The Student Room Group
Reply 1
Not sure, but I think the test is usually practical criticism of a poem/poems
Grifter
hey,

i see from the cambridge website that the majority of cambridge colleges make english applicants sit a "test at interview". after many unsuccessful search attempts, i have been unable to find any detailed info. about these tests. is this a new procedure? any1 out there know what the test consists of? any1 actually taken one of these tests? any details of where to find past papers?

and do oxford set similar tests for english applicants?

Thanks--- :cool:


yup- i'm going to be doing english at king's cambridge from october. i applied to king's partly because they had a written test at interview- but when i got there they announced the written test was cancelled. irritating, i thought, as a written test on top of interview is more time to show off...

i assume the testwould have been similar to the written test i did for ucl, which was an unseen practical criticism of 'dover beach' by matthew arnold. all you can write, one hour. such tests are usually practical criticism, usually of poetry- and the best book on practical criticism that everyone has read is the poetry handbook by john lennard.

not all colleges do have written tests at interview- isn't there a table in the back of the prospectus showing which ones do? i think most oxford colleges do, too.