Test taken: Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) - both sections
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 1 hour
Length of interviews: 30 minutes
Online interview: No

Before my first interview, I was given 40 minutes to read and annotate a short research paper (maybe 5 pages) which we kicked off the conversation with. I was nervous but tried to relax and the interviewers helped to put me at ease. The interview was focused on human geography but not the speciality of the interviewer, which I had looked into beforehand just in case. Towards the end they gave me maps to analyse, emphasising that they did not expect me to recognise every single country by location. They asked 2 questions about my personal statement then quickly moved on.

My second interview was with a physical geographer and we did venture into his speciality - glaciology - which I had never studied at school but had researched a little in the lead up to the interview. While doing this probably did put me more at ease I don't think it actually contributed to my answer - at first I gave a ridiculous answer, but in the cosy, friendly environment the interviewer helped me to work through the problem and I learned a lot during the process, which I think was more what he was interested in.

Practice papers and practice essays which I went through afterwards to mark and analyse - highlighting different sections of my essay was really helpful to get my head round the different marking criteria.

I had a lot of support from my Geography teacher - we met once a week with another applicant during the term leading up to interview to discuss extra reading and scientific principles. In some ways I would recommend getting as much interview/discussion practice like this as possible but I also don't think it is completely necessary: the biggest confidence boost I got was actually from a single mock interview with somebody I didn't know, since this felt more like the real thing and less relaxed than the chats with my teacher. I organised this by emailed the Royal Scottish Geographical Society on the off chance they might be able to help me - they went above and beyond, forwarding it to their board members and sending me lots of encouragement. My big recommendation would be to reach out to similar organisations or other schools near where you live if you can, as others will put in lots of effort to help you succeed and their kind words and advice can really help reduce your nerves.

In hindsight, whilst reading a few big books on specific areas of my subject was interesting and helpful to reference later in my school exams, nearer to the interviewers I realised that focusing on short research papers or articles was a much more efficient way to hone my analytical skills and broader my knowledge.

I would also recommend focusing on things like scientific principles and big thinkers / different schools of thought as this may prove more useful than obscure specific knowledge. The best preparation is probably to read / listen to / watch a total mix of stuff but please please DON'T PUSH YOURSELF TOO HARD. Not long after my interview I became very unwell having made myself totally exhausted, stressed and overwhelmed with other commitments and work at school and ended up missing lots of my final year.

It's really important to look after yourself above everything else, and make sure your teachers, sports coaches, music teachers, parents, and of course you yourself, are cutting you enough slack.

Remember any preparation you are able to do is to work on skills not necessarily to acquire loads more knowledge - they are judging how you think and learn, not just what you've already learned. Good luck!