Modern Languages @ Oriel, Oxford in 2018

Interview format

2x 30 min interviews, about 24 hrs apart

Interview content

Personal statement, reading, text given beforehand, short conversation in target language, general questions

Best preparation

Practice papers

Advice in hindsight

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Final thoughts

Keep reading things that interest you in your subject; go over A-level / equivalent 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.

Interview Format

Test taken: MLAT

Number of interviews: 2

Skype interview: No

Time between each interview: about 24 hours

Length of interviews: 30 minutes each

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

Easier-to-answer questions were asked at the beginning to help students ease into the interview - e.g. questions about the personal statement (which can be prepared for in advance) or about any books that had been read.

The main body of the interview was about a text (usually a poem or article) that the interviewee prepared just before the interview in interview prep time.

This was followed by a short conversation in the target language/s.

More general questions about things that interest the interviewee were also asked.

How did you prepare?

I used the practice papers from the Uni website.

What advice do you have for future applicants?

Looking back, what advice would you give to your past self?

Interviews are notoriously hard to prepare for since it's hard to know what to expect. The best way to prepare is to continue to read into the things that interest you about your subject and to go over the essentials from A Level courses/equivalent related to your course, since this is the level of education the interviewee is expected to come from.

Read around your course as this shows your passion and interest. It's important to remember that the tutors are not looking for someone that knows everything. Rather, they want students who they would enjoy teaching, show passion and have an aptitude for the subject/potential to grow.