Oxbridge Interview Preparation Resources

Good resources for Oxbridge interview preparation are difficult to find. Solving interview questions is an entirely different experience from answering A level questions, so many sample questions found online do not reflect the difficulty or style of real interview questions. Students seeking freely available resources might consider some of these recommendations.

This article is relevant to all mathematical subjects, including Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering and Physics. Interviews in all of these subjects will emphasise mathematical problem solving, though Economics and Computer Science applicants might also expect some more subject-specific questions. To learn more about this, read ‘What should I revise for my Oxbridge interview?’. It is important to remember that solving a mathematics problem on paper is very different from explaining your reasoning aloud to a panel of interviewers. While using any of these recommended resources, practise explaining your reasoning verbally, either to yourself, a mathematically inclined friend, or a teacher.

These resources may also be useful for applicants to the Department of Engineering at Imperial and Imperial College Business School, as both routinely interview candidates.
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Admissions Test Questions

If you don't have access to specially designed interview resources, any challenging mathematics problems will be useful when preparing for interviews. Students who prepared thoroughly for October admissions tests(e.g. TMUA, ESAT, MAT, PAT) may have already completed the past papers, but could focus on any incomplete questions or past papers from other relevant exams.

Students applying for Engineering or Physics could practise PAT questions, particularly the later/Section B questions requiring long answers. Mechanics questions from STEP 2 will also be useful, as will NSAA Section 2 questions, which require long answers on the 2016-2019 papers. Students applying for Computer Science would benefit from studying MAT long answer questions, if they haven’t already, particularly those answered only by Computer Science applicants (Q6 and 7 on 2007-2022 papers; Q5 and 6 on the 2023 paper). Mathematics applicants might like to try questions from STEP 1 or STEP 2.

The Advanced Extension Award (AEA) is a 3-hour exam based on the pure mathematics syllabus of A Level Mathematics (it does not require knowledge of Further Mathematics A Level). It used to be accepted by some universities as a mathematics admissions test, but most universities favour the TMUA or MAT now. AEA papers may be useful in preparing for interviews, and four years of past papers and mark schemes are available on the Pearson website.

Admissions test resources are linked below:

• STEP 1
• STEP 2
• NSAA Section 2
• MAT
• PAT
• TMUA
• AEA
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Olympiad Questions

Problems from the British Mathematical Olympiad (BMO) are also useful. BMO Round 1 is a 3.5-hour paper consisting of six problems. The first question is designed to be more accessible than the rest. Papers from 1973-2023 are available here, with free video solutions available for the 2005 paper onwards (click here).
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TBO’s Problem Solving Booklet

TBO’s Problem Solving Booklet, written by Mr. T Bowler, is a booklet of 151 questions, designed to help students prepare for the university admissions process in mathematics. The booklet can be downloaded using this link, and brief solutions are provided here.
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Oxford Sample Questions

Oxford provides a very small sample of interview questions on their website. There are only one or two questions per subject, but an explanation written by the interviewer is provided describing how they would ask the question, break it down into stages, or alter it if a student is struggling. Follow this link and click on the 'Sample Questions' tab.
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Recommended Books

These books are relatively affordable for most students and may be available to borrow from public or school libraries. Professor Povey’s Perplexing Problems (2015) by Thomas Povey, and Algorithmic Puzzles (2011) by Anany Levitin and Maria Levitin both provide mathematical problems with guided solutions, interspersed with some instructional sections. Both books provide a good starting point for interview preparation.
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All of the recommended resources above can be accessed for free or purchased for relatively inexpensive sum. The quality of the resources reflects this: they are not specifically designed for interview so the style is often inauthentic. To access the most authentic resources, enrol on our Interview Preparation Programme. Students begin by studying a subject-specific Interview Primer Course, which provides a systematic introduction to the most common topics and themes that arise in interview questions. This is followed by an interview question bank of 80-100 real interview questions, all of which have been asked in Oxbridge interviews in the past three years. Students also take two mock interviews with real Oxbridge interviewers to hone their interview technique. Book a free consultation with our founding director, Rowan Wright, to find out more about our interview services.