Test taken: Arts-Humanities Admissions Assessment (AHAA)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: Around 2-3 hours
Length of interviews: Half an hour each
Online interview: No

Both of my interviews followed the same broad pattern: we started with a source (this was a picture in the first, and a historiographical text in the second, for which I was given about 20 minutes' preparation time beforehand), then we moved on to discuss elements of my personal statement and the essays I had submitted. I felt like my first interview had gone horribly and I was certain I was going to be rejected - I had struggled with the source and they definitely pushed me to my limits with some of the questions they asked about my essay.

The truth is, I was just stressed and putting myself under too much pressure; I was much more relaxed in the second interview and told myself just to enjoy the experience, and that led to a much more positive feeling. I came out smiling - if you can enjoy it, I think that tells you a lot about your suitability for Cambridge, because this is the style of teaching you can expect when you get here.

I read over my personal statement, and then chose some themes/threads from that that I wanted to read up on. For example, I'd written quite a lot about Richard III and mentioned how I found the competing interpretations on him very interesting, so I read another book about this - I didn't agree with the historian on many of his points, but the ability to criticise others' work is a key skill to have, and the reading I did showed this.

Other than that, I recommend practising talking about your subject with people - the interview is designed to get you thinking deeply about a subject you love in an academic conversation, so the more comfortable you are showing your passion for that subject, the better!

I started off by looking at all the information on Cambridge's website - this is the best place to go, as there are lots of other sites claiming to offer tuition and other advice, but you I promise you don't need them! The test is designed to be very hard to tutor for. Once I had gathered all the information I needed - for example, what was the structure of the paper, how long should I spend on each question? - I started with practice papers. The AHAA is split into two sections, so at first I didn't worry about timing myself; I just did each section separately to gauge what my base level was. I moved up to doing one section timed, then to doing full papers under timed conditions. I did one of these a couple of days before the real exam. It's worth remembering that this isn't a test of content knowledge, but rather a test of your subject skills, so try to enjoy it! Just apply the skills you learnt at A level, and there's no reason you won't do well. I also recommend asking a teacher to go over your practice essays with you - but if you can't find anyone, reach out to a Cambridge student online. TheStudentRoom is good for things like this, and I would be more than happy to help.

I would say that the application process wasn't as scary or stressful as I thought it would be. I'm a first-generation student, so I really had very few people to ask for advice, but know that there are always channels like this one available. I walked into my first interview expecting the classic stereotype of dons asking you ridiculously abstract questions - but what I found was a couple of academics looking for a friendly discussion about history.

All they're looking for is someone who is passionate, engaged, and willing to learn - someone who doesn't just stick stubbornly by their own opinions, but who listens to other perspectives and adjusts their arguments accordingly; someone who is 'teachable', and who has potential.

The final thing I wish I'd known is that there is no one who is 'meant' for Cambridge - if you satisfy the above requirements, there's no reason it couldn't be you.