Law @ St John's, Oxford in 2020

Interview format

National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT); 2x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: personal statement, discussion of criminal law; Interview 2: scenario questions

Best preparation

Kept up with current affairs

Test preparation

Practice papers from the LNAT website

Final thoughts

Don't be afraid to change your answer mid-argument, as long as you can explain it.

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: National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: One day
Length of interviews: 30 minutes
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

The first interview was mainly based on my personal statement and the lectures, books or articles I referenced. I was then asked more theoretical questions regarding criminal law.

The second interview was scenario based - I was given a scenario and asked about the legality and the rights involved. I was also asked why I want to study law as a degree.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I watched example interviews online. My school also held a mock law interview where we were given a case and asked questions by someone externally. We then received feedback on this. I also read the news regularly before my interview and went over my personal statement comprehensively. I made sure I was familiar with all the books/articles I referenced and prepared an answer as to why I wanted to study law.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

I completed lots of past papers and used some practice books too in order to familiarise myself with the style of questions. Past papers you can find online (LNAT website).

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Go over your personal statement beforehand and don’t stress too much - the interview is just meant to simulate a tutorial so the interviewer is looking to understand your natural thought process! Also don’t be afraid to change your argument after further consideration - it shows you are able to evaluate effectively.