- Reread the two submitted written-work pieces and mark the claim, evidence and assumptions in each paragraph.
- Choose two personal-statement topics and prepare one limitation and one counterargument for each.
- Build a short reading log across politics and international relations, social anthropology and sociology.
Free Interview Resources
Cambridge HSPS Interview Questions
Free practice questions, preparation advice, and expert insights for HSPS interviews at Cambridge.
1-2 interviews · supervision-styleFormat
Sample Cambridge HSPS Interview Questions
Real HSPS interview questions in the style Cambridge asks. Try answering each one aloud before you reveal the hint.
01Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
02Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
03Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
04Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
05Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
Supervision-style interviews with problem-solving and academic discussion, often with two interviewers.
Cambridge interviews usually happen at your first-choice college. Most applicants have two interviews, with some subjects requiring a third at the pooled college. Cambridge interviews tend to involve two interviewers and may include a written assessment or pre-interview task sent on the day.
20-45 minutes per interview2 interviews at first-choice college, possibly 1 more if pooled
- -Cambridge often sends a pre-reading or stimulus material 20-30 minutes before the interview. Use that time wisely.
- -At Cambridge, you may be given a piece of paper and asked to work through a problem. Write clearly and explain as you go.
- -The supervision system at Cambridge is about collaborative learning, so interviewers want to see if you can be "taught" during the session.
Invitation → Decision: the interview timeline
Interview Invitation
Late Nov
Arrival to Interview
Early Dec
Technical Question
Mid Dec
Decision
Early Jan
Interview Invitation
Late Nov
Arrival to Interview
Early Dec
Technical Question
Mid Dec
Decision
Early Jan
Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
1 questions01
Interpretive Discussion
7 questions01
02
03
04
05
06
07
Evidence & Argument
5 questions01
02
03
04
05
Counterfactual Reasoning
3 questions01
02
03
Personal Statement
4 questions01
02
03
04
Ethical & Political Judgement
3 questions01
02
03
- Practise explaining one argument aloud in two minutes, then answering follow-up questions without notes.
- Use short articles, graphs or extracts to practise separating observation from interpretation.
- Ask a teacher or peer to challenge your definitions of key terms such as democracy, culture, power, inequality and identity.
- Run one mock discussion that uses a short unseen passage or data point.
- Review College instructions, interview format and any practical arrangements for the day.
- Prepare calm first-response habits: define the issue, state what you know, and identify what you need to clarify.
- Reread your annotations rather than trying to add large amounts of new material.
- Keep examples flexible so they can be adapted to politics, anthropology, sociology or international relations questions.
- After each practice answer, ask what evidence would change your mind.
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Cambridge HSPS Interview Videos
Human, Social and Political Sciences (HSPS) explained: a unique course only found at Cambridge
Human, Social, and Political Sciences (HSPS) at Cambridge
Follow Eve through a day in the life of a HSPS student
HSPS Open Day course presentation
Preparing for Interview
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Further Reading
Recommended Resources
Link
Democracy for Realists
Link
Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea
Link
Think Like an Anthropologist
Link
Thinking Sociologically
Link
Black Feminist Thought
Link
Human, Social and Political Sciences (HSPS) explained: a unique course only found at Cambridge
Link
Human, Social, and Political Sciences (HSPS) at Cambridge
Link
Follow Eve through a day in the life of a HSPS student
Link
HSPS Open Day course presentation
Link
Preparing for Interview
Link
Talking Politics
Link
Open Encyclopedia of Anthropology
Link
The Cambridge Anthropology Podcast
Link
HSPS subjects overview
Link
HSPS suggested reading for prospective students
Frequently Asked Questions
Most applicants have 1 or 2 interviews, and the HSPS format is recorded as 1-2 interviews.
Each interview typically lasts 20-30 minutes.
It is likely to inform the discussion, so reread both pieces and prepare to explain the argument, evidence and limits of each one.
Interviews may be online or in person depending on the College assessing the application.
They assess enthusiasm, course fit, wider reading, critical analysis and the ability to use new complex information.
No. For 2027 entry, Hughes Hall, King’s and Newnham ask HSPS applicants to take an assessment, and applicants do not register for those assessments in advance.