5 x 15-30 min interviews, TSA
Series of questions based on a source
Past TSA questions, kept up to date with current affairs
Past papers
Above all just enjoy your time at Oxford, I met some lovely people that I'm still friends with now, and the fact that we all got along and supported each other made the interview process so much less stressful.
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: Thinking Skills Assessment (
Number of interviews: 5
Time between interviews: I was there for 3 whole days and had 2 interviews on 2 days and 1 interview on the other
Length of interviews: 3 were 15 mins and 2 were 30 mins
Online interview: No
PPE interviews differ for each college and for my 3 interviews at Christ Church it was purely subject focused - my personal statement didn't come up. In Philosophy and Economics I was asked specific questions that I discussed with the tutor, and in politics I was asked a series of questions based on a source. The interviews were actually really fun and I had some very interesting discussions with the tutors. Don't be afraid to get anything wrong, and if you realise you have then correct yourself and give your new answer, critical thinking regarding your own arguments is important and impressive. The atmosphere was very welcoming and the tutors really encouraged me to get into the question.
I found discussing previous TSA essay questions with my teachers and friends very useful. In terms of academia, PPE is a very broad subject and the tutors know what you have studied, so they won't ask you for any specific information. Try to keep as up to date as possible with current affairs and read around the subject into topics that interest you.
Past papers - try to familiarise yourself with the types of questions coming up before you time yourself doing the whole paper. For the essay, I found it useful to plan answers in detail to past questions as opposed to writing out the whole essay
In the interviews themselves just try to be yourself, answer the questions calmly and don't be afraid to get anything wrong or back track, the tutors are looking for someone who is able to learn and take on new ideas, not someone who thinks they know everything. Above all just enjoy your time at Oxford, I met some lovely people that I'm still friends with now, and the fact that we all got along and supported each other made the interview process so much less stressful.