Oxbridge Interview / The Cambridge interview / History
Cambridge History interview: two essays, then a conversation about how you think about the past
Four applicants per place, two essays sent ahead, and a December conversation where your own written argument is the most likely starting point.
Updated September 2026Cambridge History had 4 applications per place in the 2025 cycle and accepted 172. You submit two pieces of written work at every college except Sidney Sussex, which asks for one; Hughes Hall and St Edmund's set an admission assessment after shortlisting. Cambridge describes the course as very broad, letting you study many subjects, experiment with different historical approaches and explore the interaction of history with politics, anthropology and sociology. Interviews are run by the college assessing you: main period 7 to 18 December 2026, online or in person depending on the college, most applicants having one or two interviews totalling 35 minutes to an hour with two or three interviewers. Cambridge says it assesses your understanding of the subject, readiness for high-level study, critical and independent thinking, curiosity and enthusiasm. For History, Cambridge says interviewers may ask about recent topics from school or your personal statement, and your submitted essays are the obvious material.
Merra is not affiliated with the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, any college or UCAS.
Merra: practise it out loud before it counts
Merra's Cambridge History practice is a spoken mock in the college-interview style: five questions, one follow-up each, about fifteen minutes, then spoken feedback and a written report. Add a line about your submitted essays at setup so one question opens on them. No pre-reading.
- 1Sign up free — no card, 2 free coaching sessions available until used.
- 2Practise out loud — answer unseen discussion questions with an AI tutor.
- 3Get readiness feedback — see how you reasoned and how you handled the push, with a recording and transcript.
No card details required. Your first 2 coaching sessions are free.
Practise an Cambridge-style History interview
An AI tutor asks an unseen discussion question out loud, pushes once with a follow-up, then moves on — the same shape as the real thing, minus the science problems on paper.
Practise an Cambridge-style History interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscriptionHow this interview works
- 1Submit two pieces of written work (one if applying to Sidney Sussex). Hughes Hall and St Edmund's set an admission assessment after shortlisting.
- 2Invitations mostly in November. Main interview period 7 to 18 December 2026; winter pool mid to late January. Online or in person by college.
- 3One or two interviews totalling 35 minutes to an hour, with two or three interviewers. Some colleges give you material to read beforehand.
- 4Expect questions on your submitted essays, your personal statement, key issues or developments in history, and on applying historical thinking to unfamiliar material.
- 5Cambridge assesses understanding of the subject, readiness for high-level study, critical and independent thinking, curiosity and enthusiasm.
- 6Outcomes 27 January 2027.
Interview questions
Cambridge does not publish interview questions for this course. The questions below are Merra practice questions written to the course as Cambridge describes it and to what Cambridge says interviews assess; they are not Cambridge's.
“Summarise the argument of one essay you sent. Now tell me what a historian from a different school of thought would say about it.”
“Is history about what happened or about why we tell it the way we do? Give me an example where those differ.”
“What could an anthropologist tell a historian about a period you've studied?”
“If the only surviving evidence about our time were adverts, what would future historians get wrong?”
“What's a historical debate you've followed where you think both sides are missing something?”
“Can you write a history of ordinary people if they left no records? How?”
“What period do you know least about and would most like to study, and why?”
“Why a broad history course rather than a specialised one?”
Pricing
FAQs
How competitive is Cambridge History?
In the 2025 cycle there were 4 applications per place and 172 students were accepted.
What written work does Cambridge History require?
Two pieces at all colleges except Sidney Sussex, which asks for one.
Is there an admission assessment for History?
At Hughes Hall and St Edmund's, taken after shortlisting. Not at other colleges.
When is the Cambridge history interview?
Main period 7 to 18 December 2026, usually one or two interviews totalling 35 minutes to an hour, online or in person depending on the college.
What will I be asked?
Cambridge says interviews may cover why you chose the course, key issues in the subject, recent topics from school or your personal statement, and applying your knowledge to new material.
Official information
For the official course page and admissions details.
More Oxbridge interview guides
Merra is not affiliated with the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, any college or UCAS. Merra’s feedback is advisory only — it is not a guarantee of any offer or admission outcome.
The Oxbridge interview is spoken. Practise it that way.
Your first mock takes about 15 minutes: an unseen question, a follow-up, and feedback on how you reasoned. Free, no card.
Practise an Cambridge-style History interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscription