Oxbridge interview questions
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will”
Suzy Kassem
There are lots of myths and misconceptions about interviews at Oxford and Cambridge - candidates asked to throw bricks out of windows, being left in ornate rooms for hours, met with stony-eyed, intimidating professors. The reality, thankfully, is much less daunting. Interviews are a chance for tutors to simulate what’s called a “tutorial” at Oxford and a “supervision” at Cambridge- small (often 1:1) teaching sessions with professors. The interview is a chance for candidates to demonstrate passion and thinking. They won’t be expected to recite prepared, articulate, decisive answers but to demonstrate incisive, independent analysis - an ability to respond to new material and to think innovatively on the spot.
We have compiled a list of subject specific questions for both Oxford and Cambridge to help students as they prepare.
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Oxbridge interview questions
Archaeology and Anthropology
What is the difference between History of Art and Archaeology and Anthropology?
Why, might you argue, is excavating battlefields morally unacceptable?
How would you test the material of pots and what are the different dating techniques?
How do you justify the government funding archaeology and anthropology studies?
What is the biggest challenge faced by modern anthropologists?
Architecture
How would you design a classical building?
What are your thoughts on modern developments?
What buildings would you prefer to design?
What do you think are the biggest challenges architects face today?
Who is your favourite architect?
Biochemistry
Describe how DNA is converted to protein
Why do you want to study biochemistry when it is not taught at school?
Why is life carbon based and not silicon based?
Describe polypeptide formation
What happens to aspirin when we dissolve it in water?
Biology
How is the resting potential maintained in an electrically active cell?
Can the Earth be seen as a living organism?
Is genetic mutation good or bad?
What is the general anatomy of the primate brain?
What are the different oxygen affinities that a mountain goat and a foetus has?
Chemistry
How many water molecules are there in a glass of water?
Describe some of the trends across a periodic table and down a group
Explain the bonding in benzene
Why is water used to dilute solutions?
Why can’t you unboil an egg?
Classics
Can a translator ever make their translation completely neutral?
How do languages spread and evolve?
Is the Aeneid pro or anti Roman?
What are the differences between Europides; and Sophocles’ ‘Electra’?
Thoughts on the different portrayals of war and human suffering in the Aeneid and Illiad
Computer Science
What properties would a computer system in an aeroplane need to have?
Who invented the computer?
How small can you make a computer?
Can computers think?
What are the different programming languages and what are their respective advantages?
Economics / Economics and Management
Why are some countries rich and others poor?
Are there any resources that are not scarce?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of privatising the Royal Mail
What was the main cause of the global recession?
Why is economics useful to society?
Engineering
Why do we feel increasing pressure when going deeper underwater?
Why do objects float in water?
Why is aluminium silver and copper brownish?
Derive an equation for the motion of a pendulum
An empty glass with ice cubes at the bottom is filled to the top. The ice then melts: does the water level go up, down or stay the same?
English Literature
What is satire?
Is Austen’s use of direct speech as effective as her use of indirect free speech?
What makes a book be loved and admired by readers?
What is literature?
Which of the books that you are studying do you enjoy the most and which is the text that is freshest in your mind?
Geography
It is widely reported that humans impact the environment, but how does the environment impact humans?
Define culture
How can colonisation be related to globalisation?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of international aid?
How does a geographer’s job differ to that of an economist or a politician?
History
Does historiography eradicate or create myths?
Which sources are best to use?
How do you discriminate between opposing views of modern historians?
Do we ever learn from the past?
Can history stop the next war?
History of Art
What is the definition of aesthetic?
Would taxidermy be considered art?
What is art?
What work of art would you most like to own?
How much can colour tell you about the social context of the painting?
Law
Do we have a moral obligation to obey the law and on what grounds is this obligation founded?
Discuss a legal issue that has been in the news recently?
How would you reform the prison system?
What justifications would you put forward for depriving a person of their liberty?
Mathematics
n has 4 distinct divisors, including 1 and itself. the sum of the divisors = 80. Find n.
Sketch y = x^5 - x^3. Hence sketch y^2 = x^5 - x^3
A moving ball hits a stationary one and collides elastically, the resultant speeds are equal. Find the ratio of masses.
There are three pairs of shoes. When looking at one pair I have 1/3 chance to choose that pair and 1/3 chance to start looking at each of the others. If I start looking at pair A what is the chance that I will eventually pick it?
The numbers 3,5,7 are three consecutive odd numbers which are all prime. How many other such three consecutive odd numbers are there that are all prime. Prove it.
Medicine
How does dialysis work?
What is epigenetics and is it important?
What are the two most important scientific discoveries in medicine?
What is so special about the structure of DNA?
Discuss a medical ethics issue of your choice
Modern Languages
What is the difference between a philosophical novel and a philosophy essay?
What is the role of the translator?
What determines how easy it is to learn a language?
In what ways does language define our culture and identity?
How do accents arise?
Oriental Studies
What is the relationship between historical and modern events in the Middle East?
How do you perceive the Middle East and their literature?
What are the challenges China faces in the coming years?
PPE
Who should pay for climate change?
What is globalisation and how would you measure it?
If you had to destroy the Sistine Chapel or the Grand Canyon which would you choose and why?
What does logic mean to you?
What is democracy?
Philosophy
What is an explanation?
To what extent should we have surveillance and where should the line be drawn between public and private domains?
What is the philosophy of memory and what conditions are necessary to remeber anything?
Are there any decisions in a democratic society that you believe should not be made by vote?
What areas within philosophy are you interested in?
Physics
Sketch the graph of exp (1/x)
What velocity do you need to start off with to make a complete loop of a rollercoaster
Why are soap bubbles spherical?
Why do we feel pressure?
Why does a helium balloon rise in the atmosphere?
Veterinary Science
What is the role of the vet in society?
What do you understand about the responsibility of the vet for human health?
Explain the procedure of embryo implantation?
What kind of qualities does a vet need?
Describe an animal case that interests you.