2 x 20 min interviews and HAT
We discussed topics within my personal statement and if I agreed with certain historians opinions within books I mentioned. I was then in both interviews given an unseen source to analyse and identify its main argument.
Went over my personal statement, books I read, and the essay I submitted, current affairs
Practice papers and analysing sections of historical text
Whilst you should be flexible and adapt to certain counter arguments, defend your point of view if you believe in it.
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: History Aptitude Test (
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: A day
Length of interviews: About twenty minutes
Online interview: No
We discussed topics within my personal statement and if I agreed with certain historians opinions within books I mentioned. I was then in both interviews given an unseen source to analyse and identify its main argument. Whilst I didn’t really understand the second source the tutors were really friendly and gave prompts and made sure I didn’t panic. Most important thing is not to panic and just ask questions back and read the source again. Whilst I was nervous for my interviews the tutors were really welcoming and I ended up actually enjoying them. The interview is much more like a conversation/discussion and as long as you don’t panic and have ideas and opinions to discuss it can be quite enjoyable!
I went over my personal statement and all the books I mentioned and developed my own opinion and critical analysis of these texts and an example to show I’ve thought about the topics I mentioned since. I also went over the essay I submitted making sure I read some historical articles about that event so my opinion was developed and identifying my line of argument in the essay and seeing if I still agreed with it. Also read some random current affairs articles to feel I could discuss recent events too. Also had a practice interview with my history teacher.
I did all the practice papers available online and then looked at the mark schemes and example essays. Eventually doing these timed and giving them to my teacher to look at. Good idea to just analyse sections of historical texts and try see the main conceptual arguments. If another person in your year is doing the test too share your essays to compare and learn a good structure.
My advice would be to be confident in your own opinions about certain themes, especially those you wrote about in your personal statement and submitted written work. Whilst you should be flexible and adapt to certain counter arguments. Defend your point of view if you believe in it.