Test taken: Arts-Humanities Admissions Assessment (AHAA)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 16 hours
Length of interviews: 30 minutes
Online interview: No

My first interview started with the discussion of a source handed out beforehand, followed by a discussion about my an A-Level that wasn't History. We then talked about the influence of historical issues on current geopolitics, all stuff only very mildly related to what was written in my personal statement. Aside from the initial source discussion, the interview was frankly only tangentially related to history, and ended up being a pleasant and interesting discussion about various topics.

My second interview focused on each of the essays I had submitted, with them being talked through and deconstructed. This one felt more stressful as what I was written was being called into question, and there were some questions asked that I simply didn't know the answer to, however it was important to not lose confidence and either defend or concede points on your essay.

I expected my interview to largely centre around what I had written about in my personal statement, specifically the concepts I had discussed and the books I had mentioned. As such, I spent a significant amount of time going over these and elaborating my thoughts on these topics, especially trying to create synoptic links between my chosen areas of study to other areas of history and current issues. I ensured that I was in constant communication with my relevant subject teachers and arranged meetings with them during my free periods to sit and discuss history with them. Closer to the date of my interview, I also had mock interviews to simulate the experience, though I am unsure whether these were truly useful. The most valuable thing gained through all of this was an understanding of how History worked as an academic discipline, and the ability to not only talk about historical events in isolation, but link them to the wider world around us.

Did specimen papers and past papers available on the Cambridge website.

Read as much as you can, both History and current affairs primarily. Understand that History is more than a collection of events, and learn how it functions as an academic discipline. Interviewers like a student who goes beyond the bounds of their subject, and is aware of what is happening in the world around them. They're looking for people they can engage with, who can bring a unique perspective to something and who is good to converse with. Interviewers may ask you questions that you feel you have no answer to and leave you flustered, but that's fine. They want to see how you react to that kind of adversity, and to be able to clearly explain and defend your argument. Have confidence in what you say and do, because you've written or said it for a reason, and it is ok to say "I don't know" or to backtrack on an argument completely; interviewers like a candidate who can identify their own flaws quickly, it means they're always questioning everything, which is a fundamental skill required of historians. Just don't do it too frequently.