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A Common Mistake

Sucedo Ltd. | 8 October 2009

Consider a curious contradiction; Oxbridge candidates attach huge value to achieving a place in Oxbridge, but most of the intelligent candidates arrive poorly informed, poorly prepared, and therefore nervous about what to expect from the interview process.

These clever individuals will be uncertain about the type of questions and the answers expected; they will be uncertain of how, possibly for the first time in their lives, to succeed in the most important assessment so far in their lives. And most will undergo this assessment without dedicated preparation.

Last year, one father offered his son a 5 figure sum of money as an incentive to achieve a place at Cambridge. As if, despite a string of top grades, his father suspected he lacked the motivation to succeed. The applicant did not succeed, but this was neither for want of motivation, nor for want of parental support; in his own words, for the first time in his life he "didn't have a teacher".

With most candidates being of similar calibre, preparation can be the difference between those who succeed in showing their abilities in interviews and those who don't.

Oxbridge coaching, offered by many schools, has improved enormously over recent years (both in the UK and internationally). This is indeed to be encouraged. There is however still a gap between the support that a well-informed school is able to provide (even with Oxbridge-educated teachers) and the support that a bespoke coaching agency, with coaches who are either still at Oxbridge or who have only recently left, is able to provide. Getting expert help from us or someone else who can offer coaching tailored to you and the college, subject, and assessment tests relevant for your application is, surely, better still.

Understanding how the Oxbridge interview process works and having the ability to succeed are not the same thing. The former is, arguably, the easy part. Yet, this year like most, the majority of students will "go it alone". Sucedo offers you Oxbridge application tuition that will prepare you for all aspects of your assessment - a thorough approach to your Oxbridge interviews.