Test taken: MML at-interview assessment
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: a day
Length of interviews: 25-30 minutes 
Online interview: Yes

Both my Spanish and French interviews followed a very similar set structure. I was sent a literary passage in the target language 15 minutes or so before the interview and I had to try and work through that and come up with some ideas (this is daunting but don’t worry if a lot of it is unclear, just work out what you can, and have a go at making some guesses in context to show them your thought process!).

The first 10 minutes were focused on asking me questions about this text - meaning, language used, themes present etc. The interviewers will help you to reach the points - don’t worry if you don’t get them straight away! The next 5-10 minutes were grammar focused: I had to talk through as I translated some sentences that covered key grammar points like the subjunctive, the imperative, prepositions etc. Finally the last 5 or so minutes the interviewer asked me some questions about something from my personal statement in the target language, and I had to answer in that language. They didn’t ask very difficult questions, they were more focused on speaking in the language - I basically had to describe what I’d written and my ideas about it in Spanish/French.

Firstly I spent time going through everything (point, name, book, film, topic) I had written on my personal statement and did further research on each one, making sure I’d be able to talk about it if asked. This also helped to develop any opinions I had on the topics and back them up with further points. I practiced asking myself some questions and answering them to test this. I had one mock interview with school which helped me with feedback for approaching the unseen text part of the interview (my main feedback being to keep referring back to the text!). Other than that I went over key grammar points, conjugations etc. in each language.

I just went through the 4 or so past papers they had online! There wasn’t much information about completing this test so I read any blog posts or articles about it I could find (which I think was only 1 or 2) and then attempted some past papers. The first few I timed myself, then I did it to the time set. I got my teachers to look over what I’d written and my grammar etc. Other than that just practicing vocab and also looking over some key terms for the section written in English.

As much as you research your personal statement, go over grammar, practice reading etc. you cannot predict what will happen in your interview so do not worry if you feel unprepared. Honestly, just say every idea and thought you have in the moment - they are expecting you to be nervous but they just want to see what you have to say! I know I didn’t feel like I’d really said anything impressive in my interview; I actually messed up quite a few of my translations the first time around and had to quickly correct myself. But I think that’s what they like to see - not someone who knows it all but someone who wants to learn and who they can teach.