Geography @ St Catherine's, Oxford in 2019

Interview format

GAT; 2x interviews.

Interview content

Interview 1 (Human Geography): discussion; Interview 2 (Physical Geography): discussion, map interpretation.

Best preparation

Mock interview; personal statement read-over and knowledge; keeping up with current affairs.

Final thoughts

Enjoy the time you have there; don't worry about what you're wearing; think out loud.

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: Geography Admissions Test (GAT)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 4 hours
Length of interviews: 20 mins
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

Neither interviews asked me anything about my personal statement. My human geography interview focused on my local area, sustainable development and land use. My physical geography interview focused on what I was interested in, climate change, conservation of species. I was also shown a map and was asked to say what I thought was causing changes in the trend shown. It was lot more chill than I expected and not as nerve racking either, all tutors were really nice and more of a conversation rather than interview.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I had a mock interview from someone who I didn’t know, arranges by the school who looked over my personal statement and asked me questions on that and other geographical questions, mainly current affairs. I also made sure to have a few answers prepared from my personal statement and researched current affairs/ kept up to date with the news. 

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

I annotated the example GAT questions then wrote a practise answer for the questions not under timed conditions. I then got my teacher to read it through and give me advice

What advice would you give to future applicants?

You can do very little to prepare, so enjoy the interview process as I had such a great time when I was in Oxford talking to everyone and exploring the city. Get a mock interview if you can but not necessary. Don’t stress too much, the tutors are all very nice. Don’t worry about what you wear, I bought an interview outfit with me but ended up just wearing the joggers that I came in. Speak whatever is on your mind when they ask you the questions, they want to know how you think.