Law @ King's, Cambridge in 2015

Interview format

2x interviews (20 mins); prepared for 1 (30 mins); 1x test (1 hour)

Interview content

Topics which can be debated

Best preparation

Be aware of current affairs; recognise both sides of an argument

Final thoughts

Try not to dwell on the interview after it's happened; reason through issues

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

Two 20 minute interviews. First interview kickstarted off my personal statement. I was then given a problem and 30 minutes to prepare for it to be discussed in the second interview (with a different panel).

One 1 hour test where I had to write an essay on a given title.

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

General controversial topics (you can bring in topics but be careful not to steer the conversation in a way where you are not answering the questions asked). They just want to know how you think.

How did you prepare?

Read the news! Have controversial issues in mind that interest you. Practice being able to see and explain both sides of an argument.

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

Don't overthink what happened in the interview. Make sure to talk the interviewer through your thoughts. They are asking difficult questions and they do not expect you to have the perfect answer to everything. Ultimately they want to see how you can reason through difficult issues and the best way to do that is take them through your reasoning - this will also give them something to work off of and generate a real discussion.