2 x 40 min interviews LNAT
45 mins of pre-reading done just before the interview on two separate areas of law, neither of which I knew anything about and was not expected to - everything you need to know is given to you!
Mock interview questions and video, got friends to ask me random debate-style questions
LNAT practice tests and YouTubers
ou are expected to have no knowledge of law and it is just about how you think and how you learn, and so whilst some preparation is definitely helpful to give you confidence and practice in speaking in an interview format, it is not something to massively panic about or overdo as there is no concrete way to prepare - you just have to trust yourself!
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:
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 4-5 hours
Length of interviews: about 40 minutes
Online interview: No
Both of my interviews were based on 45 mins of pre-reading done just before the interview - on two separate areas of law (neither of which I knew anything about and was not expected to - everything you need to know is given to you!) - and id been able to prepare answers to a list of questions that they were going to ask me. There were some unprepared questions but apart from two random general questions at the end of each that were intended to get to know my personality a bit, any questions we hadn’t already been given to prepare were only building off what we had prepared and aiming to prompt and help you out or challenge you to get the best out of you
The Oxford Uni website has a list of a few mock interview questions that I thought about and practised how I’d answer, I also watched a video they’d produced of a mock interview to give me a better feel for what an exam would feel like. I made sure I’d continued learning about things I’d mentioned in my personal statement and even though I wasn’t asked anything about it I think feeling secure on my knowledge of my PS made me more confident going in. Getting friends to ask you random debate-style questions was also helpful for learning to think on my feet and get used to defending or adapting my points of view
The LNAT website was my main source of preparation - the practice tests, mark schemes and mock essay questions were the most helpful to get ready for the LNAT! I also found YouTube videos really helpful for tips and advice (especially eve cornwell and Ellethelawstudent’s videos)
Don’t stress too much about what you do and don’t know, how much experience you have or how well others seem to think they did! You are expected to have no knowledge of law and it is just about how you think and how you learn, and so whilst some preparation is definitely helpful to give you confidence and practice in speaking in an interview format, it is not something to massively panic about or overdo as there is no concrete way to prepare - you just have to trust yourself! Once you’re in there it’ll come to you. And don’t feel that the interviewers disagree with you or think you’re totally wrong when they’re challenging your views - it’s only to get you to develop your points and present a persuasive case or to allow you to adapt your views and show you are able to reflect and learn!