Psychology, Philosophy And Linguistics @ St Hilda's, Oxford in 2019

Interview format

3 x 15-30 min interviews, MLAT and TSA

Interview content

Pre-reading and dicussion

Best preparation

Mock interview

Test preparation

Using material available on the Oxford admissions website for the MLAT and TSA

Final thoughts

Enjoy talking about your chosen subject

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), Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA)
Number of interviews: 3
Time between interviews: A couple of hours
Length of interviews: 15-30 mins
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

For two of the three interviews I had work/reading given 15 mins prior, which was discussed and corrected as we went on. In my philosophy interview we discussed the following abstract question: how can we be sure that this chair is blue. Although I thought it would be a pressured atmosphere, for most of the part it seemed like a discussion in which I could express myself freely.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

My school organised mock interviews with subject teachers and headteacher, we had a workshop, I spoke to someone who had been to Oxford.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Using material available on the Oxford admissions website for the MLAT and TSA

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Make sure you smile, and enjoy talking about your chosen subject :D