How to prepare for Oxbridge Interviews

Preparation for Oxbridge interviews is a difficult problem. At its core we must ask - for what are interviewers looking? The answer is teachability. They are looking for how you would fit in with the tutorial/supervision system.

This can be broken down into core components:

• Interest in the subject

• They are not looking for an unrealistic expression of passion, but complete boredom is definitely not what they want! Show a stable interest - all to indicate that you will be an engaged student who is interesting to tutor.

• Intellectual adaptability

• They are not looking for someone who will argue their position no matter if they’re really losing - that person will be a nightmare to coax to consider other positions in tutorials! But they are also not looking for someone who will just agree with the tutor - that’s no fun for a tutor looking for a discussion. Try to take on board what they said and see how it really affects your view. That way you will take on board what needs to be taken on board!

• Thinking aloud

• They will keep asking questions until you get somewhat stuck, so expect to have to think about things. But if you do it silently, you’re not giving the tutor information about your thinking, so they will have to assume the worst. This is solved by thinking aloud, taking the interviewer through your thought process.

These are the fundamental skills for which admissions tutors look - they want someone who will be interesting to tutor, which means someone who will engage with what they’ve said and use it to explain how their thinking changes.

But, these skills are harder than they sound. When we have conversations, we are not normally just trying to be as accurate as possible. Maybe we want the other person to respect us or to like us, maybe we just want to make our point or maybe we just want an easy conversation. We are so used to thinking more in terms of all these other goals than the goal of an Oxbridge interview - to check how well you think about new problems.
To better prepare for this, one can embark on knowledge and skills building programmes. Undergraduate style study with essays, problem sheets and tutorials improves one’s thinking. Top Oxbridge-educated tutors mimic this process with knowledge building programmes that extend students’ engagement with the subject beyond the level to which school takes them. This equips students with the skills for their top school undergraduate applications. If pricing is an issue or you’d rather learn in a group setting, consider the access options.