Law @ Downing, Cambridge in 2015

Interview format

2x interviews; 1x test

Interview content

1st interview: elements of law; 2nd interview: more general, moral basis

Best preparation

Mock interview; research on interviewers

Final thoughts

Think about it like they'd be lucky to have you!

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

I had 2 interviews. One was with 2 academics which was a bit more general. The other was with 2 academics about specific legal principles.

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

My first interview was with a senior law Fellow of the college and her PhD student. They assured me they just wanted to see how I worked through problems. The main interviewer asked me to think through a situation with respect to specific elements of the law which they had given me.

Then I was escorted to a room where I sat a written exam, providing a solution to two challenging (but trivial, mostly about pop culture) legal problems. I think the test was about an hour.

My second interview was a bit more relaxed, I felt, and it was with an international law lecturer. This was where most of my subject knowledge lay at the time, so I enjoyed this interview much more. Rather than being asked about legal specificities, I was asked how one would approach wider international moral problems. There was clearly no correct answer, but it was very interesting to discuss.

How did you prepare?

I did not know anyone from Cambridge, none of my teachers had been to or knew anyone from Cambridge, so I had very little to prepare with. I did some mock interviews with my teachers and brushed up my subject knowledge. I looked up those who were going to be interviewing me to gauge what they would be interested in and to try and tailor my arguments towards their interests - after all, they are looking for students that they would enjoy teaching.

Looking back, what advice would you give to your past self?

Remember that they NEED students, and you will be paying to go here. The interviewing and application process goes both ways. They would be lucky to have you!