If you get at interview at Oxford you will almost certainly spend 2-4 nights in a College and have 1-3 interviews. You will have at least one interview at the College you applied to, and quite possibly one or more at another College too.

How can I prepare?

We recommend that you:

• read widely around your chosen subject, including newspaper articles, websites, journals, magazines and other publications that relate to your subject.

• take a critical view of ideas and arguments that you encounter at school or college, or in the media – think about all sides of any debate.

• be prepared to show some background knowledge of the subject, if you are applying for a course not normally studied at school or college, such as Medicine, Law, Biochemistry or Oriental Studies. However, you will not be expected to have a detailed understanding of specific or technical topics. For example, you may be asked what role your subject plays in society.  For these subjects, the topics for discussion are likely to allow you to demonstrate the skills needed by an undergraduate: the ability to use information to construct your own opinions, the willingness and ability to analyse and, in the sciences and mathematics, facility in problem-solving.

• re-read any written work that you have submitted, and think about how you might expand on what you wrote.

• re-read your personal statement.

• organise a practice interview for yourself. This could be with a teacher or someone else who is familiar with your subject, but preferably not someone you know very well. This will help you to get some more experience of talking about yourself and your work in an unfamiliar environment.

• remind yourself of the selection criteria for your chosen subject. These criteria can be found at www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/courses/criteria.shtml.

What to bring to interview

Please wear whatever clothes you feel comfortable in. Most tutors will not dress formally, and it is not necessary for you to do so. We recommend that you bring copies of any written work you have submitted, and a copy of your personal statement, as tutors may refer to these during your interview.

It’s a good idea to bring a book with you or some school or college work to do, as you will only spend a relatively small amount of your time in Oxford actually in interviews or taking tests. There will also be plenty of opportunity to spend time with other interview candidates as well as current undergraduates.

You will need to bring your own personal items such as toiletries, but your accommodation and meals will be provided free-of-charge by the college. It is advisable that you bring a mobile telephone, along with its charger, so that the college can contact you if they need to.