Interviews

Applicants for some university courses may be required to attend an interview.

The large majority of university courses do not involve an interview as part of the selection procedure. Interviews tend to be held for the most competitive courses for example those studied at Oxford and Cambridge, medicine or primary teaching. If you are called for an interview, admissions staff are obviously interested in you. You need to make sure you do your best to impress them enough so they will offer you a place on their course. If you have been offered an interview through Track, take a look at the Offers page to see what you need to do next.

BEFORE the interview

Research 

Read the university prospectus. Be familiar with the university and in particular the course you are applying for. If possible, find out what format the interview will take. This will help you to be better prepared.

Prepare

Keep up to date with current issues in the news related to your subject. You may be asked questions on recent developments in your planned field of study.

Re-read your personal statement. Interviewers may ask questions based on what you have written in it.

Plan how to answer questions you might be able to anticipate e.g. why do you want to study your choice of course?

You may have the opportunity to ask the interviewer(s) questions. Have some prepared but make sure the questions cannot easily be answered by reading the prospectus.

Clothes

Consider what clothes you are going to wear. You should be smart to create a good impression but not too over the top. You should also be comfortable, especially if you are travelling some distance or having to walk far.

Rest

Try to get a decent sleep on the night before the interview. Yawning your way through the interview the following day will not impress the interviewers!

Travel

Carefully plan your journey. Not just to the university but also the specific location on the campus. The university's website will have maps and possibly directions. Give yourself plenty of time so as to allow for unforeseen delays. If you arrive with lots of time to spare, you can read over your notes or compose your thoughts over a cup of coffee. Being late when the interviewers have a busy schedule to complete will not look good.

Problems Attending

If unforeseen circumstances prevent you attending your interview, contact the university beforehand. They may be able to reschedule you for another day or time. Enter the university's phone number into your mobile phone in case you need to contact them if you encounter unavoidable delays while travelling there.

Mobile Phone

Turn your mobile phone off before you go into the interview room!

DURING the interview

Introductions

Make eye contact and smile when introduced to your interviewers. They may also shake your hand. Practice this - there is nothing worse than a limp handshake or one that squeezes the life out of any hand it touches!

Relax

The interviewers are trying find out more about you and not trip you up with trick questions, so relax and be yourself! Let your enthusiasm for the course you are being interviewed for shine through.

Body Language

Sit up straight. Look at the interviewer and make eye contact. If there are several people interviewing you, include them all by making eye contact and not just the person who asked the question. Try to smile from time to time. Try hard not to fidget, such as playing with your hair, tapping your foot etc. If you know that you tend to fidget with your hands, hold a notepad and pen to keep your hands busy!

Answering Questions

Listen carefully to what you are being asked. it might not be the same as a question you have prepared an answer for.

Stay focussed. Do not let your mind wander.

Don't say the first thing that comes into your head. Take a second or two to think about what you are going to say before answering.

Give full answers to questions but keep it relevant. Do not waffle!

Honesty - if you don't understand a question, say so. Interviewers will often prompt you or rephrase a question if you are honest. Don't try to pretend you know more about a subject than you actually do. Your interviewers will be experts in the subject and will spot this straight away. If you don't know the answer to a question, be honest and admit it.

Your questions

Towards the end of the interview, you may be asked if you have any questions. This is an opportunity to ask questions you have prepared beforehand. This could not only give you the chance to find out more about the course but might also impress the interviewers with your desire to find out more about it.

AFTER the interview

Reflect

Make a note of the questions you were asked and how you answered them. Could you have answered them better? Reflecting on your interview may help you perform better if you have another one.

Interview Tips: Sample University Interview Questions

  Tell me about yourself

  How would you describe yourself?

  Why do you want to study for a degree?

  What do you think university can offer you?

  What attracts you to this course?

  What did you like about the subjects you studied for Higher?

  Why did you apply to this university?

  Have you done any background reading in your chosen subject?

  Which part of the course do you think will be the most challenging?

  What do you think are the pertinent issues in your chosen area at present?

  What did you learn from any work experience you've done?

  What are you planning to do on your gap year?

  Does not taking a gap year put you at a disadvantage in any way?

  What was the last book you read?

  What is your favourite newspaper or periodical?

  What do you do in your leisure time?

  What positions of responsibility have you held?

  Are you good at working on your own?

  Describe a situation where you were put under pressure?

  Give an example of a time when you helped someone else?

  What do you think you can offer this university?

  What are your strengths?

  What are your weaknesses?

  What do you see yourself doing when you leave university?

Interview Tips: Subject Specific Sample University Interview Questions

Dentistry  

What are the negative aspects of dentistry?

If taxpayers pay tax for dental students to become dentists do you think all dentists should have to work in the NHS for a certain number of years?

How is dentistry different to other jobs?

Can you tell us about any modern advances in dentistry?

Why do some people underestimate the value of their teeth?

Economics 

What's the difference between the buying and selling of slaves and the buying and selling of football players?

Why would you consider Toys R Us to be an example of a failing business?

What's the point of using NHS money to keep old people alive?

Law

Where does honesty fit into law?

Medicine  

What do you like most about the brain?

How would describe a human to a Martian?

Should someone sell their kidney?

Tell me about drowning.

What do you think of assisted suicide?

Would you give a 60-year-old woman IVF treatment?

When are people dead?

What's the point of using NHS money to keep old people alive?

Music

Do you feel that music is an art incomparable to history in that history cannot be performed?

If you could have an hour with any composer, who would it be and why?

Philosophy

Can you imagine what the world would be like if there were no laws?

Physics  

How high can you climb a mountain if you've eaten one Mars Bar?

Tell me about these eggs.

Can you imagine what the world would be like if there were no laws?

Teaching

What would a visitor expect to see when walking into your classroom?

What do you think is the value of organising the curriculum around topics?

What does discipline mean to you?

What would you do if, on a Saturday morning, you saw a group of children from your school smoking in the local shopping centre?

Veterinary Medicine

Which side of a cat contains the most hair?

How many animals of each species did Noah take into the Ark?

What injections does a puppy or kitten need?

What are your views on horse racing?

What are your views on culling badgers?

Advice for 'Oxbridge' Interviews

Cambridge interview advice (PDF) [1MB] (opens new window)

Oxford Interview Advice(opens new window)

The Telegraph (Education): Lateral Thinking: Oxbridge Questions(opens new window)

The S.T.A.R. Interview Response Technique

The S.T.A.R. Interview Response technique is based on the belief that how a candidate has performed in the past in a certain situation indicates how they will behave in a similar situation in future.

By using the S.T.A.R. Interview Response technique, candidates can demonstrate both their abilities and their achievements.

The four parts to the technique are listed below.

S  Describe the Situation that fits the question you have been asked.

T Briefly state what your Task was in relation to the situation.

A State what Actions you took.

R What Results happened due to your efforts.