth in an area of history but also a breadth knowledge to show interest is helpful. Be natural and not stiff, and smile. Some questions were challenging but always answer and make it up if you have to. It's impossible to tell how it went to don’t worry at all afterwards.