Interviews

A good deal of the teaching at Oxford takes place in small classes or tutorials, and your interviewers – who may be your future tutors – are assessing your ability to study, think and learn in this way.

The interview is designed to assess your academic potential. Tutors are looking for your self-motivation and enthusiasm for your subject. Decisions are not based on your manners, appearance or background, but on your ability to think independently and to engage with new ideas beyond the scope of your school or college syllabus.

Oxford typically receives over 23,000 applications for around 3,300 places every year and shortlists approximately 10,000 candidates. With so many more applications than places, it just isn’t possible to interview everyone.

Tutors shortlist the candidates they feel have the strongest potential and meet their selection criteria best. Only those shortlisted are invited to interview. 

If you do not get shortlisted for interview, unfortunately that means that your application has not been successful. If you are shortlisted for interview - congratulations!

Being invited to attend our interviews is a fantastic achievement in its own right, considering the number of strongly competitive applications that we receive each year.

You will receive a letter or an email indicating whether or not you have been invited for interview, usually between the middle of November and early December. Different courses will issue invitations on different days depending on when their interviews are scheduled. Your email or letter will usually come from the college you applied to. If you submitted an open application, it will come from the college you have been allocated to.

Sometimes you might get invited to interview by a college you did not apply to. This is part of our reallocation process, where applicants get moved around to make sure everyone interviewed has a similar chance of being made an offer.

Please be aware that you may only be given a week’s notice that you have been shortlisted. The interview timetable is available to view. 

All interviews are expected to take place in early to mid-December so please make sure you are going to be available during this time as interviews cannot be rearranged. An up-to-date timetable for interviews is published as soon as possible each year. This is likely to be similar to that for last year. Remember that Oxford typically offers around 20,000 online interviews to approximately 10,000 shortlisted candidates. The extensive logistics involved mean it is not possible to rearrange the time of interviews.

If there are technical issues during your interview, you will be offered another time. 

Interview timetables

You are quite likely to have more than one interview. You might also be interviewed by more than one college.

In some subjects, you will be invited to more than one interview and/or at more than one college before your interviews start.

In other subjects, you might have 'initial' interviews at your first college and then be invited to an 'additional' interview at another college after these have taken place. We aim to give everyone a minimum of 24 hours' notice of these additional interviews. 

Online interviews should take place where applicants feel able to perform at their best. This should be somewhere you have reliable access to the required technology and a quiet space, free from distraction. We hope that this will be either in your school or college, or your home or similar environment.

As soon as you receive your invitation to interview/s we suggest that you discuss with your school or college where you would like this/these to take place and to make arrangements accordingly.

Some applicants may benefit from enhanced school or college support, including those with special requirements as a result of a disability or those who have difficulty accessing the appropriate technology or a stable internet connection. We would be very grateful if schools and colleges could support applicants in these circumstances. 

You will be interviewed by academic tutors, usually from a college. They teach and research at the University and decide who studies here. Normally you will be interviewed by two tutors, occasionally more.

If you are applying for a joint course, with two or more subjects, you should expect to be interviewed by tutors representing each of the subjects. For some joint courses you may be interviewed separately for each subject area.

Tutors will understand that you may be nervous and will try to put you at your ease. They want you to feel able to be yourself in the interview, and to allow you to demonstrate your skills and abilities. They will probably ask you a few simple questions to begin with: perhaps about something in your personal statement or why you have applied for a particular course. They will then move on to questions about your subject.

Depending on what is relevant for the course you are applying for, you may be given a text, a poem, a graph, or an object, and then asked to answer questions and comment on it. You may be given these before the interview and will be advised if there is anything in particular on which you need to focus. Tutors may also refer to any written work that you were asked to submit.

Questions may be about the subjects that you are currently studying at school or college. However, you will also be offered opportunities to show whether you have read around the subject and to demonstrate your knowledge and interest beyond your school or college syllabus.

Have a look at the sample questions and demonstration interview videos linked to from our guidance on interview preparation below for more of an idea of what to expect.

There may well be more than one right way to answer a question in which case tutors will be more interested in exploring your thought process. Remember they are trying to find out how you think, so anything you say will interest them.

