At-interview assessment; 2x interviews
Questions about personal statement; analysis of poetry in a studied language
Read testimonies from previous applicants; did practice interviews; went over personal statement
Practice papers with feedback
Don't be afraid to ask questions, take your time, and think out loud in interviews
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: MML [Modern and Medieval Languages] at-interview assessment
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 1 week
Length of interviews: 30 minutes
Online interview: Yes
Mostly spoke about my personal statement in both. Had to analyse poetry in the languages I was applying for. Got asked a few questions about school and other things over the summer as I’d had a bit of an unusual experience
Read interview accounts from earlier applicants, did five
Practice papers mostly: I wrote essays and got my teachers to mark them
When thinking about the answers to questions, think out loud: they want to hear your thought process. Don’t be afraid to say the wrong thing; as long as you can justify your answers you’ll never be truly wrong. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if you don’t understand. Don’t think that you’re on a timer: take your time; think carefully; and don’t rush