4 x 30 min interviews, MLAT and CAT
How languages evolve; poem pre-reading; passage pre-reading and books in personal statement and questions in French; poem, book discussion, and questions in French
Went over the things mentioned in my personal statement and submitted written work. Listened to a French podcast
Practice papers, grammar and vocab revision
Have an open mind, especially when they challenge what you say. They are on your side, even when they’re pushing you
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: Classics Admissions Test (
Number of interviews: 4
Time between interviews: Few hours
Length of interviews: 30 mins
Online interview: No
The first interview for Classics started with the biggest question I have about languages, which was about how languages evolve. Then they gave me a poem which I read and discussed. The second Classics interview was about a poem that was given to me shortly before the interview, followed by philosophical questions. The poems in each of the interviews were in English. The first French interview was about a passage given before the interview, and then we spoke about a book I had mentioned reading in my personal statement. Finished with a couple of questions in French about a topic from my statement. The second interview was a poem, followed by discussing that book again, and lastly a couple of general questions in French. Both texts given before the interviews were in French.
Went over the things mentioned in my personal statement. Listened to a French podcast to sort of warm up my mind. Tried to keep an open mind. Also went over the written work submitted earlier on in the application process.
Practice papers, grammar and vocab revision
Take your time before answering, it’s good to think aloud and tell them all your thoughts and arguments. Have an open mind, especially when they challenge what you say. They are on your side, even when they’re pushing you. They’re more interested in how you think and how passionate you are rather than how much you know about your subject. Lastly, be yourself!