Many questions are designed to test your ability to apply logic and reason to an idea you may never have encountered before. If you think you don’t know the answer to a question, don’t panic, but try and apply your mind to it – you may surprise yourself! You may also wish to explain that you haven’t covered that topic yet, but the key thing is to appear interested. Don’t play it cool because you’re nervous. Tutors love their subject and they want to teach people who feel likewise.

Sometimes tutors may suggest an alternative way of looking at a problem. They are looking for evidence that you are willing to engage with new ideas, and that you can be flexible in your thinking. Often your answers will lead to a discussion and students sometimes feel they learn a lot in interviews – despite their nerves. Interviewers are not trying to make you feel ignorant or catch you out, but to stretch you in order to assess your potential.

Top tips: 

1. Don’t try and second guess what tutors are looking for – just be open to the opportunity and be yourself.
2. Try and see your interview as a learning experience - similar to an Oxford tutorial. 

Tutors may ask you about extra-curricular activities which you have mentioned in your personal statement, particularly to help you settle into the interview. However extra-curricular activities will not be assessed unless they help to demonstrate how you meet the selection criteria for your course.

If there are any adjustments you need because of a disability, make sure that the college which has invited you to interview knows about these as soon as possible. 

Please read the interviews section of our Guidance for disabled applicants page for more advice.

If you are ill prior to or during your interview please follow this guidance:  

Before

If you are invited for interview but are then too ill to attend, please contact the Tutor for Admissions at the college which has invited you, as soon as possible. If you are too ill to do this yourself, a teacher or a member of your family may do this for you. Your college will then see whether alternative arrangements can be made for your interview. They may be able to offer you an alternative interview date, although the short timescales and number of interviews being arranged may mean this is not always possible.

If necessary, the college may consider your application without an interview, by reviewing your UCAS application (including your academic record, personal statement, predicted grades and academic reference) and the results of any admissions test or tests for your course, as well as any written work which you have been asked to submit.

If you are too ill to attend an interview we recommend that you seek medical advice, as the college may ask you to provide supporting evidence such as a doctor's note. If you attend an interview, this will be taken as indication that you are prepared to be evaluated on the merits of your performance in that interview. The interview will be considered as part of your application, so if you are so unwell that you are not able to perform at a reasonable level, you should consider not attending your interview. 

During

Please let your interviewers know as soon as possible if you are feeling ill.

Tutors will consider information submitted before the interview (including extenuating evidence) as part of your application, but it is not possible to exclude your interview performance from your assessment once you have attended an interview.

Other extenuating circumstances

If there are other extenuating circumstances that you feel affected your interview performance you should let the college considering your application know as soon as possible, either before your interview takes place, or as soon as possible afterwards. 

It will not be possible to take into account circumstances that were not declared prior to admissions decisions being made.

Please don’t worry. We know that these things can sometimes be a problem and your interviewers will understand. We do recommend that you - and your school if that’s where you’re having your interview - test the technology beforehand, to make sure it works and that you’re comfortable with it. 

Remember your interviewers will want you to do well and to be able to see your potential. If the technology goes wrong or the connection is bad, make sure you tell your interviewers so that they are aware. If the interview can’t proceed then don’t worry - the college will rearrange it as soon as they can.

As soon as you receive your invitation to interview make sure to talk to your school or college and agree where your online interview should take place. This should be wherever you feel able to perform your best - somewhere you have reliable access to the technology required and a quiet space, free from distraction. This is likely to be either in your school or college or your home or similar environment.

For the past few years, interviews have taken place online using Microsoft Teams. Technology requirements have been divided into three tiers, with tier 1 involving the least technology and tier 3 requiring the most. Most courses are in tier 1 where you will only need a computer for video conferencing using Microsoft Teams.

Interviews for some subjects are likely to require the use of a shared virtual whiteboard and in other, more mathematical subjects, a separate touchscreen device will be needed for the whiteboard along with a basic universal stylus so you can share mathematical notation, draw sketches, annotate diagrams or text, or add text.

