Test taken: CAT

Number of interviews: 2

Skype interview: No

Interview spread: same day - 1 in morning, 1 in afternoon

Length of interviews: 15 minutes each

In my first interview (a general discussion one) the first thing I was asked was what I wanted to talk about - whether I had a particular question I wanted answering. This threw me at first - I was expecting them to take the lead! - but I soon came up with something which we discussed for a few minutes. They asked me questions and then challenged me on my answers and assumptions, e.g. "Is that a generalisation?","What makes you say that?" Then I was given an English translation of a poem and asked what I thought it was about, them prompting me as I went along. Finally, I was shown a floor plan and photo of a building and asked what I thought it was and why. The whole interview was very informal and chatty, and though I was nervous I was really quickly put at ease by the two tutors and the atmosphere of the room, which had armchairs and a fire.

My second interview was in two halves; one literature, one philosophy. We did the philosophy half first and I had 10 minutes before going into the interview to look at 5 or so statements and think about whether they were logically valid or not. In the interview we went through them one by one and I explained my reasoning. I realised I hadn't quite understood what justified something as valid, but the tutor explained again and then I got it, and we continued. This was all new to me, having never done philosophy before, but the interview was designed for complete beginners so that was fine.

The literature half involved looking at another English translation of a poem and commenting on it, in a similar way as in the first interview. We went through the poem slowly, looking at it stanza by stanza before discussing the overall themes. It was something quite similar to what I was doing in A levels so it was less daunting than the philosophy, but I was definitely challenged a lot, which was a little disconcerting. This interview was less of a chat and did feel more like an 'interview', especially as they were sitting on the opposite side of a desk, but the tutors were still very friendly.

I did the one specimen paper, as well as lots and lots of unseen translation practice.

I wrote down every new bit of vocab I came across and tested myself regularly. I learnt my conjugation/declension tables inside out.

I think the best way to prepare is to practise interviews and discussions, whether with other people applying for the subject, or current students, or parents, or teachers, or anyone. Practise articulating your thoughts and responding to what other people say, and be open and prepared to change your mind about things.

Think about the areas you are interested in and why, and look into them more.

Be familiar with your personal statement and the essays you submitted, but don't be alarmed if you don't talk about them at interview.