Successful Oxford and Cambridge University candidates need both great intellect, and great intellectual curiosity. It is not enough merely to be bright: there are many more bright candidates than there are places. The successful candidate needs to demonstrate a deep interest in the subject, and an ability to think through problems and to see connections where they might not have been evident. Hong Kong students have typically been great absorbers and accumulators of knowledge, but have been less skilled at critically evaluating what they have learnt. Cambridge and Oxford University preparation should be undertaken well before the autumn of the interview; interviewers can easily see through pre-prepared answers and rote-learning, so deeper critical thinking skills must be honed throughout the year. Students should be considering the breadth of their reading, and the quality of their critical thinking throughout the year. Contact us to discuss this forward planning and general Oxbridge preparation, particularly in the humanities and law.

The interview is the most daunting – and the most important – part of the Oxbridge selection process. Prepare with simply the best: Kingsgate Education.

The key elements of our interview preparation courses are:

Live / online mock interview

Evaluation of performance

Interview by a successful graduate of the actual process

Now that the student has submitted the personal statement to Oxford or Cambridge there is a need to work on interview skills. The personal statement will play almost no part in the final award of a place – rather, it is brilliance in the interview, awareness, intellectual edge, that are needed to impress a Don to say "I want to take this student". Everyone will have submitted impressive personal statements, but the successful student needs to demonstrate higher-level critical thinking skills to persuade law, economics and PPE Dons to award a place. Courses are all taught by Tim Parkinson who entered Oxford in 1986 to read Law. He successfully went through the rigorous selection procedure, and knows what is demanded, and what is expected. Online interview practice takes place via Skype; personal interview practice can be arranged; an interview workshop is planned for mid-October.

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