Oxbridge Psychology Interview Preparation Guide
Don’t know what to expect in your Oxford Experimental Psychology or Cambridge Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Interviews?
Oxbridge interviews can seem daunting and hard to prepare for as you never quite know what to expect. However, they are extremely important: some candidates are successful based on interview performance alone.
This is an essential Psychology interview preparation guide, prepared by U2's Psychology tutors, all of whom graduated from either the Oxford or Cambridge Psychology course. We walk you through how to prepare to ensure you stand out and increase your chances of success, as well as a number of tips on how to present yourself, analyse problems, and communicate during the interview itself. (N.B. this guide will also be applicable if you receive an invitation to interview at any of the Top UK Russell Group Universities)
Core components of U2 Tuition's Oxbridge Psychology interview preparation guide:
The first section of the our 27-page guide is dedicated to showing you how to build evidence of wider subject exploration in your Psychology personal statement, and at interview to convey your passion and motivation for the subject. Our Oxbridge Psychology tutors lead you through key course topics, what to read / explore (primary and secondary material), and how to utilise online resources available. Each resource recommendation comes with a thinking task. Note: ideally, this process should start at least a few months before the Oxbridge interviews take place so you have time to explore enough resources / material!
How to prepare for personal-statement based interview questions: your personal statement may be used as a springboard for discussion in at least one of your interviews!
What to expect in your academic interviews, including accounts from two successful Psychology candidates: one Oxford Experimental Psychology, and one Cambridge Psychology and Behavioural Sciences (PBS). Each account will provide insight into the Oxbridge Psychology interview process, and the topics / questions they were asked, including a handful on questions asked on their personal statements
Oxbridge interview preparation tips and core concepts to understand
Longer worked through past Oxbridge interview questions: five in-depth practice interview questions with discussion points and further reading suggestions
Additional past Psychology interview questions: 45 further questions covering topics such as research methodology questions, graphical and article interpretation questions, technical Maths / Science questions to test A-Level subject knowledge and ability, and a handful of general / personal questions (N.B these are the most common types of question asked at Oxbridge interview!)
Final tips for success at interview
Looking for a Psychology or PBS tutor to further direct your independent preparation?
Having a Psychology tutor can present an invaluable learning opportunity - U2 has a wonderful network of Psychology undergraduates, graduates and postgraduates, who would be delighted to host tutorial sessions giving you exposure to some of the key topic areas within the discipline, support personal statement writing, admissions test and interview preparation. We also host mock interview days in November / December. Book a free consultation on our Contact Us page for further details on our offerings and to discuss your university application.