Economics And Management @ Keble, Oxford in 2022

Interview format

Thinking Skills Assessment; 1x interview.

Interview content

Interview 1: maths questions, personal statement, article discussion

Best preparation

Re-read books from personal statement, practice speaking out loud

Test preparation

Past paper questions, YouTube videos

Final thoughts

Relax, and focus on the positives

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: Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) - section 1 only
Number of interviews: 1
Length of interviews: 30 minutes
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

Firstly, I was given two maths questions, which I found quite overwhelming. I told the interviewers this and they were understanding. They encouraged me to try again, but since I was still unsure we moved on to another question. They were not trying to punish me, they recognised that I was quite stressed and accommodated to my feelings. 

Next we spoke about my personal statement and I was asked some more questions about myself. 

For the 'management' side of the interview, I was given an article on a type of tax. The interviewers did not expect me to have knowledge of this though, and they explained it to me before asking any questions.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I watched YouTube videos on what interviewers look for, but I tried not to think about what they wanted too much. 

The interview replicates tutorial style teaching. I approached the interviews with this in mind, and thought it was important to be my authentic self, I didn't see the benefit of trying to develop a new identity for the interview.

I re-read books I included in my personal statement and looked at example questions. I also spoke out loud with my parents to practice talking through questions and my thought process. My only preparation was with my parents so don’t worry if you don’t have a teacher at school or someone specifically to help prepare you.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

I looked at past papers and watched YouTube videos; I found Jesus College's videos particularly helpful.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

I would say to relax in the interview and remember they are just normal people who are not here to judge you. 

If you feel as though it went terribly, you are probably only focusing on the negatives. I thought my interview had been a disaster, but it is not the end of the world. I wouldn’t change much about my experience. It did feel very independent, but there is no pressure to pay for prep or tutoring!