how hard do u hv to work at a levels to get into oxbridge

scared that im not smart enough, my GCSEs were decent but not outstanding

i want to go to Oxbridge...how hard do i have to work at a-levels? how many hours a day/week would you say?
how do i get thereeee

scared that im not smart enough, my GCSEs were decent but not outstanding

i want to go to Oxbridge...how hard do i have to work at a-levels? how many hours a day/week would you say?
how do i get thereeee

Which A levels are you doing? GCSEs are important for Oxford, but, for most courses, can be compensated for by other aspects of your application, particularly admissions tests.

It's not about number of hours, it's about how enthusiastic you are about your subject(s), and how much you really think about them. You could spend hours doing past papers, and still struggle with new questions. Spend time (STEM) playing with the questions that you do, trying different approaches and analysing why some might not work. IMO, struggling to truly understand is what builds intelligence, and will enable you to tackle problems that you've never seen before, e.g. interview questions.

What were your gcses?

To be honest, it will be hard to get in if you don't have outstanding gcses, unless you are particularly good at one subject.

Depends on a lot of other things... What course you're doing, your interview score etc. Someone who worked 10 hours a day every day to get straight A*'s but had a poor interview won't get in, but someone with straight A's who worked maybe 2 hours a day but excelled at the interview would easily get a place. But to answer your question, mainly depends on how effective your revision is and what course you're trying to get into.

ah im doing maths phys chem n fm
my gcses were 9999988887

Those are outstanding gcses. I got a place with one more 8 instead of a 7

ahh ok...im quite bad at problem-solving..idk just never been good at it- i give up to quickly ): any tips? also how long should i spend on a problem before looking at the solution?

ah im doing maths phys chem n fm
my gcses were 9999988887

You can become good at problem solving if you spend the time thinking about the problems. You won't if you look at the solution without having really struggled with the problem.

If you can, leave it and come back to it in a day or so. Your brain has a way of thinking about things in the background. Looking at solutions can ruin the usefulness of the question. I always found that really understanding meant that I wouldn't forget how to do a question, whereas looking at a solution made if forgettable.


You should not be worried about your GCSE grades.

Which Oxbridge course(s) are currently of interest?