4 interviews (15-20 mins each)
Subject specific interviews focused on areas where I seemed more prepared. Interviewers gave me time to think and helped to break down the questions for me.
Revising for the admissions test helped, as well as remembering previous interview experience.
Try not to get overwhelmed and use it as an opportunity to be curious and ask questions
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.
I had 4 interviews in early December: I applied to maths with physics and switched to maths after getting in, so I had two interviews on maths, one on physics and one which was general.
In the maths interviews I was at a table with an interviewer on each side, asking me questions and telling me to think out loud when it came to solve some exercises. The physics interviews were pretty similar to the maths ones, but with only one interviewer.
The general interview was about me and my personal statement; this was simply talking to someone about what I like doing and how I manage my time. Each interview lasted about 10-20 minutes.
At the beginning of each of the subject-specific interviews, I was asked about what I had done in school. The interviewers tend to focus more on the area where the applicant feels more prepared.
I was really
My second interview was better - I wasn't so scared anymore and when they saw I was beginning to get lost, one of the interviewers stopped me and broke the question down into smaller pieces for me
The third interview was the general one, which was really relaxed.
I sat the
Remember to be excited about your interview, don't let stress or anxiety overwhelm you and dare to be curious - you'll be given time to ask questions if you have any.