Education @ Selwyn, Cambridge in 2019

Interview format

2x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: personal statement, EPQ; Interview 2: opportunity to talk about a topic of choice

Best preparation

Mock interview at school

Final thoughts

Think of the interview as an intellectual conversation about your 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: None
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 10 minutes
Length of interviews: 30-45 minutes.
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

My first interview was very personal statement focused, for example on the books I read, on my own educational experience that I mentioned in the personal statement, and on my EPQ.

My second interview was simply an opportunity to talk about whatever I didn't manage to talk about in the first interview, so it was a very loose and unstructured interview. It was just a nice conversation about the subject and the interviewers want to see your ability to express yourself, articulate your point of view/argument, but also consider alternative views. The interviewers for example challenged me by giving me counter arguments or presenting new evidence which I had to accept and acknowledge while still justifying my point of view.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I was given a document of Education interview questions by an older student and I went through all of the questions and made sure I had an opinion or answer. I also had a mock interview in school with two members of staff, and their positive feedback really gave me the confidence for the interview. The mock interview consisted of different questions about education and was just a discussion to explore my passion about the subject.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

The interviewers want to see your thinking skills, so feel free to express your thoughts, even if you're unsure - just speak your mind! The environment is not tense at all and it's just having an intellectual conversation about your subject. Let your passion show. Definitely re-read your personal statement because you might be asked about, for example, your thoughts on a book you mentioned or to explain a sentence you wrote, or to give examples.