Each year 20,000 potential undergraduates apply to Oxbridge but only 6,000 are chosen. This book is a practical guide, giving step by step advice about how to master Oxbridge entrance. It is essential reading for sixth formers considering applying and for the teachers who advise them. The authors are uniquely placed to write this book. They combine an insider’s view of the admissions process with an intimate knowledge of the sixth form applicants’ experiences.

Dr Reg North B.A., D.Phil., PGCE is a Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Ulster and is a governor of a large grammar school. He has had twenty long years of experience teaching in secondary education and has prepared many students for Oxbridge entrance.

Dr Peter North M.A. (Cantab.) D.Phil. is a graduate of Cambridge and a senior researcher at the Institute for Terrestrial Ecology. He has authored numerous articles in the international scientific literature.

Dr Geoff Moggridge M.A. (Cantab.) Ph.D. is a Lecturer at the University of Cambridge and has interviewed candidates for admission to King’s College every year since 1992, where he is a Director of Studies and Tutor.

The authors wish to help widen access to Oxbridge. The admissions procedure often seems obscure and intimidating to many prospective candidates, particularly those from schools unfamiliar with Oxbridge entrance. We aim to level the playing field by opening up the selection process, and making available the best advice on how to succeed to all those who read our book.

Our book takes you through the entire process from how to choose your college and fill in your application form to best effect, to succeeding in the selection tests and interviews themselves. We include and analyse case studies from a range of subjects. These case studies are drawn from the experiences of recent applicants and provide the reader with detailed insights into the selection process. To help you prepare, we have included exercises that assist you to work out a personal strategy. We have also provided a wide range of typical interview questions that cover all subjects available.

We are deeply indebted for the generosity of the many sixth form students, Oxbridge graduates, teachers and lecturers who have helped us through their contributions to the book and their assistance in its trials. We hope that this book is of assistance to you and wish you success.