I had two interviews with four academics - two in each interview. The first interview was divided into two sections, and each section consisted of being asked to discuss a source with one of the academics. I arrived around 10am, and waited with other candidates in the JCR. Then I had an interview with two History Fellows, about an hour's break, then another interview with the two Directors of Studies. After that, I sat an hour long exam, consisting of a single essay on historical theory. I finished around 1.30/2pm, and headed home.

The first interview was source analysis. We worked through the first source: how to identify it, what clues the source offered, etc. The second source was on American history, and the discussion was similar. There wasn't a sense that there was a "right answer" - I wasn't expected to know what the source was exactly. Instead, we talked through the sources, and discussed the clues to its purpose and origin.

In the second interview we discussed my personal statement. Again, it was more of a discussion than an interrogation - we went over the Personal Statement, and I was asked to connect some of my interests (linking medieval history to modern politics, for example), and we discussed what appealed about the Cambridge Course.

The written test was broad, and allowed me to use my strengths to answer the question. Again, they don't want a "right" answer - they want to see how you think, and how you respond to abstract questions. In the interviews and tests, they're testing skills, rather than knowledge.

I'd be lying if I said that the Interview day wasn't tense, but the interviews themselves were not intimidating. In the interviews, I felt like I was talking shop, and chatting about something that interested me, with two people who were interested in my responses and shared my interests. Afterwards, I deliberately chose not to think about performance or results, because I didn't want to spend the rest of the Christmas Holidays agitating about it - I feel like that was the right decision, as otherwise I would have picked holes in my performance and convinced myself that I'd blown it before I even reached the bus stop by my interview College.

I took mock interviewsat school, and did some pre-reading before the summer on the advice of my history teacher. It helps to know about theory/historical methods, so I'd recommend brushing up on that before interview (if you want a recommendation, try Hobsbawm's "The Age of Revolution" - nice bit of ideological historiography).

Most importantly, I remained calm, got a good night's sleep the night before, and had a good breakfast. All the preparation in the world is useless if you're fried on the day.

Keep calm, keep a sense of perspective, and once it's done, it's done. No point in analysing it or overthinking it. And good luck.