Philosophy, Politics and Economics interviews
Thank you for applying to Oxford to study PPE.
At Hertford, you’ll have three separate interviews, one for each of the three subjects which make up the course. Each interview will last around 20 minutes, meaning that if you have two interviews scheduled concurrently (e.g. 10am and 10:30am) there will be time for you to change over in between.
Philosophy
Before your Philosophy interview you will be given some pre-reading consisting of four or five short questions. These may concern puzzles (e.g. apparent paradoxes), arguments (e.g. asking you to assess whether the logic is correct), or imaginary scenarios to think about (e.g. raising some moral issue). Sometimes there will be a right answer, but mostly we prefer to choose problems to which a number of different approaches may be equally reasonable. So this pre-reading is not a ‘test’, and we won’t be giving a mark to your responses to the questions. Rather, its point is to introduce you to topics which we can then discuss in the interview, thus enabling us to cover much more in the limited time available.
The interview will focus mainly on the pre-reading topics, though we might also invite you to discuss something on your personal statement. What we’re looking for is the ability to understand a problem, think carefully and logically about it, explain your thoughts, and respond intelligently to considerations for and against. Whatever view you take, we will raise objections, so don’t take this as a sign that you have made a mistake! Be prepared to argue in defence of your position, but also willing to change position if your realise that it has become indefensible.
Politics
In Politics, we are likely to ask a variety of questions. We may give you a brief statement to comment on and, for example, ask whether you agree or disagree with it and why. Be ready to be challenged on your views; remember that, more often than not there will be no right answer. You may also be given some ‘puzzle questions’ or be asked to consider a few political scenarios. We would like to see how you think such puzzles through. Be prepared to explain your reasoning.
Economics
In Economics, we’re also likely to ask one or more ‘puzzle questions’ – these are supposed to be puzzling! We’re not expecting you to get the right answer immediately. Instead we’d like to see how you think it through, so please tell us your thoughts, and don’t try to do it only in your head! We often provide hints as you do this. This doesn’t mean you’re doing badly – it’s a way for us to see how it would go for us to teach you. And don’t worry if you only get one such question: this doesn’t mean you did it particularly slowly. We know that some of our questions are longer than others, so we probably didn’t expect to ask more than one.
Technology
You will need a device with access to Microsoft Teams, a microphone and webcam to take part in the interviews. We also recommend that you have access to an online Miro Whiteboard (www.miro.com). This can be accessed via a web browser or app on either the same device used for Microsoft Teams or via a separate device. If you anticipate having any issues with using Miro, please contact our Admissions Office and we will work with you to find an alternative.
You’ll receive an email link to access the Miro whiteboard that will be used in your interview. Interviewers may post documents onto the Miro whiteboard during the interview and/or use it write out mathematical notation, draw sketches or annotate diagrams. Candidates may be asked to use the Miro whiteboard to add basic markings or text to an image or document using the ‘draw’ or ‘text’ tools (using either a touchscreen or the cursor on a laptop/computer). You will not be asked to write out complex mathematical notation.
You can create a free account to practise using the technology in advance of the interview at www.miro.com. During the registration process, Miro asks for a company name and role – enter your full name instead and click the option ‘not company-related’ for your role.
Take a look at our Online Interviews Technology page to find out more and watch an introductory video. If you have any questions or concerns about the technology set-up, you should email undergraduate.admissions@hertford.ox.ac.uk and we’ll do our best to help.