PBSAA, TSA - both sections; 2x interviews
Interview 1: personal statement, subject-related questions; Interview 2: Article discussion, data and graph interpretation
Practice papers, rereading your personal statement
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Vocalise your thought process during the interview
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.
Tests taken: Psychological and Behavioural Sciences Admissions Assessment (PBSAA),
Number of interviews: 2
Skype interview: no
Time between interviews: 20 minutes
Length of first interview: 25 minutes; Length of second interview: 35 minutes, inclusive of 10min prep time
In my first interview, I was asked to discuss a point made on my personal statement, which I immediately felt comfortable with as I am very passionate about the point they mentioned. I was also given some questions and scenarios, as well as asked to analyse some situations.
In my second interview, I was given lots of unseen graphs and data and asked to interpret it. We also discussed an article I read prior to the interview.
I did practice papers and attended a
I spoke to my head of sixth form, who encouraged me to apply and gave me some
For my interview, I re-read my personal statement and made sure I knew what I was talking about; this helped me feel a lot more confident when discussing the points.
In the interviews, they want to understand how you think, so always vocalise your thoughts and thought process. Don't be afraid to ask any questions.