PAT; 2x interviews
Interview 1: graph plotting and problem solving; Interview 2: discussion
Personal statement, watched mock interviews, explaining a tricky past paper question out loud to someone else step by step
A-level maths and physics revision, past papers
Be confident with the basics
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: Physics Aptitude Test (PAT)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: About 3 hours I think
Length of interviews: 45-60 mins each
Online interview: Yes
Teddy (St Edmund's) Hall - started with some general discussions about my interest in materials, moved on to some graph plotting and problem solving. The
Corpus Christi - it really felt like the tutors enjoyed doing interviews at Corpus! There was less maths at this interview and a lot more discussion, and the tutors were again friendly and encouraging.
Firstly I went over my personal statement and thought about all the questions that I could get asked based on it - writing a list of possible questions was really useful. It’s also a good idea to think about why exactly you chose the subject you did; you’re almost guaranteed to be asked why you chose your subject, particularly if it’s one you didn’t do at a level. Sitting down and explaining a tricky past paper question out loud to someone else step by step was the best preparation - being ready to explain what you’re doing and why is so important! Oxford have a lot of example interview videos on YouTube that are worth a watch, they made me feel like I had a sense of what it would be like and were pretty accurate!
Lots of A-level maths and physics revision! I’d taken a gap year so getting really familiar with the content again was so important. I did one or two past papers to make sure my timing was okay but my main focus was getting my maths to a level where I could use it well for problem-solving.
Revise your key A-level subjects both before your interview and before your entrance exam! The more confident you are with the basics, the more confidently you’ll deal with the new applications of A-level content that you’ll see in the the PAT and interview