Law @ Trinity, Cambridge in 2017

Interview format

Cambridge Law Test (CLT); 2x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: applying to law to situation; Interview 2: fictional scenario, motivation questions

Best preparation

Focused on reasoning rather than specific knowledge

Test preparation

Practising developing arguments

Final thoughts

Show your reasoning out loud

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: Cambridge Law Test (CLT)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: A few days (I had a physical interview in Canada with another college and an online one with the College I applied to)
Length of interviews: 40 minutes
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

One interview was based on an actual law and three fictitious situations in which I had to apply that law. I was supposed to give a presentation of my opinion but the interviewer was asking questions on issues I didn’t think about, to see how I could reason under pressure.

The other interview was about fictitious set of facts and whether I thought anyone was guilty of a crime, the facts kept changing to make it more complex. I was also asked the usual motivation questions on why law and why in England (being a mature and international student).

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I read a couple of books (the one advised in the Cambridge Law website). The interview is based on your reasoning not your knowledge, so really there isn’t much to do to prepare. I think I also googled tips on how to do well in university interviews.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

As the test is about developing an intelligent argument, I just read a lot (especially the law books advised on the Cambridge law website for an application) to have an idea if possible legal arguments to make.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Really say almost anything you think. The interviewers want to test how you reason, so reason out loud and if you get stuck feel free to ask questions. This is supposed to be like a supervision and you can have a conversion with the interviewers rather than just monologuing. Try to show off with some complex reasoning if you can.