Free Interview Resources
Free practice questions, preparation advice, and expert insights for Philosophy and Modern Languages interviews at Oxford.
Real Philosophy and Modern Languages interview questions in the style Oxford asks. Try answering each one aloud before you reveal the hint.
What makes a novel or play political?
Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
Should poetry be difficult to understand?
Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
What makes a short story different from a novel?
Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
What do we lose if we only read a foreign work of literature in translation?
Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
What do you think Voltaire meant by 'Il faut cultiver notre jardin'?
Close-Reading & Passage Analysis
Tutorial-style interviews with subject-specific problems, often involving unfamiliar material.
Oxford interviews typically take place at the college you applied to. You will usually have two or three interviews of around 20-30 minutes each, sometimes at different colleges if you are pooled. The atmosphere is meant to resemble a tutorial: the interviewer gives you a problem and watches how you reason through it.
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
What is language?
If an author denies that their work is political but critics assert that it is, is it purely a question of subjective interpretation?
Should we study the swear words of any foreign language we study?
What is the difference between Chinese whispers and translation?
What is the link between art and reality?
What is your opinion on ambiguity?
What makes a language modern?
To what extent does a country's culture dictate a language's vocabulary?
What determines how easy a language is to learn?
What difficulties do Europeans have with English? What about speakers of Asian languages?
What is an accent? How do they arise?
Why do some languages have so many tenses yet others manage with very little grammar?
What if we said that all art is, in fact, political?
What causes a language to evolve? Can this be stopped? How?
In a world where English is a global language, why learn French?
What is your favourite dictionary?
What is your favourite word?
What was the most recent film you saw?
Who is your favourite author? Which of their other works have you read?
I agree that air transport contributes to harmful climate change. But whether or not I make a given plane journey, the plane will fly anyway. So there is no moral reason for me not to travel by plane. Is this a convincing argument?
What exactly do you think is involved in blaming someone?
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Book Mock Interview →Watch & Learn
A college-level mock interview that shows the feel of a Modern Languages discussion.
Official Oxford demonstration of a Modern Languages interview format and expectations.
Course-specific overview for understanding how the two sides of the degree fit together.
Helps applicants understand what tutors are trying to observe in interview conversation.
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Further Reading
by Simon Blackburn
Oxford's supercurricular hub recommends it as an introductory philosophy text; it is useful for practising abstract argument and conceptual precision.
by Thomas Nagel
A concise route into classic philosophical problems that can generate interview-style discussion.
by David Bellos
Directly relevant to language, meaning and translation questions commonly used in Modern Languages interviews.
by Bertrand Russell
A classic introduction to knowledge, appearance, reality and philosophical method.
by Peter France
Useful for applicants interested in how translation choices shape reception of literary works.
by University of Oxford
The canonical source for entry requirements, course structure, interview status and current admissions requirements.
by Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, University of Oxford
Explains the Modern Languages admissions process, interview content and preparation priorities.
by University of Oxford
Provides official sample questions and tutor commentary for Modern Languages and Philosophy-style questions.
by University of Oxford
Useful for finding accessible resources and understanding how to reflect on supercurricular study.
by David Edmonds and Nigel Warburton
Short interviews that expose applicants to live philosophical argument across many topics.