2x 20-30 min interviews, over 1 day
Interview 1: written work, related picture source; Interview 2: personal statement, general discussion
Take any opportunity to talk about your subject enthusiastically and accurately
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
Skype interview: No
Interview spread: either side of lunch; not long
Length of interviews: 20-30 minutes each
One interview was on the essay that I submitted as part of the process, and asking me to expand on arguments I used in that essay. This was used as a launch from which to delve into why I thought these arguments were more convincing than others. Finally there was a source related to the essay (in this case a picture), which they asked me to contextualize in relation to the discussion we had just had.
The other was related to my personal statement and the
I did the practice papers on the uni website. I also asked my history tutors for a couple of
It was, however, useful as an example of the best kind of preparation, which is anything that involves talking about your subject with enthusiasm, accuracy and insight. This could be anything from formal settings like 6th form clubs and societies to just talking about history to like minded people - anything that will make you more comfortable in expressing yourself verbally in an informed, if not quite wholly academic, way.