Oxford sample interview questions and suggested answers

'Tell me what this rock looks like': Oxford University reveals series of notoriously hard interview questions and advises students to give the 'obvious answer' rather than trying to look smart by answering quickly

•  The University of Oxford has released a list of sample questions and answers
•  How you listen to music and what a rock looks like are included in the list
•  The release of the list is designed to help aspiring students with the process
• Getting the answer right in the shortest possible time is what most students preparing to be grilled for a place at Oxford University dream about. 
  But the university's admissions service has now advised that taking your time in an interview and making obvious assertions is much more likely to be successful.   
  The University of Oxford has also released a set of sample interview questions to help candidates prepare for the notorious and obscure interview process.      
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• Candidates applying for an earth sciences course could be shown a picture of a rock and asked to explain what it looks like.
  Those wanting to study music could be asked about the different ways they listen to their favourite tunes - and potential history students could be quizzed on what historians cannot know about the past. 
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• Oxford's director of admissions, Samina Khan, advises candidates not to be afraid to give the most obvious answer first.     
  'Solving the problem quickly is less important than showing how you use information and analysis to get there.   
• 'We want to underscore that every question asked by our tutors has a purpose and that purpose is to assess how students think about their subject and respond to new information or unfamiliar ideas. 
  'No matter what kind of educational background or opportunities you have had, the interview should be an opportunity to present your interest and ability in your chosen subject.   
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• Oxford sample interview questions and suggested answers:

  
  Q: Tell me what this rock looks like.  

  A:  When describing the rock, we want candidates to organise their observations, so they have some structure. For example, the rock is made of crystals, some of which have well-defined shapes. 

  The crystals vary in colour and size, and probably represent different chemical compositions (different minerals). The smaller types of crystals generally have less well-defined edges.

  
  

  Q: What can historians not find out about the past?

  A:  A candidate might start off by saying that they had been studying Tudor England and historians don't know much about the lives of the poor because they were less likely to be able to write. 

  Given these lower levels of literacy, we could then talk about what sources historians can use to learn about the lives of the majority of the population in sixteenth-century England.

  
  

  Q: What are the different ways in which you listen to music?  

  A: Expect to discuss whether particular types of music suit being listened to in particular ways; whether listening on headphones changes the way you experience what's going around you; and what makes some soundtracks better than others.   

  
  

   Q: How can we estimate the mass of the atmosphere?

  A: We look to see if there are ways of simplifying the problem: for example, could you treat the Earth and atmosphere as a sphere slightly larger than the Earth and subtract the volume of the Earth from the larger sphere to get a volume for the atmosphere?  

  
  

   Q: Is religion of value whether or not there is a God? 

   A: It raises a number of issues for candidates to explore. What is our definition of religion, and how fluid is that definition? What do we mean by value, and how might it be measured? Are the effects of religion in the past as important as its consequences in the present?  

  
  

  Q: How many different molecules can be made from six carbon atoms and twelve hydrogen atoms? 

  Most candidates would start by drawing some molecules to construct some that satisfy the requirement of six carbons and twelve hydrogens. If the candidate gets stuck, the interviewer may ask them to explain how many bonds they'd expect each carbon and each hydrogen to form.   

  
  

  Q: The viruses that infect us are totally dependent on human cells for their reproduction; is it therefore surprising that viruses cause human diseases? 

  Strong candidates will engage with the paradox that viruses need us for their own reproduction, and yet cause us damage. They might point out that some of our responses to viral infection (such as sneezing) favour the spread of the virus. 
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• 'Most commonly tutors will provide candidates with material to prompt discussion – for example a piece of text, an image, or a sample experiment whose results they are asked to consider.'
  Roger Benson of St Edmund Hall said that candidates who are asked to describe what a rock looks like are tested to see if they can make accurate observations.
  'When describing the rock, we want candidates to organise their observations, so they have some structure,' he said.
  'For example, the rock is made of crystals, some of which have well-defined shapes. The crystals vary in colour and size, and probably represent different chemical compositions (different minerals).'
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• Laura Tunbridge, from St Catherine’s College, explained why a music candidate might be asked to explain the different ways they listen to music.

  'The question allows students to use their own musical experiences as a starting point for a broader and more abstract discussion about the different ways people consume music, the relationship between music and technology, and how music can define us socially.'

  'We tend in Western Europe to be silent in concert halls: why might that be and what is the effect? Does it encourage a certain kind of attentiveness and respect? Might it put some people off?'

  The questions were released the day after the deadline for applications for next year’s enrolment to the university closed.
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• Daily Mail