Modern Languages @ St John's, Oxford in 2016

Interview format

5x 30 min interviews, over 5 days

Interview content

Personal statement, reading, motivations, text given beforehand

Best preparation

Past papers, reading about course

Advice in hindsight

-

Final thoughts

Stay calm.

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: 5

Skype interview: No

Interview spread: 1-2 per day, over 5 days

Length of interviews: 30 minutes each

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

I was asked about my personal statement, the books I had read and why I was interested in my subject.

I also had to discuss the text I had been given for pre reading. Just before a couple of the interviews, I was given a text to read for half an hour and a section of the interview was based on this text. This would just involve the interviewer asking what I had understood by the text. They were very helpful and casual.

Then I was asked about the course I had applied for, why it had appealed to me, if I understood the world implications, etc. Finally, I was asked if I had any questions.

How did you prepare?

To prepare for the test, I looked over past papers.

To prepare for the interview, I just made sure I knew exactly what the course I had applied for entailed.

Just make sure you know what's in your personal statement and you've seen a past paper for the admissions test.

What advice do you have for future applicants?

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

Stay calm.