History Admissions Assessment; 2x interviews
Interview 1: general questions, submitted work; Interview 2: sources, personal statement
read and take notes, listen to podcasts, practise interviews
practise essays, analyse sources using a spreadsheet
Just do your best and show you really love the subject and want to know more about it!
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: History Admissions Assessment (
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 30 minutes
Length of interviews: 35 minutes
Online interview: Yes
The first interview had some general questions and was focused on the submitted work I had given the college. This meant I was able to talk about topics I was comfortable with. The second interview was based on new materials and sources, as well as some questions about my personal statement.
I did as much reading as I could, made notes on everything I read and put them in a document to remind myself of key points the night before. I also listened to podcasts which is an easier way to get a bit more knowledge without necessarily reading complex books. I also did many
I spent a lot of time doing practice essays. I also practise analysing different sources, which includes making a spreadsheet about the pros and cons of different materials such as the reasons why a letter is or is not useful.
Just do your best and show you really love the subject and want to know more about it!