Law @ Trinity, Cambridge in 2019

Interview format

Cambridge Law Test (CLT); 2x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: discussion of a case study; Interview 2: personal statement

Best preparation

Reading 'Very Short Introductions' books

Test preparation

Practising essay writing

Final thoughts

Bring a book to read in between interviews

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.

Interview Format

Test taken: Cambridge Law Test (CLT)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 5 hours
Length of interviews: 30 mins
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

Both started off with a brief discussion about my personal statement. In the first one I was so nervous I actually had a totally mind blank about it! I said that I couldn't remember the exact details of the case I had mentioned, but I remembered thinking it was interesting in the light of a recent lecture series. They didn't press me about it and moved on to the main interview which was a case study. Both professors were very helpful and didn't make me feel anxious even after my mind blank.

The second interview I had a longer extract and some time to prepare. Again the interview started with questions about my personal statement. I was less nervous this time so actually remembered the details and discussed it for longer before moving on to my thoughts on the extract. The second interviewers were just as lovely as the first, so my advice would be to keep a level head and remember that the professors want to see the best you have to offer and give you a fair chance, no need to panic!

How did you prepare for your interviews?

Reading! I picked up a few Very Short Introductions and spent the days beforehand reading and annotating them.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Reading around the subject and general essay writing.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Keep a book with you! It gave me something to do outside the interview room to stop me panicking, and meant I actually had a question when the professors asked at the end of the interview.