2x 20 min interviews, 3-4 hrs apart
French: French short story and news article given beforehand, English poem given beforehand; Classics: Latin poem (with translation) and Greek poem given beforehand, identifying some Latin grammar
Practice translations, grammar and vocab practice
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Read about others' experiences online; reread stuff on personal statement
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:
Number of interviews: 2
Skype interview: No
Time between each interview: a few hours
Length of interviews: about 20 minutes each
French - I was given a French short story and news article the night before and an English poem just before the interview. We discussed the poem and short story in English, and the news article in French. I was asked what kind of themes and ideas I pulled out of them, it was like a typical English class. It was a one on one interview, one person took notes but said nothing. I felt comfortable chatting about the literature, a bit nervous talking in French but settled into it.
Classics course 1 - I was given a poem in Latin, its translation, and a translation of a Greek poem. I was asked to make points comparing the two, and to identify some grammar in the Latin. This interview involved two
I used The Student Room to read about other people's advice and experiences. I did a lot of prereading and rereading about things that I put in my personal statement but it wasn't discussed in as much detail as I expected.