HSPSAA; 2x interviews
Interview 1: personal statement, discussion of nationalism; Interview 2: discussion of different forms of leadership
Reading through personal statement
They don't necessarily search for pre-existing knowledge, just the way of thinking and logical reasoning.
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: HSPSAA
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 1 hour
Length of interviews: 30 minutes
Online interview: No
The interviewers offered me water and cookies before starting. The first interview started with questions about my personal statement, the interviewers were intrigued by my choice of words in some parts of it. Afterwards, the interview got more sociopolitical, we talked about nationalism and its implications, tied it to different real life examples around the world.
The room was cozy, I felt relaxed and calm, the two interviewers were friendly and kept reassuring me with nods. The second interview happened soon after, it was also just a discussion about different forms of leadership as well as the state's involvement in everyday life of its citizens.
Apart from looking up past examination papers online, I did not do much to prepare. My advice is reading your personal statement thoroughly, being prepared to talk about it, as well as just being as calm and open minded as possible.
Remember that they don't necessarily search for pre-existing knowledge, just the way of thinking and logical reasoning, so don't fret if you don't know much about certain topics. Smile a lot, it helps!