The Student Room Group

Harris Westminster Entrance Exams

Scroll to see replies

Original post by Thedaniellamary
don't worry about it now, keep busy with revision. I'm sure you did amazingly, I feel everything felt that it could have gone better and it was definitely the most challenging interview we've all been in so it's a good experience. Maybe your interview with the headteacher may have been based on your other A-level options?

Well, I took French and Biology for the exqms and am doing French, History, Biology and Philosophy. Thank You!!
Original post by kamranali
Well, I took French and Biology for the exqms and am doing French, History, Biology and Philosophy. Thank You!!
ooh no idea, it might be Biology but I'm not sure at all in all honesty
Original post by kamranali
Bit late but whatever. I arrived af 11:00 am on Februaury 13th wearing a formal shirt, tie and grey jumper matched with blue suit trousers and formal shoes. The headmaster gave his little speech ( tedious ) then all the Arts students, including myself, were ushered to the 6th floor. When I arrived there was a short wait for my interviews to begin. I found out I had 2 interviews. One with the head and one with a subject teacher. The first one was with the head, I felt it went very bad. He asked what my favourite subject outside of French( my main interview subject) was and I said History. He asked me what I enjoyed most and from then on the conversation was purely him challenging everything I said and putting me in a position were I had to think off my feet. I think I handled it well but made perhaps a bad first impression. 😞. My second interview came a little bit after that with a French teacher and it went superb! We discussed my interest in French and she taught me ( and I pretended to learn) something I already knew, so she was impressed I hope. We spoke for a while in French and It went very well, with no brain freeze and I was very happy. Overall my experience was okay but I feel the head does not like me very much. I still to this day havent a clue why I was given an additional interview ( I hope its not because I flopped my admissions test), so I was underprepared for the additional interview. I dont think I will recieve a place.


I don't think you should worry at all 😁 It sounds like you did amazing. The whole point of what the Head was doing in the first interview was to see how you answered on your feet and if you managed to answer his questions (which it looks like you did) and portray your love of your subject, it's all good.
On a another note, I can't wait for the letters to be sent out! The waiting is killing me. In all honesty, I'm still kind of shocked that I was even called in for an interview!
Original post by I'm_infires
On a another note, I can't wait for the letters to be sent out! The waiting is killing me. In all honesty, I'm still kind of shocked that I was even called in for an interview!
I haven't really thought about Harris during the half term. I've had so much to do that I just don't have time to think about it 😂 Yeah, I genuinely did not expect an interview. I was talking with my parents the night before the exam about how futile it would be to go because I've had controlled assessments and haven't prepared anything for the exam and my parents told me to go and regardless of the outcome, it's an opportunity and you'll learn someone valuable from this. Then I see I have an email in my inbox and I'm scnanning it to read "we are sorry to inform you" and then I see a date and time and I'm like what?? I don't know, Harris is a never a school I considered because I didn't think I'd get to this stage. What about you, is it a first choice?
Same, it was never really an option for me. I found out about the school and thought I'd apply for the fun of it but when I received an interview, I was shocked. I thought the school had made a mistake and was waiting for another email telling me that I was rejected. Now, I still don't even know if it's a first choice because I don't think I'm going to pass the interview stage. Why would they choose me out of all the 600 people? There are people smart enough to even keep Harris as a second or third choice :P However, if I do get an offer, I would definitely accept because it's an amazing school.
Original post by I'm_infires
Same, it was never really an option for me. I found out about the school and thought I'd apply for the fun of it but when I received an interview, I was shocked. I thought the school had made a mistake and was waiting for another email telling me that I was rejected. Now, I still don't even know if it's a first choice because I don't think I'm going to pass the interview stage. Why would they choose me out of all the 600 people? There are people smart enough to even keep Harris as a second or third choice :P However, if I do get an offer, I would definitely accept because it's an amazing school.


What did you do your exams/interview in, and what are your options? The wait is too long for me, especially as it's my first choice school

Posted from TSR Mobile
The a levels I've chosen are Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics. I did my exams on Maths and Chemistry and my interview also on Maths :smile: What about you?
Original post by I'm_infires
The a levels I've chosen are Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics. I did my exams on Maths and Chemistry and my interview also on Maths :smile: What about you?


Maths, FM, Physics and French, so we have quite similar options :smile: My exams were in Maths and French while my interview was in Maths. My interview went quite well; what did you talk about in yours?

Posted from TSR Mobile
the maths interview was awful for me
she asked me to prove how ax^2+bx+c is equal to the quadratic formula
i had no clue!
Original post by Afsanax
the maths interview was awful for me
she asked me to prove how ax^2+bx+c is equal to the quadratic formula
i had no clue!


I had the same question and did completing the square. I was a lil puzzled too
Thanks for all the support guys! Think I'm gonna wait it out to see if I get accepted (looks like it'll be forever)!
Original post by vashcl
I had the same question and did completing the square. I was a lil puzzled too


I was given some question on logs by Mr Leadbetter (I think...)? Who was your interviewer?
Since I mentioned that I liked trigonometry and had learned how to prove the sin and cosine rule, the teacher asked me to prove 1/2absinC which actually went quite well (I was surprised myself) that it wasn't very hard. Then I had to find what the angle sin theta on a circle on a graph with a radius of 1 was. I figured it out BUT THEN I had to do something that I only recently learned in Further Maths (trigonometric identities I think...? sin^2θ = 1 cos^2θ... yeah safe to say it was mind boggling) and I was so stuck and I felt absolutely stupid (and embarrassed) when he gave me the answer... pythagoras..........

Yeah so I don't know if my interview went well but it seems like he gave me wayyy more questions to solve than many people and I don't know why >. < if he had stopped at the first one he would've been way more impressed 😂
I had my interview in maths today, the first part went quite well but it went the opposite way for the second part where he asked me what is the smallest integer value for y in this equation y=(x^2+22x+333)/11
I found it really hard and couldn't do it there so My interviewer who was Mr Handscombe told me to send him an e-mail. I am really scared I want to go there because it is my first choice and I really appreciate the way they teach.
Anyway good luck for everyone and I hope that we will all get in :biggrin:
Original post by TalhaUnal
I had my interview in maths today, the first part went quite well but it went the opposite way for the second part where he asked me what is the smallest integer value for y in this equation y=(x^2+22x+333)/11
I found it really hard and couldn't do it there so My interviewer who was Mr Handscombe told me to send him an e-mail. I am really scared I want to go there because it is my first choice and I really appreciate the way they teach.
Anyway good luck for everyone and I hope that we will all get in :biggrin:



I would die if I were given any maths questions. 😬. Tough luck, but you never know you may just get in. Better send him the email though!!
Original post by AweysAbdul
I was given some question on logs by Mr Leadbetter (I think...)? Who was your interviewer?


i forgot her name ( think its Stephanie Birch) but basically the one female maths teacher.
(edited 8 years ago)
Does Harris do the Extended Project?
I don't know but I hope they do. I think I want to do it.
Original post by amarocks88
Does Harris do the Extended Project?

They don't, but that's because you will most likely continue with all four of your subjects in Year 13

Quick Reply

Latest