2 interviews (30 mins), 1 test (60 mins)
Interview 1: exploring a new philosophical topic for the first time. Interview 2: defending my personal opinions in philosophical debate.
Get used to talking about philosophy; take a look at some basic logic books.
Don't think about the interview after it's finished.
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.
An exam and then two interviews, each with a separate pair of interviewers. The
For the first interview, I had to talk about a completely new philosophical topic, but with lots of signposting from the two interviewers to help. I was also asked to present my argument in a number of different ways, and consider how each variation changes validity.
In the second interview, they asked my opinion on various philosophical and non-philosophical topics. I had to defend my views and respond to their arguments through debate. At several points, I argued myself into holes, but they weren't interested in whether I was right or not. They were interested in how I think.I looked through Forall X [a free online logic textbook that is used to teach first year Cambridge philosophers] and various logic puzzle books. Other than that, I just read up on my personal statement and practiced talking about philosophy.
Even if you think you’ve messed up, do NOT lose hope -- I was in that exact boat because my UMS was quite low on average and I thought my second interview went terribly, so I was literally preparing for my second choice when I got my offer. Once its done dont overthink it!!