How we select applicants
Competition for places to read Experimental Psychology or Psychology and Philosophy at Oxford is very strong. Each year we receive over 400 applications from very high calibre applicants for approximately 80 places. All applications are considered as a single cohort using the same selection criteria. The number of applicants we are able to invite for an interview is approximately 3 applicants per place.
Short-listing
Normally, to be invited for an interview (short listed) an applicant will need to have a very good track record of academic achievement, excellent A-level grade predictions (or equivalent), a very strong UCAS reference and a good mark in our pre-interview admissions test.
Initially, short-listing applicants is based heavily upon academic performance and the results of the pre-interview admissions test. For example, we would expect students who have taken GCSEs to have excellent grades, i.e. at least 4 A* grades including an A or A* grade at GCSE Mathematics, and obtain an above average mark on our pre-interview admissions test.
In addition, all relevant information presented on the UCAS forms of applicants is carefully reviewed by College Tutors before final short-listing decisions are taken. Any applicants whose individual circumstances, both academic and non-academic, suggest that the academic and pre-interview admissions test performance is likely to underestimate significantly their academic potential are short-listed.
Interviews
The interview is aimed at assessing the candidate's potential for future development and how they will cope with the academic course. All applicants who are interviewed in Oxford will be interviewed at two separate colleges, i.e. their "college of preference" and a second college. This is to ensure that we have two independent interview assessments of every candidate we have interviewed.
Tutors will be looking for the following qualities at interview: Clarity of analysis and presentation of ideas; ability to generate own ideas and proposals; ability to listen and respond to ideas put forward during discussion, and to draw inferences from them; ability to put forward coherent and well thought out proposals and responses.
Decisions
An overall assessment of all candidates is made at a meeting of all Psychology Tutors in the Department of Experimental Psychology. All College Tutors rank all the candidates that they have seen, using the full range of indicators. These are: 1) GCSE's or equivalent; 2) predicted or obtained A-levels or equivalent; 3) the reference from the school; 4) the pre-interview admissions test; 5) the interview; 6) and other relevant information. Final offers are based upon all these factors.
