OXFORD & CAMBRIDGE · INTERVIEW GUIDE
Tutors want to see how you think when the material is new. Here’s what Oxford and Cambridge say about December’s interviews, and how to practise without memorizing a script.
October 2027 entry
WHAT INTERVIEWS ARE FOR
Both universities call their interviews academic conversations about your subject. Oxford compares them to a short tutorial, its central form of teaching, where a tutor usually meets two or three students.
THE INTERVIEWER OFFERS
A text, a graph, an object, or a problem.
YOU RESPOND
What you notice, what you’d try, and why.
THE CONVERSATION MOVES
A hint, a new example, or another angle.
Oxford says tutors aren’t trying to catch you out. They stretch you to see your potential.
WHAT OXFORD SAYS
Tutors look for enthusiasm and the ability to engage with ideas beyond your school syllabus, not manners, appearance, or background. Activities count only if they show how you meet your course’s selection criteria.
WHAT CAMBRIDGE SAYS
Cambridge looks at your grasp of the subject, critical and independent thinking, curiosity, and whether you’d thrive in its teaching, including small-group supervisions. The interview is your chance to learn about Cambridge, too.
Letrado’s adviceTreat the interview as a first tutorial or supervision, not an exam. Show how you learn when someone who knows the subject pushes your thinking further.
INVITATIONS AND DATES
Interviews can’t usually be moved, so keep the whole period free. Here is each university’s timetable for October 2027 entry.
MID-NOVEMBER TO EARLY DECEMBER
From the college considering your application. You may have only a week’s notice.
EARLY TO MID-DECEMBER 2026
On Microsoft Teams, on dates set by your course’s timetable, in UK time.
12 JANUARY 2027
Through UCAS, and your college follows up later that day.
NOVEMBER TO EARLY DECEMBER
Most arrive in November, and some in early December.
7–18 DECEMBER 2026
Online or in person, depending on your College and course. Your slot’s timing doesn’t reflect your strength.
27 JANUARY 2027
By College email in the morning, then in UCAS Hub by mid-afternoon.
Oxford typically receives over 23,000 applications for about 3,300 places and shortlists about 10,000. If you aren’t shortlisted, Oxford says the application hasn’t been successful this time. Many applicants are interviewed by more than one college, and about a third of successful applicants receive an offer from a college they didn’t name.
Cambridge says it invites many applicants, and everyone offered a place has been interviewed.
Oxford sends a Teams invitation for each interview. Cambridge Colleges tell you whether it’s online or in person.
Oxford usually emails any pre-reading the day before. Don’t research it online unless you’re told you can.
Oxford’s Music performance videos are due by 10 November 2026, before most invitations arrive. Some Cambridge courses add a College assessment.
Tell the college that invited you as soon as possible. Cambridge Colleges send an Adjustment at Interview form and usually won’t consider problems reported after an interview.
Letrado’s adviceWhen an invitation arrives, put every date and time in one calendar, converted to your time zone, and agree with your school where you’ll take an online interview.
Tier 1, most courses: A computer with a webcam, microphone, and speakers, joining Teams by app or browser. No Microsoft account is needed.
Tier 2: Teams plus a free Miro whiteboard, for courses including PPE and Biochemistry.
Tier 3: Teams plus a touchscreen of at least 8 inches and a basic stylus, for courses such as Mathematics, Physics, and Engineering. No one is expected to buy a touchscreen; colleges help find a solution.
Good to know: Oxford recommends Chrome or Edge, not Safari. School accounts can block webcams, and background blur can hide paper working. If the connection fails, the college rearranges the interview.
Format: For 2027 entry, many Colleges interview online, while Churchill, Emmanuel, King’s, and Selwyn interview everyone in person; others decide by location or course. In exceptional cases, such as a disability or a refused visa, a College may offer another format.
Number and length: Most applicants have one or two interviews, 35 minutes to an hour in total; some have three or four. The number doesn’t reflect your strength.
Support and assessments: Colleges can help students eligible for Free School Meals with technology or travel. Some courses add an assessment, such as a 20-minute Classics language interview.
Paid services: Cambridge notes that paid interview services aren’t endorsed and have no exclusive information. Its own guidance is free.
IN THE INTERVIEW
Oxford says tutors will probably start with a few simple questions, perhaps about your statement or course choice. Expect two tutors at Oxford, occasionally more, and two or three interviewers at Cambridge.
UNFAMILIAR MATERIAL
At Oxford, perhaps a text, a poem, a graph, or an object. Cambridge may send reading to discuss.
Letrado’s adviceRead it twice: once for what it says, once for what puzzles you.
PROBLEM SOLVING
Oxford may ask you to hold paper up to the camera or use a shared whiteboard. Cambridge Colleges explain their method.
