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Cambridge Questions

My English teacher went to Cambridge and she said that the questions they asked her in the final interview was very weird. The question was: "What would you do if a goat came into this room?" She told me that Cambridge ask these kinds of questions to see if you are a lateral thinker. Does this mean that I have to a lateral thinker in order to pass the Cambridge interviews?
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 1
Avatar for Viceroy
Viceroy
15
Original post by asmuse123
My English teacher went to Cambridge and she said that the questions they asked her in the final interview was very weird. The question was: "What would you do if a goat came into this room?" She told me that Cambridge ask these kinds of questions to see if you are a lateral thinker. Does this mean that I have to a lateral thinker in order to pass the Cambridge interviews?


I don't think they do that in interviews anymore.
Original post by Viceroy
I don't think they do that in interviews anymore.


What do you mean?
Reply 3
Avatar for Viceroy
Viceroy
15
Original post by asmuse123
What do you mean?


I don't think they ask those sorts of questions.
Original post by Viceroy
I don't think they ask those sorts of questions.


I think they still do these questions.
http://university.which.co.uk/advice/oxbridge-interviews
Reply 5
Avatar for Viceroy
Viceroy
15
Original post by asmuse123
I think they still do these questions.
http://university.which.co.uk/advice/oxbridge-interviews


Interesting. Well, your answers are on that page then!
Original post by Viceroy
Interesting. Well, your answers are on that page then!


OK
Original post by asmuse123
I think they still do these questions.
http://university.which.co.uk/advice/oxbridge-interviews


Those aren't weird questions at all.

They invite you to show your thinking about different literary forms, or evolution and adaptation and so on.

I was asked "what pH is water", which I thought was straightforward...until I realised it wasn't.

I know an economist who was asked "how many bananas are sold in the UK each year". Presumably she didn't know, but had to show a logical way of estimating.

The point of these questions is that they draw you into a process of logical thought.
Reply 8
Avatar for davros
davros
16
Original post by asmuse123
My English teacher went to Cambridge and she said that the questions they asked her in the final interview was very weird. The question was: "What would you do if a goat came into this room?" She told me that Cambridge ask these kinds of questions to see if you are a lateral thinker. Does this mean that I have to a lateral thinker in order to pass the Cambridge interviews?


No.

But you need to understand how to deal with the different varieties of farmyard animals that you may encounter at Cambridge.
Original post by davros
No.

But you need to understand how to deal with the different varieties of farmyard animals that you may encounter at Cambridge.


Obviously it makes sense
Reply 10
Avatar for Doones
Doones
21
Original post by davros
No.

But you need to understand how to deal with the different varieties of farmyard animals that you may encounter at Cambridge.


Especially for Land Economics
And History of Art

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by asmuse123
My English teacher went to Cambridge and she said that the questions they asked her in the final interview was very weird. The question was: "What would you do if a goat came into this room?" She told me that Cambridge ask these kinds of questions to see if you are a lateral thinker. Does this mean that I have to a lateral thinker in order to pass the Cambridge interviews?


No, you shouldn't believe these myths.

The interviewer was obviously a previous head boy of King's school Canterbury and will have kept a goat as allowed by school tradition. Presumably it was time for the goat to come in for a meal. He wanted to be sure that the English teacher was sufficiently well-bred to know this.
Nothing to do with lateral thinking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King%27s_School,_Canterbury

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