Interview Preparation

University admissions interviews are infamously challenging and require students to showcase their problem-solving ability. Our comprehensive preparation programmes are designed by specialists and tailored for interviews in Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, Physics, and Engineering.

Interview Season
Late November-December
Prerequisite knowledge
See Interview Handbook
Download our comprehensive Interview Handbook
For students, parents, and teachers

About Oxbridge Interviews

Applicants to Oxford and Cambridge are required to attend interviews in late November or December as part of the admissions process. Aside from standard A Level/IB exams, interviews are usually the final hurdle in the admissions process, although Cambridge also requires Mathematics applicants to take STEP in June of Year 13.

A heavy emphasis is placed on creative mathematical problem solving, and interview questions are designed to require students to showcase their style of thought and mathematical flair. Communication is crucial as students must explain their thought process and engage with hints. The questions are designed to challenge even the strongest students, and the interviewer will want to see tenacity and perseverance.

In Mathematics interviews, problems are based on A Level/IB mathematics material, including second year content. The interviewer will be prepared to make adjustments if their question uses ideas a student hasn't yet studied. Applicants for Computer Science, Economics, Physics, and Engineering are also asked mathematical problems, but there may be some subject-specific questions.

Read our Interview Handbook to find out more about common topics or themes in Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering and Physics interviews.

Format and Content
Key Information

Oxbridge Interviews

  • The number and length of interviews will depend on the college, but you should expect to have at least two and they are typically 30-45 minutes long. Most colleges provide this information on their website or on interview invitations.
  • Applicants to Oxford should expect to be interviewed by at least one college in addition to the one they applied to.
  • Some colleges include a short written test, with the student's attempts to be discussed in the interview.
  • Although there may be some questions about interest and motivation, these predominantly serve as ice-breakers and the overwhelming focus of the interview will be problem solving exercises.

Oxford and Cambridge interview all candidates as part of the undergraduate admissions process. Some departments at Imperial College London also ask applicants to attend interviews.

The Vantage Interview Preparation Programme

Interviews can be a particularly daunting aspect of the application process. It can be very difficult to know what to expect, find useful practice questions, and to master all-important interview technique. The Vantage Interview Preparation Programme has been designed in light of hundreds of real interview questions, and equip students with comprehensive preparation for every aspect of the interview. The Vantage Interview Preparation Programme consists of three key elements:

Interview Primer Course

The Interview Primer Course is a course of pre-recorded lessons, designed to prepare students to answer Oxbridge interview questions. The course is available in four different versions, tailored for Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, and Physics and Engineering. It distills data from hundreds of real interviews into a compact course filled with crucial material. Six video lessons, each lasting approximately 90-120 minutes, provide a systematic and thorough introduction to a broad topic that frequently recurs in interviews. Detailed lesson notes are also provided. Each lesson is accompanied by a worksheet of original problems, designed to ensure mastery of the concepts taught in the lesson. There are over 150 original questions in total, with solutions that provide a thorough analysis of each question. The on-demand nature of the course enables students to work at their own pace. Students who study the Interview Primer Course frequently report that many of their interview questions were familiar.

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Interview Question Bank

Past Oxbridge interview questions are not publicly available, and many interview questions listed online are inauthentic in style, so it is difficult for students to practice questions of the right style and difficulty. We have collected a large number of authentic interview questions from a range of Oxford and Cambridge colleges, from Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics and Physics/Engineering interviews. Students on the Vantage Interview Preparation programme gain access to a sunject-specific question bank of 80+ questions, all of which have been asked in Oxbridge interviews in the past three years. The questions have been carefully selected to provide a representative sample of the appropriate difficulty, and good coverage of the main topics that tend to arise. We provide detailed solutions that carefully deconstruct the problems and walk the student through every aspect of the thought process required to solve them. The solutions also place the problems in context, clearly explaining how aspects of the questions could be varied in another problem, and how one might deal with these variations.

