Frequently asked questions

For each interview, you’ll be sent a separate calendar invitation containing a link that will take you to the Microsoft Teams virtual interview lobby. You’ll then be accepted into the call and your interview will begin.

You may have more than one interview, if you do we will aim to give you a minimum of 24 hours’ notice of these additional interviews.

First, check your junk/spam folder. The email may have been flagged as spam. If you still can't find it, contact the admissions office of the college sending you the invitation to let them know you haven't received it and they can send it to you again.

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 interviews at more than one college before your interviews start. In other subjects, you might have ‘initial’ interviews at your first college, and then you might 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.

You can find out more by looking at the interview timetable on our website, which has the interview dates for each course.

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. 

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.

If there are any adjustments you need because of a disability, make sure whoever has invited you to interview knows about these as soon as possible. Read further guidance. 

Have a look at the tips we give on the How can I prepare? tab on this page, but the main thing is to try and be yourself and remember if you have been shortlisted, you are a strong contender for a place.

No. 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 record interviews (in either 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.

Candidates will be at serious risk of having any offer withdrawn if they do not abide by any aspects of this code of conduct.

All the information on the tabs of this webpage will tell you what you need to know.

You might be asked to read a passage or an article before your interview, which will be sent to you by email. If so, then you should make sure you will have a quiet space to read it on your own before your interview, just like if you were taking an exam. You must not research online any materials shared with you as part of a pre-interview task unless explicitly permitted to do so by the interviewers. Your college will explain this to you beforehand.

Everyone will need a computer with a microphone, speakers, and webcam. All interviews will be using Microsoft Teams for video conferencing. You don’t need to have a Microsoft account for this, but you will need to use a computer that either has Teams installed or can access Teams on the internet.

You must ensure that any automatic transcription tools you may have enabled in Microsoft Teams are disabled during your interviews and you are not permitted to use any assistive technology during your interviews unless as agreed as a reasonable adjustment for a disability. 

If you have any problems getting hold of technology, talk to your school and if you still aren’t able to access it, then contact the college you are being interviews by.

Whether you need additional software or devices will depend on the course you are applying for. Each subject has been placed into a tier, from 1 to 3. Each tier will use technology differently. Please refer to the Technology page to see which tier your subject is in.

You will need a computer with a microphone, speakers, and webcam. In terms of software, you will just need Microsoft Teams. During the interview, your interviewers might share their screens to show you a document, or hold something up to the camera, but otherwise it is just a conversation.

In addition to running Microsoft Teams on a computer or similar, you will need a Miro virtual whiteboard. For tier 2 subjects you should access Miro on the same device you’re accessing Microsoft Teams. The virtual whiteboard is accessible via the Miro website or app at www.miro.com. We recommend that you create a Miro account prior to your interview to practise using a virtual white board – this is free to do.

You’ll be sent a link to a specific Miro whiteboard for your interview, and during the interview, your interviewers might show you a document by sharing their screen or pasting it into the Miro whiteboard, or by holding something up to the camera.

Your interviewers might also use the Miro whiteboard themselves to write out mathematical notation, draw sketches, annotate diagrams or text, or to add text. You may be asked to add basic markings using the ‘draw’ tool to highlight, point to, or annotate an existing image or text, or to add text using the ‘text’ tool. You won’t be asked to write out complex mathematical notation. However, you might also be asked to show any rough working of your own using your own webcam.

You will need to switch between your interview Teams call and the Miro whiteboard, meaning that you might not be able to see the interviewers whilst using the whiteboard. If you are joining the call in browser you can just switch between the two tabs. If you are joining the call in the Microsoft Teams client and aren’t able to see both windows at once then you will need to minimise the Teams app to use the whiteboard.

We have created further guidance for tier 2 subjects on our webpage.

For tier 3 subjects you will need to run Microsoft Teams on a computer or similar but in addition you will need a touchscreen device on which to use a virtual Miro whiteboard and a stylus you can write with on this. The whiteboard is accessible via the Miro website or app at www.miro.com. We recommend that you create a Miro account prior to your interview to practise using a white board – this is free to do. Your touchscreen device should have a screen that’s at least 8 inches, so a mobile phone won’t be big enough.

Either before your interview or at the start of your interview, you will receive a link by email to a Miro whiteboard from the college running your interview. You will need to be able to access this link on your touchscreen device in order to access the whiteboard you will use in your interview, so you should login to your email account on this device before your interview starts.

During the interview, your interviewers might show you a document by sharing their screen or pasting it into the Miro whiteboard, or by holding something up to the camera. You might be asked to show any rough working on your own camera. Interviewers might also use the Miro whiteboard to write out mathematical notation, draw sketches, annotate diagrams or text, or to add text. 

You might also be asked to use Miro and your touchscreen device and stylus to:

• Add markings using the ‘draw’ tool to highlight, point to, or annotate an existing image or text
• Add text using the ‘text’ tool
• Write out mathematical notation using the ‘draw’ tool with your stylus, as though you were writing on a piece of paper
• Sketch a diagram using the ‘draw’ tool with your stylus, as though you were drawing on a piece of paper.

We have created further guidance for tier 3 subjects on our webpage.

To create an account and practise using a virtual whiteboard, go to www.miro.com. When you create an account, you will need to give your email address and create a password. This triggers a 6-digit access code which is sent to your email address. 

You will be asked during registration to give your company name and role but here you can instead just enter your full name and when asked for your role, click on the option "Not company-related". You can find further guidance on creating a Miro account on our webpage.

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 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.

If you are ill before your interview

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 for interviews mean that 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. 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.

If you are ill during your interview

Please let someone at your college know as soon as possible.

Other extenuating circumstances

If there are other extenuating circumstances that you feel affected your interview performance you should let the college 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.