Interview Format

Test taken: ELAT

Number of interviews: 2

Skype interview: No

Time between each interview: 1-2 days

Length of interviews: about 30 minutes each

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

For my English interview, my tutors started off by handing me a poem and reading it aloud. We discussed when it might have written, and what I thought about the poem. In particular, we discussed themes and techniques. At some points they helped push me in the right direction. We then moved on to discussing the literature I’d written about in my personal statement, which was largely based on my EPQ. Towards the end, they brought up the two English essays I had submitted, particularly one quote I had analysed.

In my French interview, I had to arrive 20 minutes before the interview and was given a French poem to analyse. The poem had some vocabulary in English at the bottom. At the start of my interview, they told me we’d talk in English until two questions in French at the end. Firstly, they asked me if there were any words I didn’t know, and explained that wasn’t part of a test but genuinely wanted to make sure I had understood everything. We then talked about the themes and techniques in the poem. One tutor then picked up on one line in my personal statement. It was a transitional line linking my wider reading to my work experience, so I wasn’t expecting it to be brought up, but I was able to think on the spot and we had a discussion about that. At the very end, the other tutor said we would now talk in French. The two questions were on a familiar topic - I think it was about TV - so that I wouldn’t be out of my depth vocabulary-wise, but also linked it to what we had been talking about before regarding literature. I had to ask her to repeat one question, and I got stuck on one word - which she supplied for me - but neither of these things seemed to bother them.

How did you prepare?

For the ELAT, I did a practice paper, but mostly just practised analysing and comparing any unseen poem or excerpt. To be honest, I didn’t prepare excessively for it. The ELAT allows you to showcase what you should be naturally good at if you’re going for literature, because the format is very free. In that way, it isn’t that scary. Maybe give essay writing a go under timed conditions one or two times before you sit it.

For the MLAT, I think Oxford only made one specimen paper available. I practised that, and then practised some more advanced grammar with my French teacher.

What advice do you have for future applicants?

Looking back, what advice would you give to your past self?

Make sure you know your personal statement and submitted essays really well. Go over them a few times the week before your interview.

I was lucky to have teachers who wanted to help - if you don’t, enlist a parent to help - but practising speaking on the spot is good if you’re a nervous public speaker like I was.

One thing to remember is to always think aloud. It’s okay if you’re a little wrong, or maybe your argument doesn’t hold, but the ability to show tutors your thought process is key. Also, if you suddenly think what you’re saying is wrong, it’s okay to backtrack and say “wait, I no longer think this argument holds because of X”. This is also a good way of showing how you think critically.

I didn’t prepare much for the tests, and I’m happy about that. They are designed to show natural potential, not to be a lot of hoops to correctly jump through as GCSEs and A-levels often are.

If you are worried about getting anxious leading up to or during in the interview, learn about ways to calm down - breathing deep and slow, maybe some mindfulness if you feel up for it.

Remember that the interviewers are meant to be on your side. They want to ask questions that will help you to succeed, not to catch you out. Even if they seem intimidating or ask sharp questions, they want you to do well.

Also, it is hard to predict how well you’ve done afterwards. Sometimes the interviewee will come out thinking it was an awful interview only to find out a month later they got in. When the tutors are asking you hard questions, whether you are able to get the answers right or not is less important than you showcasing your ability to think, which is more what they are looking for.