History @ Sidney Sussex, Cambridge in 2018

Interview format

History Admissions Assessment (HAA); 2x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: given sources; Interview 2: submitted essays, EPQ

Best preparation

Read over submitted essays

Test preparation

Past papers to get used to structure

Final thoughts

Its easier to show your passion if you're relaxed in the interview!

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: History Admissions Assessment (HAA)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 1 hour
Length of interviews: 25 minutes 
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

One of my interviews was based on sources given at interview, and the other was based on essays I had previously submitted. My personal statement was pretty much not mentioned at all (bar my EPQ briefly) - although that may just be my experience with it. I was very nervous both times, but relaxed into it once questions started (especially for the one based on my essays as it was a subject area I knew well so I actually ended up quite enjoying discussing it)! My source interview was a bit more ropey and in hindsight I misinterpreted quite a lot of it, but the interviewers were really nice about it and didn’t make me feel stupid (and I still got an offer so there’s still hope!)

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I made sure I knew all the books on my personal statement in case they asked, and read over my personal statement in full a good few times as well as my essays that I had submitted, trying to think of bits and pieces where it was likely they’d question me (e.g. if I’d made a particularly bold claim).

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

I just did past papers on the Cambridge website! It’s useful to just be aware of the structure of the exam.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

I would try to worry a bit less - obviously it’s easy to say in hindsight, but especially in an interview setting, if you can try and relax a bit more it’s much easier to show you are passionate about a subject and to make sure you show the best side of yourself!