Interviews · Stage three
Oxbridge interview preparation with graduates who sat the real thing
Six hours of full mock interviews with an Oxford or Cambridge graduate in your subject, with written feedback after each one. £480.Six hours of full mock interviews with an Oxford or Cambridge graduate in your subject, with written feedback after each one. One-to-one and online, £480 for the package, and we run them right through December.
The record so far
Students our tutors have worked with who got an Oxbridge offer
Oxford and Cambridge applicants who got an offer
The facts
- Oxford
- Online, early to mid December, usually with two colleges. Offers on 12 January.
- Cambridge
- 7 to 18 December, in person for some subjects at some colleges. Offers in January.
- Format
- Twenty to forty-five minutes with one or two academics. Unseen problems, and questions about your statement.
- If it goes wrong
- Both universities pass strong candidates between colleges. Cambridge re-interviews some in January.
What they're testing
An Oxbridge interview is a tutorial in miniature. They give you a problem you haven't seen and push on whatever you say. They want to see whether you can take a hint, change your mind, and keep going when you're stuck.
Physics interviews run on estimation and sketching graphs. Maths on proof. Medicine on data and ethics. History and English on a passage you haven't seen. All of them will pick something out of your personal statement, so read that book to the end.
How we run the six hours
Four to six full mock interviews, and the first one is cold so we can see where you really are. Each one is run by a tutor who sat the real interview in your subject, in whichever format your invitation says. After every session you get written feedback: your reasoning, how clearly you explained it, how you handled not knowing, and what to read next.
We also sort out the practical side, which goes wrong more often than the academic side. A quiet room, a camera that works, a way to show your working. Invitations can arrive with a week's notice, so we keep December free and can run a mock a day if we have to.
What they're testing
An Oxbridge interview is a tutorial in miniature. They give you a problem you haven't seen and push on whatever you say. They want to see whether you can take a hint, change your mind, and keep going when you're stuck.
Physics interviews run on estimation and sketching graphs. Maths on proof. Medicine on data and ethics. History and English on a passage you haven't seen. All of them will pick something out of your personal statement, so read that book to the end.
How we run the six hours
Four to six full mock interviews, and the first one is cold so we can see where you really are. Each one is run by a tutor who sat the real interview in your subject, in whichever format your invitation says. After every session you get written feedback: your reasoning, how clearly you explained it, how you handled not knowing, and what to read next.
We also sort out the practical side, which goes wrong more often than the academic side. A quiet room, a camera that works, a way to show your working. Invitations can arrive with a week's notice, so we keep December free and can run a mock a day if we have to.
Oxbridge Season · 2027 Entry
Applying for Oxbridge?
We’ve been there.
“Hi Leo! Just wanted to let you know that I got the offer for Physics at Oxford! Thanks so much for all your help.”
Siau · Oxford Physics Offer Holder
Read other storiesBy 15 October
Personal Statement
£400£500
5 hours · one-to-one
Save £100
We read every draft line by line, tell you honestly what works and what doesn't, and redraft with you until it's ready to send.
Choose your tutor →September – October
Admissions Test Preparation
£800£1,000
10 hours · one-to-one
Save £200
Past-paper prep for the TMUA, ESAT, UCAT and STEP. Your tutor marks each paper and talks through every mistake with you.
Choose your tutor →December
Interview Preparation
£480£600
6 hours · one-to-one
Save £120
Full mock interviews with a tutor who sat the real thing in your subject, and written feedback after every session.
Choose your tutor →Flagship · September – December
Full Oxbridge Preparation
All three stages plus weekly subject lessons through the term. One tutor team stays with you from the first draft to the final interview.
£2,400£3,000
30 hours · statement, tests, interviews & subject tuition
Save £600
Booking for the ESAT and TMUA closes 28 September; the UCAT is sat by 24 September; STEP follows in June. Hours fit around school, and you can mix the stages however suits. Just ask.
No obligation. We’ll respond within 24 hours.
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Every tutor is interviewed by us, reference‑checked and DBS verified.
Testimonials
What families
say.
“Emily is a great tutor! She did a mock interview with me when I was preparing for my Cambridge Medicine interview and I am so grateful for her help as I went on to receive an offer. She made the supervision/tutorial style interview very interactive and proposed a wide variety of questions to me and concluded the session with thorough and useful feedback. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a tutor as not only is she an amazing tutor, but is also a very kind and helpful person 🙂”
Hilary
Cambridge Medicine Offer Holder
“Emily's professionalism, enthusiasm and maturity as a tutor really shined through when she tutored me on interview skills and helped me secure an offer to read Medicine at the University of Cambridge. I could see myself improving in each session we had. Emily is great at explaining things effectively and patiently.”
Fiona
Cambridge Medicine Offer Holder
“We had a very positive experience with the team at Tao Education, who supported us through successful Oxford applications! The tutoring is very high quality, and the team are also responsive and really go above and beyond, for instance by providing mock interviews with two tutors. Thank you!”
Rebecca W
Parent of an Oxford Offer Holder
“Hi Leo! Just wanted to let you know that I got the offer for Physics at Oxford! Thanks so much for all your help, it really helped me alot because I've never been in academic interviews before. All the best to you for whatever it is you are doing now, and once again thanks a bunch!”
Siau
Oxford Physics Offer Holder
FAQs
- When will we hear about interviews?
- Cambridge sends most invitations in November, for interviews between 7 and 18 December. Oxford shortlists after the test results in mid November and interviews in the first half of December. Keep the whole month free.
- How many interviews are there?
- Usually two, each twenty to forty-five minutes. Oxford often sends you to a second college as well, which is a good sign, not a bad one. Oxford medicine applicants always see two colleges.
- Online or in person?
- Oxford is online for everyone. At Cambridge it depends on the college and course, and the invitation will say. Several colleges bring UK maths, engineering, economics and medicine applicants in and do the rest online. We'll run your mocks in whichever format you're getting.
- Should I prepare answers?
- Prepare the material, not answers. Reread your statement and everything you mentioned in it, go back over the A-level syllabus so far, and practise thinking out loud. Rehearsed answers are obvious within a minute, and the interviewer just changes the question.
- What if it goes badly?
- Interviewers expect you to get stuck, and they're looking at how you use their hints. One shaky interview doesn't decide it: both universities pass candidates between colleges, and Cambridge re-interviews some in January. If you have another interview coming up, write down what you were asked and we'll go through it before the next one.
When will we hear about interviews?
Cambridge sends most invitations in November, for interviews between 7 and 18 December. Oxford shortlists after the test results in mid November and interviews in the first half of December. Keep the whole month free.
How many interviews are there?
Usually two, each twenty to forty-five minutes. Oxford often sends you to a second college as well, which is a good sign, not a bad one. Oxford medicine applicants always see two colleges.
Online or in person?
Oxford is online for everyone. At Cambridge it depends on the college and course, and the invitation will say. Several colleges bring UK maths, engineering, economics and medicine applicants in and do the rest online. We'll run your mocks in whichever format you're getting.
Should I prepare answers?
Prepare the material, not answers. Reread your statement and everything you mentioned in it, go back over the A-level syllabus so far, and practise thinking out loud. Rehearsed answers are obvious within a minute, and the interviewer just changes the question.
What if it goes badly?
Interviewers expect you to get stuck, and they're looking at how you use their hints. One shaky interview doesn't decide it: both universities pass candidates between colleges, and Cambridge re-interviews some in January. If you have another interview coming up, write down what you were asked and we'll go through it before the next one.
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