MML "Test at Interview"

Hi.

I'm applying to study post A-Level German and ab-initio Russian to Sidney Sussex College for 2008.

I understand that part of the assessment will be based on a "Test at Interview." Does anybody know exactly what this involves?

I have read that this would mean being given a relatively obscure text in English and having to summarise it in German, but I can't remember if the source of this information was reliable or not.

Thank you very much in advance.

Reply 1

Happiness

1

http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/prospectus/undergrad/applying/test.html

Reply 2

D-503

1

Yeah it's that, the one I got was much harder than the sample in my opinion, but make sure your grammar is good.

Reply 3

Duck and Cover

15

Yeah thats sort of what it is....I got asked a question to write an answer in German, which was basically a summary, and then I had to answer a question in English as well - which for me seemed worse because it would probably focus on content!! But don't worry about it whatsoever, I wrote a load of CRAP, seriously, and I got an offer - the interview is much more important :smile:

Reply 4

TheThief

I agree with Duck and Cover, the interview is much more important, but I did look over a bit of grammar before the test so that, even though I also wrote a load of rubbish, it was at least mostly grammatically correct.

I ended up writing a rant/essay on how milkmen are a British institution. I spent a paragraph going into detail about the glowing brilliance of their white coats. I know.

And I got an offer. Take from that what you will. :biggrin:

Reply 5

NickEM

OP

Thanks for your replies! The link was very useful indeed!

TheThief- I think the fact that you could write about how milkmen are a British institution in Spanish is reason enough for you to be accepted!

Reply 6

TheThief

Oh. That part wasn't in Spanish. *looks slightly deranged*

Reply 7

elin89

6

Pechorin I must have had a different text to you, even though same college and subject, I can't remember exactly what it was, but I know it had some kind of animal in it, because I couldn't remember the word....
and isn't the phrase "le Moyen Age" (although the A in âge should have a circumflex, but I don't know how to do accents on capitals..) so your "average period" is right. unless you used période

Reply 8

elin89

6

ignore last bit about same college, my mistake! that would explain the different tests.
I remember now, mine was about monkeys and art, though I didn't kow the word for monkey in either language (Frencha nd Russian) so wrote "chimpanzee" and hoped it would be the same but with a French accent!!

Reply 9

lingolicious

Oh the text about monkeys, that was a bit odd! Luckily I remembered the word in Spanish though not French. I think as it was such a strange question they just wanted to see what we came up with and how inventive we were in the language as it was likely we wouldn't know many of the words we needed.
I think the test is probably useful for them to take into account how you can write in your language under pressure and in a short space of time but not the be all and end all.

Reply 10

elin89

6

lingolicious

Oh the text about monkeys, that was a bit odd! Luckily I remembered the word in Spanish though not French. I think as it was such a strange question they just wanted to see what we came up with and how inventive we were in the language as it was likely we wouldn't know many of the words we needed.
I think the test is probably useful for them to take into account how you can write in your language under pressure and in a short space of time but not the be all and end all.

I agree, I think the interview is the main part, because how you think is very important, the written test is to make sure that a)you can write b)you have some grasp of grammar and c)to see how you respond to something out of your normal comfort zone (a bit like the interview really)

Reply 11

NickEM

OP

Oh, well that's cleared it up quite well I think, thanks for that!

Just one question though- how much did you write? I'm guessing that they would prefer you didn't write page after page. I usually end up doing that, and it ends up as pages and pages of repeating the same old crap! :wink:

Reply 12

jonnythemoose

15

Dear Lord, that text looks horrible! I'd struggle to translate that effectively! :redface:

Reply 13

lingolicious

NickEM

Oh, well that's cleared it up quite well I think, thanks for that!

Just one question though- how much did you write? I'm guessing that they would prefer you didn't write page after page. I usually end up doing that, and it ends up as pages and pages of repeating the same old crap! :wink:

They'll give you a word limit on the test. I can't remember how much it was now. About 250 words maybe? So you have to be fairly concise!