2x interviews (15-20 minutes each)
First interview: general questions, personal statement, given extract. Second interview: submitted essays and related areas.
Sample interview questions and preparation tips on the university website; mock interview
Your whole application is taken into account, not just the interview. Don't be afraid to take time to think.
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.
My 2 interviews took place on one day. Both of these took place at Clare college, to which I had directly applied. I arrived at the college in the morning and one hour before my first interview I went to the
I then went to my first interview, where I was asked questions mainly on this text, but also on some of the things written in my application, including my personal statement. This interview lasted probably about 15-20 minutes and was conducted by two interviewers.
I then had about an hour before my next interview, during which time I read over my personal statement and A level essays, which I had to submit beforehand. This interview lasted about the same length of time as the first, and again 2 fellows were interviewing me. This interview was focused largely on the essays which I had submitted, and also more widely on topics which I had said that I had studied in year 12 and year 13.
In my first interview, I was asked some less specific questions which were designed to test how I perceived my subject, for example, by talking about the use of historical sources. We also discussed some things from my personal statement and the extract which had been set.
My second interview mostly focused on my essays, for example asking me about my arguments and about wider context for the topics which I had written about.
I found some interview preparation tips on the Cambridge website which were specific for history - they gave extracts and then example questions to consider. I also think that having a
Remember that the interview is just one part of the process, not the final hurdle- but probably most people going in feel like they’re about to be tripped up and rejected after all their hard work for one wrong answer.
Even if you feel like your interview didn’t go as well as you’d hoped, your whole application is being considered, not just the interview.
Also, don’t be afraid to take time to think if the interviewers ask a question which you don’t know how to answer.