Oxford and Cambridge Interviews

Two very useful PDFs on the university websites

Short-listing for interview: Oxford: Arts

Sciences

Over 80% overall

interviewed at Cambridge

Intake 12

What are they looking for?

Self motivation and commitment to subject

That you have done more than your syllabus demands

That you can think critically and independently

Ability to think conceptually and can engage with ideas

Similar to supervisions in approach

Subject specific interview Challenging discussion

Issues covered in recent academic work

Issues in application/personal statement

Apply existing knowledge to new situations

What you think rather than what you know

If you don’t understand say so

Usually no right or wrong answer

How can I prepare? Think about obvious questions

Read widely

Take a critical view of ideas and arguments

Re-read personal statement and written work submitted

Bring copies to the interview

Remind yourself the selection criteria for the course

Arrange a practice interview

Dress: ‘...whatever you feel comfortable in. Most tutors do not dress formally.’

At the interview May be two or more interviewers at a time May be given something to read before interview

especially in arts subjects Like a ‘mini tutorial’ Test ability to apply logic and reasoning to new ideas or

problems ‘The tutor will be seeking to stretch you in order to

assess your potential.’ Judging academic potential, self motivation and

commitment ‘not your manners, etiquette, appearance or background’

‘....not seeking to make you feel ignorant or catch you out.’

Biology and English mock interviews here

Comp Science, History, Maths, Med and Vet Science, Languages,

Natural Sciences mock interviews here

Computer Science interview has explanation from tutor at beginning

History interview best for illustrating key points to all applicants

Short video clips on Oxford website

Who will interview you? Purpose of interview What to expect What tutors are looking

for Are there right and

wrong answers? Are extra-curricular

activities taken into account?

Your questions

Law and Biochemistry

mock interview clips

Oxford Sample Interview questions with pointers

Good source of 60 admissions interview questions with answers:

‘How would you measure the weight of your own head?’

‘What happens if I drop an ant?’

'What percentage of the world's water is contained in a cow?‘

Why are fierce animals so rare?

Spend minimum of 20 hours preparing

Anticipate obvious questions What ifs?

What did I get from the books I have read, from work experience, conferences or field work. What insights?

Prepare clear examples to illustrate your answers about yourself and what you have read, done and think

Make it a conversation

Pause before you answer and don’t speak too quickly

Think out loud. Show how you think about a problem

Show the different angles/alternatives to a question

Don’t be afraid to ask for pointers if you get really stuck

Rehearse interview skills and serious intellectual ‘talk’ with other students in your subject:

‘How do I know what I think until I see what I say?’

Advice for schools and colleges

Try to use interviewers who are not known to the students

Do an exchange with another school. You interview their students, they interview yours

Over coached students are seen through

Not necessarily a good idea for students to pay for advice and training

Interviewers increasingly use prompts that cannot be prepared for eg a tea bag in a recent Cambridge anthropology interview

Get students used to questions which challenge their views

What evidence is there for that? I disagree with that because.....? You are not taking account of .....? Doesn’t that contradict what you said earlier.......? Wouldn’t x’s ideas/theories argue against that? Would you be able to apply that kind of thinking to.......? Can you explain how you came to that conclusion? On the other hand, couldn’t you say that......? The problem with what you are saying is.....? There are limitations to that argument aren’t there......?

Subject teacher support is crucial

Make it clear what is being looked for

Emphasise thinking skills. Give interviewee something to analyse or think about or get them to think forward based on what they already know in the relevant subject

Supply lists of interview questions and video clips

Give them interview debriefing sheets for their subject from past students

Give two or three subject specific questions as pointers

Provide answers/analysis from ‘Answering Oxbridge Questions’ activity and sample questions on Oxford website

Encourage them to focus on these questions with lots of follow up questions and discussion

English: examples to give to subject teachers

Would you rather be a novel or a poem?

Why do you think an English student might be interested in the fact that Coronation Street has been running for 50 years?

Why might it be useful for an English student to read the Twilight series?

Analysis There's several reasons I might ask this one. It's useful in

an interview to find some texts the candidate has read recently and the Twilight books are easily accessible and popular. Also, candidates tend to concentrate on texts they have been taught in school or college and I want to get them to talk about whatever they have read independently, so I can see how they think rather than what they have been taught. A good English student engages in literary analysis of every book they read. The question has led to some interesting discussions about narrative voice, genre, and audience in the past.

Lucinda Rumsey, Mansfield College