No candidate or their school will be expected to purchase a touchscreen device in order to participate in their Oxford interviews. Where necessary, for tier 3 subjects and where there are more technology requirements, colleges will discuss arrangements with schools and applicants in order to find a practical solution for everyone involved. 

Find out what technology is required for interviews for your chosen course. 

Connect to Microsoft Teams for your online interview.

Guidance on using a Miro whiteboard for tier 2 and tier 3 interviews.

Depending on which one is relevant for your course, our tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 instructional videos will tell you exactly what to expect during your interview/s.

Tier 1: Video conferencing only
Tier 2: Video conferencing and interactive virtual whiteboard
Tier 3: Video conferencing, Interactive Virtual Whiteboard and Natural Handwriting Capture via a stylus

Instructional videos

Check out some subject-specific sample interview questions which come direct from the tutors who conduct the interviews. We hope they'll make you think and help you understand why we ask the questions that we do. 

Subject-specific sample interview questions

Recorded with our tutors and current students, these subject-specific demonstration interviews will give you a good idea of what to expect from your own interview.

Each video begins with an introduction from the tutors explaining why they interview and the format or structure of the conversation. This is followed by the sample interview itself with a current student and then a tutors' commentary during which they discuss how they feel the interview went.

You might like to stop and start the videos as you watch, so you have time to think how you might have tackled the questions and of course you can rewind and watch as many times as you like. Don't worry if the students seem confident and articulate, remember they are used to tutorial teaching now and tutors will not expect you to be as familiar with this sort of academic discussion.

If you can't find a video for your subject below, then we recommend that if possible, you watch one in the same tier (visit the Technology required tab) as your own and for a similar subject. You can also explore the Additional video resources where you will find interview information for other subjects.

Demonstration interview videos

If you are shortlisted, it is important that you recognise that in accepting your invitation to interview, you are agreeing to the following code of conduct:

• I agree not to share in any form the content of interviews with others and including but not limited to candidates or teachers at my school/college or at any another school/college. This includes discussing the content of interviews verbally, as well as disseminating any materials shared in advance of or during interviews (e.g. documents, images, etc.)
• I agree not to research online any materials shared with me as part of a pre-interview task (unless explicitly permitted to do so by the interviewers)
• I agree not to use any assistive technology (including artificial intelligence and automatic transcription tools) beyond that required for my subject during my interviews (unless explicitly permitted to do so, for example as a reasonable adjustment for a disability)
• I agree not to record interviews (in transcribed, audio or video format), or to permit others (including but not limited to teachers, family members, etc.) to record interviews
• I agree to take part in the interview myself and not to ask or allow anyone else to impersonate my identity fraudulently
• I agree not to ask or allow anyone else to observe the interview.

Candidates will be at serious risk of having any offer withdrawn if they do not abide by any aspects of this code of conduct.

Code of conduct

Once you are clear on the practicalities and arrangements for your interview, we recommend you begin to think about the content of the interview itself, the sort of questions you might be asked and what you would like tutors to know about how and what you think about your subject. You should also think about any revision you might need to do.

• Re-read your personal statement and any written work you have submitted.
• Think about the answers you gave in any admissions test but don't worry if you can't remember these in detail.
• Remind yourself why you've chosen this subject and why you want to study it at Oxford. These are questions the tutors might ask you.
• As well as revising material you have studied recently, explore your subject in the wider world, for example via newspaper articles, websites, videos and TV programmes.
• Remind yourself of the selection criteria for your chosen subject.
• If you are applying for a course you haven't studied at school or college, be prepared to demonstrate your interest and show some background knowledge of the subject.
• Take a critical view of ideas and arguments that you encounter in your everyday world - think about all sides of the debate.
• Have a look at the sample questions and familiarise yourself with the kind of questions tutors might ask in your subject.
• Watch the demonstration interview for your subject and hear admissions tutors talk about how they interview for their subject. Watch them interview a current student and listen to their commentary afterwards. Stop and start as many times as you like, so you can think about what your own answers might have been. It will all help you on the day. If you can't find a video in your subject then watch one in the same tier as your own and for a similar subject. This will give you the best idea of what your own interview is likely to be like and you will also have a chance to see how the technology will work.
• Keep practising explaining what you are thinking - almost as if you are thinking out loud. This really is our top tip - to practise speaking about your subject and your thoughts about what you've seen or read - these don't have to be formal 'mock interviews' - instead they could be chats with teachers, friends, or family.
• Think about whether you would like to ask a question at the end but don’t feel as though you have to. If you are given the chance to ask your own questions at the end of the interview, this does not form any part of your assessment.
• If you aren't able to speak to other people, why not record a vlog to practise speaking, or hold an imaginary interview in your head, or even talk to the cat!

