2 x 20-30 min interviews
Genetics, statistics, ecology and human impacts, personal statement
Practice interview
Show your enthusiasm for your subject!
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.
Test taken: None
Number of interviews: 4
Time between interviews: They stretched over 2 days with 2 on each day, and around an hour or 2 wait between them.
Length of interviews: 20-30 minutes
Online interview: No
The interviews range in a variety of topics, from genetics (my favourite) and statistics in my first interview, to ecology and human impacts (my worst topic) in my third, so don’t worry if a topic you struggle on comes up in an interview. They all also had a section of my personal statements, to the point where I had a response prepared about my gap year and how I was utilising it.! I would say to make sure you read over your personal statement beforehand, especially if it’s been a while since you wrote it.
I had prep interviews with a biology teacher from my sixth form college, who really helped to refine my answering process and gave me a feel for how the interview would be structured. I feel like this would be useful even with someone not knowledgeable on your subject, such as a parent, if you were to give practice questions (I’m pretty sure they’re available online) so you can get comfortable discussing and answering question in that type of setting.
Enjoy it! You’re going to (hopefully) be discussing your favourite subject with some of the biggest experts so just make sure to show that enthusiasm.