How can I prepare for interviews?

Oxbridge interviews are very specific. Whilst at other universities, the interviewer would probably like to hear why you want to study the particular subject and why you chose the particular university, and maybe talk about some extra-curricular activities, Oxbridge interviews are more like a verbal form of a test. You will get a problem task and you will have to find a creative way to solve it - this is generally true for any subject, even though the nature of the problem task varies (for example, in Chemistry you would get an equation or a graph, whereas in Music you get a piece of music or a piece of writing on music and you need to analyse it). Oxford and Cambridge are not primarily interested in any extra-curricular activities, although being involved in these will obviously enrich your skills and experiences which might help you with creative ways of problem-solving. You will also not be asked directly why you chose to apply to Oxford or Cambridge, but the interviews are meant to give you a taste of what the tutorial teaching is like, and this is an opportunity for you to see whether you like this style of teaching and to show that you can learn effectively in this kind of learning context.Do not worry about not being able to solve the problems you are given in an interview - the interviewers are not necessarily looking for correct answers but for a creative way of thinking. The problem tasks are mostly based on undergraduate knowledge that you cannot know as yet, but you can show whether you are able to think 'on your feet' and demonstrate how you would go about solving the problem if you had enough knowledge on the subject. Therefore, it is important to talk through the process of your thinking rather than think in silence and then come up with a simple answer - from one answer they will not be able to see your thinking process. Do not worry about saying something embarrassing, interviews are also about showing the courage to reveal your thinking process. Hence, the way to prepare for these interviews is to practice solving some problem tasks in your subject out loud, preferably to a different person who could ask you some difficult questions in the process. Reading widely around your subject will always help you to increase your knowledge at least a bit and might inspire you with more creative ways of thinking.