2 x 30 min interviews, ELAT
Read prose passage/poem, annotated passage, talked through passage, gave interpretations, discussed what texts it reminded me of, discussed what literary movements and genres it connected with
Mock interview, read sample questions, practising vocalising my thought process and different interpretations.
Practice papers, reading exemplar answers, reading mark schemes, reading guides online
Voice your thoughts; the interviewers are most interested in how you think, not so much what you think.
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: English Literature Admissions Test (
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 1 day
Length of interviews: 30 minutes
Online interview: No
Interview #1 - What did you do: read prose passage; annotated passage; talked through passage; gave interpretations; discussed what texts it reminded me of; discussed what literary movements and genres it connected with. - Questions: tutors asked Qs about my interpretation of the text as I gave a line by line reading - Atmosphere: relaxed and friendly Interview 2 was much the same, but discussing a poem. Both interviews were in tutorial rooms in a Victorian house on the college site.
I had a
Practice papers, reading exemplar answers, reading mark schemes, reading guides online
Voice your thoughts; the interviewers are most interested in how you think, not so much what you think.