Chemistry @ St Catherine's, Oxford in 2017

Interview format

2x 20 min interviews; over 2 days

Interview content

Questions on unfamiliar material

Best preparation

Know things you've studied; prepare to be stretched at interview.

Advice in hindsight

-

Final thoughts

Talk through thought process; work with the interviewers

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: TSA

Number of interviews: 2

Skype interview: No

Interview spread: over 2 days

Length of interview: Around 20 minutes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

There was no discussion of my personal statement or of me generally. Each interview was with two tutors, and each tutor spent 10 minutes asking me questions about concepts I hadn’t seen before. It was unfamiliar material, but the sort of stuff that, with a little help, you can work your way through. They were looking to see how I think around unfamiliar problems and how I adapt when I don’t know the answer, simulating what the tutorial environment is like. I think to some extent they were also testing how I interacted with them, as I’m sure they wouldn’t want to have someone who deoesn't engage or that they don't like in their tutorials.

How did you prepare?

I did as many papers as I could.

I did a little bit of interview prep through school, but it was not the same as the real thing. All I can suggest is to make sure you know everything you’ve studied up to that point well, and that you go into the interview prepared to be stretched.

What advice do you have for future applicants?

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

Ultimately, there is nothing quite the same as an Oxbridge interview. They don’t care if you don’t know the correct answer, and don’t be afraid to talk through your thought process, even if you think it might be wrong. They will prompt you in the right direction if you go off track, but only if you’re willing to work along with them.