Philosophy @ Selwyn, Cambridge in 2016

Interview format

Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) - both sections; 2x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: general interests, A Level choices; Interview 2: personal statement, logic puzzle

Best preparation

Introductory logic book

Final thoughts

Use the Cambridge website to find some recommended books for applicants to read

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: Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) - both sections
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 4 hours
Length of interviews: 20-40 minutes
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

My first, short interview was general (non-academic). They asked me about my A level subjects and hobbies.

My second was academic and there were two interviewers. About half the time was spent asking me questions about books I’d mentioned in my personal statement, and pushing me/challenging me on my answers. For the second half I was given a worded logic puzzle and asked to discuss it with the interviewers.

How did you prepare?

Mostly practice papers! I also found practice papers from a different kind of test that were still useful, such as similar questions from the Oxford website. I also read a basic introductory book on logic to try to train myself to think in that way.

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

I prepared by reading philosophy books since I didn’t study it at A level. I went on the Cambridge website and looked for the recommended reading for applicants. I also was given two mock interviews by my school where they asked me about general philosophical questions and challenged me on my answers. My actual interview was not very similar to these practices though - however they did help me in terms of getting used to answering longer questions and thinking fast on the spot.