2x 30-35 min interviews, 1 day apart
Interview 1 (history): personal statement, source given beforehand; Interview 2 (politics): personal statement
Watch OxVlog and other YouTube videos about Oxford to demystify interview.
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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
Time between each interview: 1 day
Length of interviews: 30-35 minutes each
For my first interview (history) I was given a bit of pre-reading material 45 minutes before the interview. This allowed me to become considerably more relaxed before entering my interview, since I was quite engrossed in unpacking the source material. During my interview, the
My second interview (politics) was dominated by ideas that I had mentioned in my personal statement. These ideas were put in different contexts as we had a discussion on whether my opinions and arguments would differ in this regard. This was mostly a chat rather than a formal set of questions which I had to answer.
I practised a number of past papers under timed conditions from the resource bank on the Oxford website. After completing each paper, I would look through the mark scheme to check whether I had got most of the points down. I would then rethink my strategy or my essay structure to include thematic elements of the question, in order to bring a focus to my answer.
My preparation was mainly twofold: First, I did some reading around my subject and listened to podcasts on current political affairs and history podcasts. I also began speaking about these issues and about my subject in general to friends and family who were willing to help me with my preparation. This helped me become more familiar with speaking about my opinions and arguments on the subject in a coherent manner.
I also used a number of online resources, mostly OxVlog and other Oxford YouTubers who have documented their interview process and how they felt, which made me feel more comfortable about the format and setting of the interview.
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