Oxbridge Interview / The Oxford interview / Economics and Management
Oxford Economics and Management interview: 18% interviewed, and what happens next
Fewer than one in five applicants reaches the interview and one in twenty gets in. The tutors say it is 'not a test of any economics or management studied previously'.
Updated September 2026Oxford's Economics and Management course interviews only about 18% of applicants and admits about 5%, with an intake of 82 (three-year average, 2023-25), making its shortlist the tightest on this site. All applicants sit the TARA in October (Oxford does not use the Writing Task for this course) and no written work is required. Oxford says it wants applicants with an interest in and motivation for studying how businesses and the economy are organised, a capacity to construct and critically assess arguments, and the willingness and ability to express ideas clearly on paper and orally; successful applicants also show independence and flexibility of thought and logical problem-solving. It is explicit that the interview is not primarily a test of existing knowledge and not a test of any economics or management studied before. The published question from an E&M tutor asks whether bankers deserve their pay and whether government should cap it, and warns against answering on fairness alone. Shortlisted applicants are interviewed online in December, usually by two tutors, often more than once and sometimes by a second college. Oxford calls it 'a short tutorial with someone who knows the subject well'.
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 Oxford E&M practice is a spoken mock in the tutorial style: five questions on argument construction and economic reasoning drawn from Oxford's published questions and criteria, one follow-up each, about fifteen minutes, then spoken feedback and a written report. No diagrams, no data sheets, one interviewer.
- 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 Oxford-style Economics and Management 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 Oxford-style Economics and Management interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscriptionHow this interview works
- 1Sit the TARA on 12-16 October 2026, all three modules; Oxford does not use the Writing Task in selection for this course. No written work is submitted.
- 2Shortlisting: about 18% of applicants are interviewed. Invitations arrive from mid-November to early December.
- 3Interviews are online in December, usually two tutors.
- 4What tutors look for: interest in and motivation for studying the organisation of businesses and the economy; a capacity to construct and critically assess arguments; willingness and ability to express ideas clearly, on paper and orally; independence and flexibility of thought; logical and critical problem-solving.
- 5Oxford says the interview is not primarily a test of existing knowledge and is not a test of economics or management you have studied.
- 6Decisions on 12 January 2027 via UCAS.
Interview questions
Two questions below are Oxford's own published sample questions from its economics tutors, marked (published by Oxford). The rest are Merra practice questions written to the course's stated criteria; they are not Oxford's.
“Do bankers deserve the pay they receive? And should government do something to limit how much they get?”
“Why is income per head between 50 and 100 times larger in the United States than in countries such as Burundi and Malawi?”
“A coffee shop chain doubles its prices and sales fall by a tenth. Was that a good decision? What else would you want to know?”
“'Companies should pay whatever the market rate is for talent.' Attack that sentence, then defend it.”
“Pick a company you know. What is the one decision it made that you think was wrong, and what would you have done?”
“If I told you a business had record profits and was about to collapse, what could explain that?”
“Explain to a 14-year-old why prices rise when everyone has more money.”
“Why economics and management together, rather than economics alone or a business degree?”
Pricing
FAQs
How competitive is Oxford Economics and Management?
About 18% of applicants are interviewed and about 5% are successful, with an intake of 82 (three-year average 2023-25).
Do I need to know economics for the Oxford E&M interview?
Oxford says the interview is not primarily a test of existing knowledge and is not a test of any economics or management studied previously.
What test is required?
The TARA (12-16 October 2026, all three modules), though Oxford does not use the Writing Task in selection for this course. No written work is required.
What are tutors looking for?
Interest and motivation for studying the organisation of businesses and the economy, the capacity to construct and critically assess arguments, clear expression on paper and orally, and flexible, logical problem-solving.
Does Oxford publish E&M interview questions?
Yes: the bankers' pay question, with the tutor's note that the point is to think about the economics of pay rather than whether it is fair.
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 Oxford-style Economics and Management interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscription