Law @ Pembroke, Cambridge in 2019

Interview format

Cambridge Law Test (CLT); 2x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: discussion of books read recently, EPQ; Interview 2: questions about CLT essay

Best preparation

Kept up with current affairs

Test preparation

Getting familiar with essay writing

Final thoughts

Show that you've taken the time to do your own research

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: 2 hours
Length of interviews: 30 minutes
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

In the first interview, I was asked to talk about some books I had read that year. We also discussed the news and how I ensure that my exposure to current affairs isn’t affected by biased media. I also talked about a challenge I had academically and how I dealt with it. I was also asked about my EPQ.

In the second interview, I was asked about my essay which I wrote for the Cambridge Law Test. This dominated the interview because it turned into quite a lively debate. There was a reading activity and I was asked about it at the end, but because the debate took over a lot of the time, I didn’t get time to talk it through.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I made sure I felt confident in the books that I mentioned in my personal statement. I browsed BBC News for a couple of weeks prior to the interview to make sure I was up on my current affairs. I had one-to-one debates with students/teachers at my school.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

No preparation, just be good at essay writing.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Make sure you research your subject in depth. You need to show passion and what better way than to show that you take your own time to research. Furthermore, ensure you are confident. If you shy away, they may seem nice enough to be sympathetic but they really want confident people who are adaptable to supervisions