2x interviews (45-60 mins)
1st interview: personal statement, image, defining idea; 2nd interview: pre-interview reading
Talking to friends & family about history
Get a feel for Cambridge while you're here
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.
Two 1 to 1 interviews, each of 45-60 minutes.
The first interview was a broad and far-ranging discussion of historical themes, methodology, and practice. We discussed points from my personal statement and I was asked to analyse an image. I was also asked to choose a word from a list of about 5 and define and discuss it. This interview felt very informal and friendly (though this might just be because the
For the second interview I was provided with a booklet containing long passages of a text, a question booklet and an answer booklet. I had approximately 2-2.5 hours to work through this in the college library. In the interview itself, we talked through what I had written and I expanded on/elaborated on this when asked or prompted. Compared to the previous interview this one felt a bit more formal and rigid. There was
Talking seriously and passionately about history with anyone I could persuade to listen: friends, family, teachers etc.
Take the opportunity of interviewing Cambridge right back, by which I mean, while the fellows decide if you are right for Cambridge, check that Cambridge is right for you. Look round the college and city, speak to current students etc.