What’s the key thing that interviewers are looking for?

Interviewers fundamentally want to know whether you’ll be interesting to teach. “Supervisions”, or “tutorials”, are what makes the teaching at Oxbridge unique. A focus on regular, small group teaching is the hallmark of an Oxbridge education. Your interviewers therefore want to know how well you engage with discussion in this kind of setting.
Act interested: they want to see that you’re excited by your subject. Ask questions: demonstrate that you’re open to developing your own understandings. Read broadly around the subject but stake out a niche: if you can evidence in depth knowledge about a specialist area sometimes interviewers will let you lead the conversation. If you don’t always have an answer, don’t worry: humility can be a positive, and stating that you will go away and explore the idea further shows an eagerness that your interviewers will like.

DC
Answered by Daisy C. Oxbridge Preparation tutor

2034 Views

See similar Oxbridge Preparation Mentoring tutors

Related Oxbridge Preparation Mentoring answers

All answers ▸

What do interviewers look for in a candidate?


In interview stage, candidates will often be given two conflicting articles and be asked to evaluate them and explain their thought process. How would you do this?


How do the colleges work at Cambridge / Oxford, and how should I decide which college to apply to?


In order to be a successful leader, is it better to be loved or feared? (example of a question designed to evaluate reasoning skills- TSA/ Ox Philosophy Test style)


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences