Economics @ Selwyn, Cambridge in 2016

Interview format

1st interview: general, 20mins; 2nd interview: subject specific, 40mins; 3rd interview: subject specific, 40mins

Interview content

Very mathematical; 1st interview: graph; 2nd interview: conceptual

Best preparation

Past interview questions, mock interview

Final thoughts

Think out loud, show them you're able to learn well

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

I had three interviews, one was a general interview lasting 20 minutes the other two were subject specific interviews lasting 40 minutes each.

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

Very mathematical for the most part; we discussed a graph and a few questions on probability. The second interview was more conceptual.I was pretty disappointed with how the second interview went as I found some of the mathematical concepts they introduced very tough and it took some time for it all to click.

How did you prepare?

Looked up some past interview questions and spoke to people who had been successful on what they thought I should prepare for specifically. My school hada mock interview day which was helpful, but I organised a mock interview with a maths teacher to prepare me for the mathematical aspect which was most useful.

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

Just think out loud and try and show the interviewers that your able to learn well which is probably what they’re looking for. And for economics specifically, maths is important in the interview process.