Letrado’s adviceNarrate as you write. A wrong turn you notice and fix still shows how you think.
WHAT YOU WROTE
Both may ask about your personal statement and why you chose your course. Oxford tutors may also refer to written work you sent.
Letrado’s adviceFor each idea you mention, be ready to go one step further than you wrote.
FROM OXFORD’S PUBLISHED SAMPLES
“What would a historian find interesting about the place where you live?”
History · Ian Forrest, Oriel College
“Why do many animals have stripes?”
Biology · Martin Speight, St Anne’s College
“What does it mean for someone to ‘take’ another’s car?”
Law · Ben McFarlane, Faculty of Law
Tutors say they’re watching your reasoning. One Materials Science tutor notes that no candidate reached a final figure in the ten or so minutes allowed for his question, and none was expected to.
WHAT THE UNIVERSITIES SAY
Oxford says tutors care more about your thought process than one right answer. They may suggest another way in, and they want to stretch you, not catch you out. You can ask for a question to be repeated.
Cambridge says you can ask interviewers to explain anything unclear, and you don’t need to say what you think they want to hear.
WHAT BOTH UNIVERSITIES REQUIRE
Oxford’s code of conduct rules out sharing interview content, researching pre-reading online unless allowed, recording, anyone else watching, and AI or transcription tools unless permitted, for example as a disability adjustment. Breaking it puts an offer at serious risk.
Cambridge prohibits AI tools during interviews, and interviewers make random checks.
HOW TO PREPARE
Both universities publish free guidance and videos, and Oxford adds sample questions from its tutors. Start there, then turn it into short, regular practice.
WHAT OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE SUGGEST
Reread your personal statement and any written work. Explore your subject beyond school through books, articles, videos, or podcasts.
Oxford calls thinking out loud its top tip and says informal chats count. Cambridge suggests a practice interview, ideally with a teacher or someone who doesn’t know you well. Oxford’s checklist also links to demonstration interviews for many subjects.
LETRADO’S ADVICE
Oxford says questions may be about what you’re studying now, so revise recent topics. Reread your course’s selection criteria too; they set out what tutors look for.
Follow one or two topics you enjoy a little further. A question you’ve wrestled with gives you more to discuss than a long reading list.
Know why you chose your course, in your own words. An Oxford History tutor says prepared scripts are always a waste of time.
“Do you mean…?” or “Can I assume…?” is part of good thinking, and both universities say asking is fine.
Test on the device and connection you’ll use, and join a tech check if your Cambridge College runs one. Keep your head in frame, paper nearby, and your phone on silent.
Stop new preparation the evening before, then sleep and eat well. Oxford says tutors know you may be nervous and will try to put you at ease.
AFTER THE INTERVIEWS
Both universities weigh your interview alongside your academic record, reference, personal statement, and any tests or written work.
OXFORD · SHORTLISTED APPLICANTS
12 January 2027Through UCAS, with your college following up later that day.
Oxford’s decisions guidance (opens in a new tab)CAMBRIDGE · DECEMBER INTERVIEWS
27 January 2027By College email in the morning, then in UCAS Hub by mid-afternoon. An offer can come from another College.
Cambridge’s outcome guidance (opens in a new tab)Letrado’s adviceWhen your last interview ends, give yourself some rest, then turn back to school and your other choices. If something outside your control affected an Oxford interview, tell the college as soon as you can.
FROM OXFORD’S 2026 TIMETABLE
Some courses arrange every interview in advance. In others, first-college interviews can lead to an additional interview at another college.
History’s first-college interviews.
Second-college interviews for those invited by 11am on 14 December.
Times are UK time. Other courses have different dates, so check your own course’s row. Oxford notes that some interviews can fall outside the published dates.
WHAT CAMBRIDGE PUBLISHES
If you were interviewed in December, your College may pass your application to other Colleges in January. You won’t be told in advance.
Winter pool interviews for 2027 entry take place around mid to late January 2027.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Oxford accepts feedback requests, made to the college that considered your application, until 15 February 2027.
At Cambridge, feedback policies vary by College. Some applicants are invited to apply for reconsideration after their exam results in August, and applying again the next year doesn’t make you less likely to be accepted.
Cambridge notes that around six people apply for every place, so it can’t offer places to everyone it would like to, even after a strong interview.
WHEN YOU’D LIKE A HAND
Between us, our team studied at Oxford, Cambridge, and other leading universities. In practice interviews, a mentor brings material you haven’t seen, asks follow-up questions, and gives honest feedback on your reasoning.
We don’t have inside information, and as Cambridge points out, neither does any paid service. Everything official on this page is free, and if that plus a few practice partners is enough, that’s a good plan.
Bring your questions to a free 45-minute introduction with your proposed mentor. Afterward, we’ll email a personalized plan.
