Thinking Skills Assessment, 2x interviews
Questions around a variety of different topics, Questions on personal statement; Interview 1: Human geography; Interview 2: Physical geography
Keep up to date with recent news
Completed timed practice papers
Remember that you’re only doing this because you love your subject - it should be an enjoyable experience
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
Time between interviews: 8 days
Length of interviews: 25 minutes
Online interview: Yes
The interviews went between many different topics in quick succession! Stop and think for a moment before answering because there's probably more to unpack from a question than you would think. I was asked a few questions about my personal statement which linked together different aspects of it, they also asked me about different news events around my subject as well as some totally random seeming questions - be ready for anything!
My human interview was much more nerve-wracking for me, the physical interview was actually quite enjoyable as it was pretty much just a conversation with someone equally if not more passionate than me
Keep up to date with recent news in your subject and talk about it casually with anyone who will listen, just get comfortable thinking about different perspective
Times practice papers online
I would do a lot more preparation for the TSA as my score wasn’t very high, especially compared to other students who made it through the process.
Also, remember that you’re only doing this because you love your subject! As long as you’re passionate and show you have an active interest in the subject you apply for it should be an enjoyable experience as you get to demonstrate your knowledge and commitment!
Though that doesn't mean you won’t have some doubts, there’s no denying it is scary but once you’re in there you will cool off a little bit