History @ Queens', Cambridge in 2021

Interview content

Interview 1: essay discussion, religion and historical sites; Interview 2: source analysis and current reading

Best preparation

Mock interviews

Test preparation

Practice papers

Final thoughts

The interview is more of a conversation than a test

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: History Admissions Assessment (HAA)
Number of interviews: 2
Online interview: yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

In my first interview, I discussed my essays and the work that I was doing for my A-Level and then we moved on to the theme of religion and historical sites. In my second interview, it was source analysis and current reading.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I did multiple practice interviews with people who had done the interview themselves and with teachers who didn’t know me. If your school has links to another school it’s helpful to be interviewed by someone who you don't know, because it reflects the interview experience more.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Planned practice papers - one on my own, one with someone who had already gotten in.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

It’s not as in-depth as you think, practice interviews can make you think that you must be so deep and thoughtful but I came out thinking I hadn’t done enough because it wasn’t as in-depth as the mock, it’s more of a conversation, trust yourself, go based on instinct and hope that it’s a well thought out answer.