History Admissions Assessment (HAA); 2x interviews
Interview 1: submitted essays, source work; Interview 2: general discussion about history
Watched documentaries, listened to podcasts and read articles
Past papers under timed conditions
The interview isn't about how much you know, but how you think and learn
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.
Test taken:
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 6 hours
Length of interviews: 40 minutes
Online interview: No
The first interview was based on my two submitted essays. There was a discussion as to my ideas and the interviewer challenged some points which I had to listen to and respond to. I also had a source-based exercise looking at a painting and commenting on interesting aspects and what they could tell us - I had never studied the period but it was more about observation and suggesting ideas, even if they were wrong!
The second interview was more relaxed and a general discussion about history. The interviewer asked what I wanted to talk about and let me lead discussion so definitely have an idea up your sleeve! The interviewers were both lovely and very friendly. It was more about suggesting ideas and then getting pointers from them, rather than knowing the answers automatically.
I re-read my A Level notes and my personal statement, making sure I knew key ideas and themes really well. I watched documentaries, listened to podcasts and read articles to get different historians' views on 4/5 topics of my choosing. I also discussed with friends some general history interview style questions which I found online.
I used the HAA and
My advice would be to just relax and try not to worry. The interview isn't about recalling facts or how much you know. It's better to engage with the interviewer and form a connection with them to communicate your love of the subject.