UAS Conference Series 2013/14
How many magpies would it
take to lift an elephant? How
well would YOU do in an
Oxford interview?
Helen Charlesworth and Mike Nicholson
Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach
1 October 2013
14 September 2010
Page 1
How many magpies
would
it take to lift
an elephant?
1 October 2013
Page 2
Why
Interview?
Preparation
On the Day
Grades
achieved
Predicted
grades
Personal
Statement
Tests
Written
work
Interview
questions
Teacher’s
reference
Interview(s)
1 October 2013
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Why
Interview?
Academic
ability
Preparation
On the Day
Interview
questions
Selection
criteria
Academic
potential
Commitment
to study
Enthusiasm
for subject
Independent
thought
Engagement
with new
ideas
1 October 2013
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www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/courses/criteria
Why
Interview?
Preparation
On the Day
Invited for 2-3 days
Two or more interviews
Usually 20-30 minutes
Interview
questions
Interview style:
Entirely academic focus
Discussion based
Intellectually challenging
Combining existing knowledge
with new material
1 October 2013
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Why
Interview?
Types of question
Preparation
Analysis of text, picture or object
On the Day
Interview
questions
Problem solving, abstract concepts
Building on existing knowledge
1 October 2013
Page 6
Maths
Find the last digit of 21000
2
4
8
16
32
64
128
256
512
1024
2048
4096
8192
1 October 2013
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Computer Science
A group of 7 pirates has 100 gold coins. They have to decide
amongst themselves how to divide the treasure.
1. The most senior pirate proposes the division, then all pirates vote.
2. If half or more vote for the division, it stands. If not, the most senior
pirate is thrown overboard and the process starts again.
3. All the pirates are perfectly logical, and entirely ruthless.
What division should the
most senior pirate suggest
to the other six?
1 October 2013
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Politics
Imagine a political system with 5 political parties. After the election no one party
has a majority, so a coalition government must be formed. The table below shows
how many MPs each party has. It also shows where each part is on a Left-Right
scale.
(0 is at the very far left, 100 is at the very far right)
Party
# of MPs
Left/Right
A
31
10
B
7
15
C
13
50
D
31
55
E
17
100
Which government do you think will be formed?
1 October 2013
Page 9
How many uses can you
think of for:
a blanket
a brick
1 October 2013
Page 10
Law
Enemy 1 poisons the water in V's water
bottle. Enemy 2 drills a hole in the same water
bottle so that the contents trickle out. Later, V dies
in the middle of the desert.
Who caused V's death?
1 October 2013
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PPE
Is it wrong to drive through a red light
even when you are certain there are no
other cars or pedestrians in the area?
1 October 2013
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Philosophy
There are two boats on a lake: one has 4
passengers and the other has 2. Both are sinking
quickly. You can only save 1 boat. Which do you
choose to save and why?
1 October 2013
Page 13
Biology
Why do lions have manes?
Ladybirds are red. So are strawberries. Why?
1 October 2013
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Modern Languages
In a world where English is a
global language, why learn French?
1 October 2013
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Psychology
There is a theory that children’s
language development is more advanced between the ages
of 5-6 than it is between the ages 6-7.
How would you design an experiment
to investigate this theory?
1 October 2013
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English Literature
Why might it be useful for an English student
to read the Twilight series?
1 October 2013
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Sciences
How many cups of tea could you make from
an Olympic Swimming Pool?
1 October 2013
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Geography
If I were to visit the area where you live, what
would I be interested in?
1 October 2013
Page 19
Psychology
What is
normal for
humans?
1 October 2013
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Medicine
If you had to cut one entire NHS
department which would it be and
why?
1 October 2013
Page 21
History
Imagine we had no records about the past at
all, except everything to do with sport – how
much of the past could we find out about?
1 October 2013
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For more
information
www.ox.ac.uk/interviews
1 October 2013
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QUESTIONS
1 October 2013
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