Thinking Skills Assessment section 1; 2x interviews
Interview 1: personal statement, interests within the subject; Interview 2: working through maths problems
Revised A Level syllabus
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Try to stay relaxed and focused
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
Skype interview: no
Time between interviews: none
Length of first interview: 15 minutes; Length of second interview: 15 minutes
In the first interview, I mainly talked about my personal statement, in particular my interests within the subject.
The second interview involved a few math problems which required me to think quickly and explain the process through which I figure out the answers. At first I was nervous, but the interviewers engaged me in a very intellectually stimulating discussion. The anxiety faded and I was just engrossed in the discussion.
I prepared for the Thinking Skills Assessment by practising past papers available online. Before the interview, I read books about my subject and also revised my A Level syllabus in case I was tested on basic knowledge related to the course.
My best advice would be to keep a clear head so that you can think quickly on the spot. Try not to focus on giving the perfect answer but rather proving your capacity to think and respond to questions.