Oxbridge Interview / The Oxford interview / History
Oxford History interview: the questions tutors publish and the essay they'll ask about
Three-quarters of applicants are interviewed. You send one argument-driven essay, and tutors may open with 'what would a historian find interesting about the place where you live?'
Updated September 2026Oxford History interviews about 74% of applicants and admits about 23%, with an intake of 215 (three-year average, 2023-25), so most of the selection happens in the interview. There is no admissions test; instead you submit one argument-driven essay on a historical topic of up to 2,000 words, written as normal school work, by 10 November. Oxford says tutors look for intellectual curiosity, a flexible approach to unfamiliar concepts or arguments and enthusiasm for history, that you may be asked to discuss your written work and personal statement, and that you may be given a short passage to read and talk about. Its history tutors have published five questions, from what a historian would find interesting about where you live to what historians cannot find out about the past, and they say prepared scripts 'are always a waste of time'. 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 History practice is a spoken mock in the tutorial style: five questions built on Oxford's published history questions and criteria, one follow-up each, about fifteen minutes, then spoken feedback and a written report. You can paste a line about your submitted essay at setup so one question opens on it. It does not provide an unseen passage.
- 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 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 Oxford-style History interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscriptionHow this interview works
- 1No admissions test. Submit one argument-driven essay on a historical topic, maximum 2,000 words, written as part of normal school work, with a signed certificate, by 10 November 2026. Avoid source commentaries. Choose a piece you are willing to talk about.
- 2Shortlisting: about 74% of applicants are interviewed. Invitations arrive from mid-November to early December.
- 3Interviews are online in December, usually two tutors, often more than one interview. You may be asked to discuss your submitted essay and your personal statement.
- 4You may be given a short passage to read and talk about, before or during the interview.
- 5Tutors look for intellectual curiosity, a flexible approach to unfamiliar concepts and arguments, and enthusiasm for history. One tutor writes that the home-town question lets them 'steer candidates away from prepared scripts'.
- 6Decisions are released on 12 January 2027 via UCAS.
Interview questions
Five questions below are Oxford's own published sample questions, marked (published by Oxford). The rest are Merra practice questions written to Oxford's stated criteria; they are not Oxford's.
“What would a historian find interesting about the place where you live?”
“Is violence always political? Does 'political' mean something different in different contexts?”
“Imagine we had no records about the past at all, except everything to do with sport. How much of the past could we find out about?”
“Which person, or sort of person, in the past would you most like to interview, and why?”
“What can historians not find out about the past?”
“Tell me the argument of the essay you sent us in two sentences. Now tell me the strongest objection to it.”
“Take a period you've studied. If the only sources were written by the losers, how would the story change?”
“What's the last piece of history you read that wasn't set by a teacher, and what did it get wrong?”
Pricing
FAQs
How many applicants does Oxford interview for History?
About 74%, with about 23% successful and an intake of 215 (three-year average 2023-25).
What written work does Oxford History require?
One argument-driven essay on a historical topic, up to 2,000 words, written as normal school work and certified by your school, by 10 November. Extracts from longer work are allowed if they stand alone.
Is there an admissions test for Oxford History?
No written test. The essay and the interview carry the selection.
Will I be asked about my essay?
Oxford says shortlisted applicants may be asked to discuss their submitted written work and personal statement, and may be asked to read and talk about a short passage.
Does Oxford publish history interview questions?
Yes, five, from three different tutors, each with the reasoning behind it.
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 History interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscription