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Admissions Tests and Interviews at Cambridge and Oxford 2012
Dr Andrew BellTutor for AdmissionsGonville and Caius CollegeUniversity of Cambridge
From sixth-form to university
• no, or very few, re-sits• no bells, few collective timetables• integrating elements in linear courses• formative and summative assessment• learning “the wrong way round”• rapid progress• students do not work to a mark scheme• self-motivation and self-discipline
What do we look for in applicants?
• Very strong exam record, especially in Years 12 and 13
• Excellent school/college reference
• Appropriate choice of subject and course
• Good test performance (BMAT) and high-quality submitted written work (Arts subjects)
• Academic potential, meaning: knowledge and skill; logic and clarity of thought; intellectual flexibility; imagination
Selection criteria
Admissions decisions are based on:
• A level (or equivalent) grades and subject combinations
• AS grades and (Cambridge) unit marks
• GCSE grades
• UCAS personal statement and school/college reference
• Submitted work (where requested)
• Test results (chiefly Oxford)
• Interview performance
Application
• Students apply via UCAS to Oxford OR Cambridge by 15 October
• Cambridge applicants also fill in an online questionnaire after they have submitted their UCAS form; this essentially gathers AS scores
• Many Oxford applicants sit an aptitude test in early November; so do Medics and Vets for Cambridge
• Most applicants choose a College but many take the ‘open’ application route; choice of College has no impact upon likelihood of success
• Typical Oxford offer: mostly AAA (A*A*A Maths)
• Typical Cambridge offer: A*AA or A*AAA
Use of Contextual Data
Both universities use contextual data to help make admissions fairer
So, we look at:
The performance of the applicant’s school or college at GCSE or equivalent level, and the performance of the applicant’s school or college at A-level or equivalent level.
But also at
Whether the applicant come from a low participation neighbourhood (LPN)
Or from an area of relatively low socio-economic position (ACORN information)
Or whether they have spent significant time in care
These allow us to see achievement in context.
A very strong examination record
• We seek students whose academic record places them in approximately the top 3% of the ability range
• Most – though by no means all – successful Cambridge applicants have an AS UMS average (across their best or most relevant three subjects) of comfortably above 90%
• The mean AS average of students receiving offers from a range of Cambridge Colleges in 2010/11 was 94-96%
• There is no minimum required number of A*s at GCSE, though most successful applicants achieved A* in most of their GCSEs
Interviews
• Normally two or more interviews, each usually lasting 20−30 minutes
• Conducted by lecturers and predominantly academic and subject-focused
• Discussion-based and intellectually challenging
• Check the websites for videos and further information
Interviews: what are we looking for?
The last piece in the jigsaw rather than the ‘final hurdle’
• Academic ability and potential to be successful
• Self-motivation, commitment and serious interest in the chosen course
• Ability to think independently and critically
• Use of existing knowledge to assess new problems
No trick questions!
Interviews: what to expect
• Focused and challenging questions
• Applicants are usually asked to talk about:• Academic work completed in the last year or two• Relevant wider reading or work experience• Subject-related issues that are very readily visible in the
wider world• ‘Prompt’ material
• Prompting from interviewers
• Questions to interviewers
Interviews: How to prepare
• Refresh your memory about:
• the course for which you applied
• recent school/college work
• UCAS personal statement
• submitted work
• Wider reading
• Practise discussing academic work and ideas
• Vocational subjects
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