GETTING READY FOR A LIKELY OXBRIDGE INTERVIEW

Wadham College, Oxford

The six form years are a high-pressure period for students,  which is why many Oxbridge applicants are  tempted to forget about the whole interview business just a little longer. After all, they cannot yet be certain whether they'll be offered an interview at all. However, once they do know for sure, which is at the very earliest in mid November, there may not be enough time left for any Oxbridge and course-specific preparation. So, trying to fit in just a little extra work right now can be pretty crucial.

For most STEM applicants this means, above all, that they need to thoroughly revise their GCSE science and maths. A student aiming for an MFL course, meanwhile, may want to use the time to expand her knowledge of French poetry beyond a couple of poems by Rimbaud and work on her French grammar.  Many an Economics applicant comes a cropper at the interview because she has forgotten the most relevant bits of algebra, calculus and differentiation. An engineering applicant may also want to make sure he remembers enough details about that exciting engineering project he had mentioned in his UCAS statement.

Many applicants also still want to keep an eye out for major new discoveries in their  field, reported in the papers or online, and note why such a development is important. A specialist journal such as New Scientist or STUDENT BMJ will also describe the methods by which it was arrived at. Some interest in the research methods used in your chosen field is expected of you at this stage.

Students still worried about the type of interview questions likely to come up, or about the Oxbridge question style, will this year find sample questions and mock interviews on both the Oxford and Cambridge websites. To a highly focused applicant at an Oxbridge-geared school these may be reassuring. If they aren't to you, this is the moment to raise your game a little further. The six interview chapters in OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES will tell you how.