Remember to feel good! Being shortlisted is already a significant achievement. From an applicant pool of around 23,000, we normally interview around 10,000 applicants. If you are invited for interview, then you are a strong contender for a place. 

• Wear clothes you feel comfortable in. You won't be judged on what you wear.
• Once you’re in the interview, make sure that your head isn’t cut off by your camera, and that you can look directly at the screen.
• Try and think of the interview as a conversation about your favourite subject with people who share your interest and know a great deal about it. Interviews are similar to Oxford's teaching tutorials and you may well find you actually learn a lot.
• Don't worry if you don't know an answer immediately - see if you can work your way through it aloud. This lets tutors see how you think and means that your final answer is only part of what they find out.
• Listen carefully to the questions and don't be afraid to ask for them to be repeated.
• Have a copy of your personal statement or any written work you submitted to hand if you like, but don't let these distract you from the questions.
• Have a paper and pen, in case you would like to make notes. You may also be asked to hold some paper-based workings up to your device's camera.
• Wear headphones if you are likely to be distracted by background noise.
• Make sure you have done any pre-reading sent to you - normally this will be emailed to you the day before your interview. Read the instructions carefully.
• Don't try and search online for any answers during your interview - aside from the fact this is cheating - an interview is like a conversation and it will be very obvious if you zone out and are distracted. By agreeing to the code of conduct you will confirm that you understand that the use of assistive technology (including artificial intelligence) during your interview is prohibited, beyond any such technology required for your subject, or related to access arrangements for a disability.
• Have a drink of water to hand - ideally in a bottle which won't spill!
• At the end, you are likely to be asked if you have any questions but don't feel you have to ask something.
• If the technology goes wrong or the connection is bad, make sure you tell your interviewers so that they are aware. If the interview can’t proceed then don’t worry - the college will rearrange it as soon as they can.

Finally, remember if you are being interviewed, then you are a strong contender for a place.

Find out the answers to any remaining questions via our:

FAQs page

If you are shortlisted for interview for Music you will be asked to submit a 5-minute (max) continuous video recording of a musical performance on your chosen instrument or voice.

The Music Faculty welcomes auditions in any genre or style. Examples of previous submissions include classical instrumental sonatas, Hindustani classical music, unaccompanied folk, improvised jazz and musical theatre. An extract from a longer performance is perfectly acceptable. It can be accompanied or unaccompanied. Videos can be made on any device such as a mobile (file type .mov or .mp4). We would recommend recording in a room without too much echo and to do a couple of tests to see where the sound is best, (for example, sometimes having the microphone further away from you is better).

In addition to the video, please also include:

• a score of the music as a single document
• a cover sheet

Please upload the three required items (video, music, cover sheet) to a shareable drive. Submit only one link to the shareable drive (not one link per item).

Further guidance to note:

• Please do not email the video file.
• We require a video and not a sound file.
• The quality of performance will be assessed but the quality of recording will not be taken into account.
• Ensure the permissions to the drive are set to open to all.
• Ensure all contents remains accessible until the end of December (i.e. does not expire before then). 
   

This must be submitted via this Undergraduate Admissions - Performance Video Submission webform no later than 10 November.

For more information, please see the Music course page. 

The deadline for this further submission of recent work to SlideRoom will be confirmed in the invitation to interview, but will probably be a week before the interviews.

The work included in the second, pre-interview submission will form a basis for discussion at interview. Candidates are encouraged to talk about their work and interests and to discuss contemporary art, including books they have read and/or exhibitions that they might have recently visited.

For more information, please see the Fine Art course page.