Biology @ St Hilda's, Oxford in 2019

Interview format

2x interviews.

Interview content

Questions on unfamiliar subject material; personal statement questions. Felt nervous but calmed by the interviewers who supported when felt stuck.

Best preparation

Mock interview and personal statement support.

Final thoughts

Be familiar with your personal statement; try to get a practice interview; be passionate.

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: None
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: Around a day (24 hours)
Length of interviews: Around an hour
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

I answered questions on unfamiliar text material relating to my course, further questions on the subject of my course overall, and about my personal statement. I was nervous, but my interviewers were friendly and encouraging so I soon calmed down as I began to answer the questions. If I got stuck, they gave subtle prompts and reworded questions to keep the interview conversation flowing, which added to the supporting atmosphere.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I practiced writing a personal statement, and asked for support at my school in having practice sessions on interviews. This involved them asking questions about what I had mentioned in my personal statement, introducing me to unfamiliar topics and asking me questions about it, and questions relating to an object - all of which came up in the interview process.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Make sure you are familiar with what you wrote on your personal statement, they will ask you about it so don't lie. Make sure you get practice interview experience with your teachers, and make sure they throw unfamiliar questions and texts at you so you can practice being open minded and won't panic during the interview. Due to my practice, I was prepared so nothing came as a huge surprise, but I now understand the importance of having good knowledge in all areas of the course you apply for - the interviewers are looking for people who are passionate about their subject and have explored it.