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. One-to-one and online, £480 for the package, and we run them right through December.
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 actually testing
An Oxbridge interview is a tutorial in miniature. They give you a problem you haven't seen and push on whatever you say. Nobody gets it right first time, and that's the point. 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 actually testing
An Oxbridge interview is a tutorial in miniature. They give you a problem you haven't seen and push on whatever you say. Nobody gets it right first time, and that's the point. 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.
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Questions
- 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?
- Being stuck is the whole design. Interviewers expect to help you, and they mark the recovery. A shaky first interview isn't decisive, both universities pass candidates between colleges, and Cambridge re-interviews some in January. We've had students convinced they'd failed who got offers.
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?
Being stuck is the whole design. Interviewers expect to help you, and they mark the recovery. A shaky first interview isn't decisive, both universities pass candidates between colleges, and Cambridge re-interviews some in January. We've had students convinced they'd failed who got offers.
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