How does Oxford shortlist its applicants for interview?
For instance, you got TSA in late October and the results came in the early January - so how does Oxford decide which students they will interview in December before the candidates obtain an official score?
Reply 1
When you receive the score is NOT when the universities receive the score, same with actual A-Level results
Oxford are also incredibly open about their process, you can find admissions reports for all subjects
Oxford are also incredibly open about their process, you can find admissions reports for all subjects
Reply 2
Original post
by AmIReallyHereWhen you receive the score is NOT when the universities receive the score, same with actual A-Level results
Oxford are also incredibly open about their process, you can find admissions reports for all subjects
Oxford are also incredibly open about their process, you can find admissions reports for all subjects
Then Oxford demands the results of their applicants from Cambridge (as it is the one who administrates the test) before students get the official results, right?
Reply 3
Original post
by criminalyblondeThen Oxford demands the results of their applicants from Cambridge (as it is the one who administrates the test) before students get the official results, right?
Well demands is an interesting word choice but yeah they'll get it before you
Reply 4
Original post
by AmIReallyHereWell demands is an interesting word choice but yeah they'll get it before you
What would you use instead of demand?
Reply 5
It works like this: Oxford uni commissions someone to produce and run admissions tests. It used to be Cambridge Admissions Testing and now it's Pearson Vue (unless it's law or medicine). You take the test, they mark it, and then they make sure all tests have been assessed the same way. They compile the results and give them to Oxford Uni, usually by mid-November. The relevant test results get sent to subject tutors. Different subjects use tests in different ways. Physics and maths (PAT and MAT) use them as part of the process to select applicants for interview. Engineering won't look at the PAT test results until after the interview. Selection for interview is based upon predicted A'level results, PS, teachers ref and any mitigating circumstances in your life, academic history (GCSE results), admissions tests if applicable, written work if applicable and contextual data (where you live). You get the results in January.
Reply 6
The above is correct (though in some subjects it is Oxford tutors who set and mark the test, and the external company simply handles the admin of making sure the test is made available to candidates at the right time and then gets back to the tutors who will mark it).
Reply 7
Original post
by criminalyblondeFor instance, you got TSA in late October and the results came in the early January - so how does Oxford decide which students they will interview in December before the candidates obtain an official score?
The university will have the score because they will mark the papers. After they mark the papers, they will use those scores alongside your personal statement to make a decision on whether you deserve an interview or not. Do well in your interview, and you will likely get an offer. Each interview you take will be scored out of 5 and then you will be compared against other candidates to see how you fared in comparison to them.
Reply 8
Original post
by vnayakThe university will have the score because they will mark the papers. After they mark the papers, they will use those scores alongside your personal statement to make a decision on whether you deserve an interview or not. Do well in your interview, and you will likely get an offer. Each interview you take will be scored out of 5 and then you will be compared against other candidates to see how you fared in comparison to them.
So, how do they assess the interviews? In accordance to their candidate’s prior knowledge of the course?
Reply 9
Original post
by criminalyblondeSo, how do they assess the interviews? In accordance to their candidate’s prior knowledge of the course?
Applicants are not expected to know the contents of the course applied for. Interviewers are looking for teachability. They assess whether an applicant is likely to perform well in tutorials, which are the core of the Oxford teaching system.
Reply 10
Original post
by criminalyblondeSo, how do they assess the interviews? In accordance to their candidate’s prior knowledge of the course?
No university will expect you to have prior knowledge of the course you are going into. What's the point in applying for the course if you already know everything? You achieve nothing out of this. Knowing what will come up in the course will be somewhat useful to you because it shows you've done your research into what will be taught to you if you get in, but this is more for the admissions tutors to understand your motivation for studying said course, and it won't really be taken that much further.
Cambridge employs a 1-5 scoring system for both of your interviews with 5 being the best score, 1 being the worst and the admissions tutors will judge your interviews using this scaling system to determine where you stand in comparison to your fellow students who also received an interview invite. The higher the score across both of your interviews, the better your chance of receiving an offer.
With Oxford, the number of interviews you have is dependent on how you scored in your admissions test in comparison to the rest of your peers who applied to the same course at the same college. If you receive an invite to a single interview, generally it means that you have done very well in your admissions test in comparison to the rest of your peers, and the college is very interested in handing out an offer. If you get two interview invites, you've done reasonably well still (good enough to get an interview), but you haven't done as well as the people who received a single interview invite. You can also get 3 interview invites from 3 colleges, but you've performed just as well as those who have two interviews - it's not that you've done any worse than them. After that, everyone else is rejected. If you have one interview, and it goes well, offer. If you have one interview and it doesn't go quite well, you might be interviewed by another college (maybe put in the pool and then picked up?). If you have two interviews, they're generally done by two different colleges. If you have 3, two are done by the college you've been assigned or you applied to, and the other is done by another college. Oxford also employs a 1-5 scoring system for all of your interviews as well.
