Modern Languages @ Merton, Oxford in 2019

Interview format

4 x <40 min interviews and MLAT

Interview content

Questions about my written work and books mentioned in my personal statement, and poem pre-reading

Best preparation

I just re-read any books mentioned in my statement

Test preparation

Revised all A level grammar, and got a grammar exercise book and completed it during summer. I did all the past papers and also practised some UKLO papers as they are basically the same

Final thoughts

Just keep thinking aloud, and don't let other candidates stress you out by saying they are fluent or that they are a world expert - that is not what the tutors are looking for.

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: Modern Languages Admissions Test (MLAT)
Number of interviews: 4
Time between interviews: I was in Oxford for 4 days
Length of interviews: Less than 40 mins
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

I was asked questions about my written work and books mentioned in my personal statement. In every interview, the majority of the time was spent discussing a poem that was given to me to read just before the interview.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

Honestly, I didn't prepare for interviews, I just re-read any books mentioned in my statement.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

I revised all A level grammar, and got a grammar exercise book and completed it during summer. For the language aptitude paper, I did all the past papers and also practised some UKLO papers as they are basically the same.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Just keep thinking aloud, and don't let other candidates stress you out by saying they are fluent or that they are a world expert - that is not what the tutors are looking for.