Oxford Interviews and Oxford Tutorials Prep

I heard from all the Oxford tutors at the open day that the interview is like a "mini" tutorial. They said it was a way of finding the students that the tutors would want to teach.

Surely if you are prepared for a tutorial environment, you ought to do well at the interview.

I wanted to know what current students would reccommend to prospective applicants to be "better" in the tutorial environment.
What key things do you think would impress the tutors in the interview?

Thanks

Reply 1

shoshin

Which subject are you thinking of studying?

Reply 2

mojammid

Original post by shoshin

Which subject are you thinking of studying?

Medicine.

Reply 3

newblood

what about for maths...i thought they are just testing how good you are at maths. how can you find out if someone is suited to tutorials in a small interview where most are bound to be quite nervous?

Reply 4

Chief Wiggum

Original post by newblood

what about for maths...i thought they are just testing how good you are at maths. how can you find out if someone is suited to tutorials in a small interview where most are bound to be quite nervous?

That's what I'd have thought. I'd be pretty unimpressed if tutors were rejecting people who they thought were intelligent enough but who they didn't think would "suit tutorials", which is an incredibly subjective judgement.

Reply 5

nexttime

For medicine its a combination of science questions and ethics questions, sometimes split into different interviews. You're also interviewed at two colleges, so 4+ interviews is the norm.

The science questions will build on your knowledge from your studies - chemistry, biology, physics. They frequently take a medical slant, though clearly they don't expect you to have knowledge of medicine itself. I had questions about the cell cycle, chromosomes, clotting cascade, deriving equations defining blood flow, calculating concentrations, thermoregulation, evolution. One I was given a picture of something down a microscope and told to describe the tissues seen. I was also given a couple of abstract questions for which oxford has a reputation - namely this one http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/phy99/phy99xx1.htm (its very famous so I'll share).

The main point of questions is to find something that you have no idea about, then encouraging you to use what you do know to work out the possible answers. It can be very conceptual. Its about seeing how you think, not how much you know.

This is very contrasting to medicine interviews at other universities.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 6

Chief Wiggum

Original post by nexttime

For medicine its a combination of science questions and ethics questions, sometimes split into different interviews. You're also interviewed at two colleges, so 4+ interviews is the norm.

The science questions will build on your knowledge from your studies - chemistry, biology, physics. They frequently take a medical slant, though clearly they don't expect you to have knowledge of medicine itself. I had questions about the cell cycle, chromosomes, clotting cascade, deriving equations defining blood flow, calculating concentrations, thermoregulation, evolution. One I was given a picture of something down a microscope and told to describe the tissues seen. I was also given a couple of abstract questions for which oxford has a reputation - namely this one http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasc...9/phy99xx1.htm (its very famous so I'll share).

The main point of questions is to find something that you have no idea about, then encouraging you to use what you do know to work out the possible answers. It can be very conceptual. Its about seeing how you think, not how much you know.

This is very contrasting to medicine interviews at other universities.

Your link is broken.

Reply 7

nexttime

Original post by Chief Wiggum

Your link is broken.

Thanks fixed

Reply 8

Estreth

The interviews aren't just about trying to ascertain how intelligent you are, but about trying to see how well you think things through (as nexttime said). I don't think it's worth thinking about how to be a 'good tutorial student'. What you have to remember is that the interviewers will ask you challenging questions not to 'catch you out', but to give you the chance to think through a probl em on the spot, perhaps realize you're on the wrong track, recognize and diagnose your own error, try a different strategy (possibly with a bit of prompting at any point) and reach a conclusion. The biggest mistake you can make is not to give the 'wrong' answer, but to think you've blown it because you get corrected or prompted, and start worrying or apologizing rather than just carrying on.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 9

shoshin

Original post by Sic semper erat

Hey, I'm also applying in October (Oriental Studies) and would be interesting to know about this 'good tutorial student' thing, haha

Hi, well I asked the 'which subject' question 'cos mine is History. While I might be able to offer the odd bit of general advice for one or two other subjects, when the answer came back as Medicine I reckoned that 'nexttime' might have the edge on me :smile:

Similarly with Oriental Studies, I won't be much help I'm afraid.

Although your PS isn't an important factor in Oxford's selection process, it may well provide the starting point for a question in your interview. So one thing I would definitely avoid is any flannel in your PS that you can't substantiate at interview; books you have read, visits you have made etc.

Also, in my experience Oxford is looking for independent but not necessarily confrontational views. You need to show that you do not unquestioningly accept what may appear to be the interviewer's position, without coming across as someone whose mind is already made up and cannot be changed. It's not the easiest balance to strike.

Personally, if your subject has an aptitude test then I would be giving more attention to it than interview preparation. This isn't because it is more important in the selection decision. But there isn't really too much that you can do about the interview. It will be structured to expose the real 'you', so careful and cunning preparation is likely to soon fall apart or get stripped away.

Good luck :smile:

Reply 10

shoshin

Original post by Sic semper erat

This is very helpful, thanks! We have the OLAT, and turns its not as important in general and not only in comparison to interview.

"The test [OLAT] is not a qualifying examination; it is not used in recommending candidates for deselection and the score is not a weighted element in recommendation for admissions. The aim of OLAT is to inform the process of interviewing by being one among a number of sources of information about the candidate."

Yes, whereas for a number of subjects (like mine, History) pre-interview deselection is exactly the role of the aptitude test. We do have to be careful not to give advice for a specific subject that looks like it is advice for all subjects.