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Authentic Mock Interviews

It is essential that interview candidates are experienced at verbally explaining their thought process to difficult maths problems. The Vantage Interview Preparation Programmes includes a mock interview experience, which consists of two 30-minute sessions, each followed by a 15-minute discussion for feedback and coaching in interview technique. Students are asked real interview questions from the past two years, tailored to their choice of university, college, and course. The interviewers are highly qualified members of the Vantage team, many of whom are real Oxbridge interviewers and/or Oxbridge supervisors. Our founding director has coached students who have gained admission to almost every Oxford and Cambridge undergraduate college. We recommend the most suitable interviewers for each student depending on their university and course choice. After each mock interview, students receive a written summary of feedback, including an estimation of score on a scale of 1.0-9.0.

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Enrolment for the Interview Preparation Programme 2024 is open now for launch on 21st October. Interview tuition and mock interviews are also available to book on an ad hoc basis.

£1499
Interview Preparation Programme

Course Summary

Our flagship interview preparation programme equips students with all the skills they need to excel in Oxford and Cambridge interviews. The programme combines taught material with access to a question bank of recent, real Oxbridge interview questions, and an authentic mock interview experience. The programme is available in four versions, tailored to Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, and Physics/Engineering.

Includes:
  • Access to our Interview Primer Course which consists of six video lessons with notes, covering crucial theory.
  • Technical worksheets accompany the Primer Course, comprising over 150 original questions, supplied with detailed solutions. They ensure full mastery of the material from each lesson.
  • Access to an interview question bank of 80+ genuine Oxbridge interview questions, tailored to your course, and complete with detailed solutions.
  • A mock interview experience, consisting of two 30-minute interviews, one with Vantage's founding director and another with a real Cambridge interviewer where possible. Each is followed by 15 minutes of discussion for feedback and coaching.
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£300
Mock Interview Experience

Summary

Students wishing to experience standalone, authentic mock interviews can book a mock interview experience. This is also available as a supplement for students on the main programme, who wish to take extra mock interviews. Our mock interviews enable students to master interview technique and become familiar with common question types.

Includes:
  • Includes two 30-minute mock interviews, one with Vantage's founding director and another with a real Cambridge interviewer, each followed by a 15-minute discussion for feedback and coaching on technique.
  • Each interview is tailored to the course and university the student is applying for and uses real interview questions from the last two years.
  • Hints are given in the same manner as in a real interview, allowing students to practice explaining their thought process to the interviewer and responding wisely to guidance.  
  • Includes an estimation of score (1.0 - 9.0) as well as an outline of areas to improve, to allow students to gauge their progress and target weaknesses.
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From £150
Interview Tuition

Summary

It is helpful to discuss concepts and difficult questions in a less formal environment than a mock interview. Tuition provides an opportunity for students to consolidate strengths through further exploration, and to address weaknesses by covering any doubts that arise. All 1-1 tuition is delivered by expert members of the Vantage team and is never outsourced to undergraduate students.

Includes:
  • 1-1 tuition can be used to address concerns around specific topics, explore alternative methods to questions, and undertake deeper exploration as guided by the student's interests.
  • Tuition can provide a crucial opportunity for students to understand not only how to solve a question, but also why a method they tried didn't work, which can be especially important in areas such as combinatorics.
  • It is also possible to work through interview questions in a less formal style than for a mock interview, with hands-on coaching in both mathematical problem solving and interview technique.
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Book a free consultation with our founding director, Rowan Wright, and:

Discuss your university course choices

Determine the most advantageous admissions test combination for your chosen courses

Formulate a personalised preparation strategy and receive actionable advice

Discuss Vantage course options

Hear from our students

"Rowan from Vantage is the real deal, a rare blend of being a sufficiently brilliant mathematician to have a complete, deep and intuitive grasp on the difficult problems set in admissions tests, but also a great teacher who is able to explain the thought process in a way students can understand. I cannot recommend him highly enough."

Achieved 1 in STEP II and S in STEP III