I'm not entirely sure about Oxford, but at Cambridge, they have an additional questionnaire called the SAQ where they take a list of the topics that you've been taught recently at school, and then they use this to know what NOT to ask you in terms of what the question directly involves. Let's say for example that I had applied for Maths at Cambridge and I had said that I had recently been taught about quadratic functions on my SAQ. From this, they will not ask a question that directly states a quadratics function (i.e. something that you will likely see at A level Maths), but rather will ask you a question whose underlying topic you've not been taught but is somehow related to quadratics. You don't have to reach the correct answer, but they are just looking at your approach to solving problems and as I've said already, you're not necessarily meant to know.
Notice how I say meant to know. In some cases, people have been extremely lucky and have received topics that they have come across in their preparation. Rather than stating this, what people do here is they act as though they haven't learnt this topic prior to the interview and then "make reasonable assumptions" to get to the correct answer, though you know exactly what is going on.
Your interview time isn't actually that long. You will have one, maybe two, questions just to get you to relax and calm any nerves down(almost like an icebreaker) and then the business end of the interview will begin. To set you in, they'll ask you something a bit simple of something related to your personal statement, just to calm down any nerves, and just so you have that sense of familiarity initially. Your personal statement will be grilled as well so make sure you know it well and you don't fabricate anything you mention on it.
The whole point is the interview tests your teachability and looks at how you will fare in the environment of a supervision, so you can ask questions, because you aren't really meant to know about the topic that they are asking you about. This year, my friend got an interview for Cambridge CS. We hadn't even started Further Maths at that point because my school does A level Maths in year 12 and then Further Maths in year 13 , but in his interview, he got asked about a Further Maths topic, but it was related to what we had learnt in normal A level Maths so he asked a question about it and then understood what to do. He messed up later on and this cost him.
Reply 11
Candidates may or may not be asked about their personal statements. My daughter was not asked about her statement when interviewed last December. Two Law Dons whom I know (at my college, not my daughter's) tell me that they never ask about personal statements.
Reply 12
Original post
by Stiffy ByngCandidates may or may not be asked about their personal statements. My daughter was not asked about her statement when interviewed last December. Two Law Dons whom I know (at my college, not my daughter's) tell me that they never ask about personal statements.
What are the new three questions?
•
Why do you want to study this course or subject?
•
How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
•
What else have you done to prepare outside of formal education, and why are these experiences useful?
(edited 1 year ago)
Reply 13
Original post
by thegeek888From October 2026 UCAS Personal Statements are changing:
What are the new three questions?
However, the length of the UCAS Personal Statement will remain the same at 4,000 characters?! 😧
What are the new three questions?
•
Why do you want to study this course or subject?
•
How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
•
What else have you done to prepare outside of formal education, and why are these experiences useful?
However, the length of the UCAS Personal Statement will remain the same at 4,000 characters?! 😧
I think I actually prefer this system to the standard personal statement if I'm being honest, purely on first glance. Kinda wish we did it this year.
Reply 14
The new system is basically the content that people were often advised to put in an old-style personal statement but explicitly divided up into three sections. So it is really not a big change, but will hopefully help some people stay more on track.
Reply 15
Original post
by vnayakI think I actually prefer this system to the standard personal statement if I'm being honest, purely on first glance. Kinda wish we did it this year.
Students can use the 4,000 character count limit across all answers in any way they choose, and the amount they write for each question can vary depending on their chosen course or experience.
Yes, it is a more equal and fairer system with just 3 question and answer responses. 🙂
The first applicants will be in September 2025.
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Is applying to Oxford CS as a woman a disadvantage
- Medicine at Oxford with low GCSES?
- Oxford Rejection Reason?
- How exactly does Oxford calculate my cGCSE?
- Do I still have a chance at Biomedical Sciences Oxford?
- LNAT 2025 results
- Early LNAT score
- Can I get into Oxbridge medicine?
- medicine at oxford
- Guaranteed Oxford Medicine Interview?
- jardine scholarship for 2025 entry
- PPE interviews
- Oxford for medicine
- Competitiveness of my Biology Application to Oxford
- Oxford MSc Neuroscience 2025-26
- Oxford and International Students
- Oxbridge GCSEs
- bad gcses oxford?
- Do I deserve my Oxford offer?
- Do I have a realistic shot at Oxford PPE as an international?
Latest
Trending
Last reply 2 weeks ago
Oxford University - BA Law degree - OPTIONAL PAPERS!!!Last reply 4 months ago
Is applying for Oxford with mental health issues a bad idea?Last reply 4 months ago
Oxford University - Undergraduate Law degree - UCAS Personal Statement?Last reply 4 months ago
I regret my current university choice, is it too late to drop out?Articles for you
How The Student Room is moderated
To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.
