Oxford University releases annual sample of interview questions

DO you have what it takes to get into Oxford? The prestigious uni has released its bizarre interview questions and answers it wants.

DO you have what it takes to get into Oxford University?

The prestigious institution has released its annual sample of interview questions in an attempt to demystify its admissions process, The Mirror reports.

This year they include gems such as “do bankers deserve their bonuses” and “can archaeology prove or disprove the Bible?”

Other questions included “why is there a link between sugar and urine?”

Oxford’s director of admissions Samina Khan described the interview process as a “an academic conversation”.

Finance ... should bankers have their bonuses capped?

The Oxford questions

Q: Do bankers deserve their pay and should the government should take any action to limit how much they receive?

Interviewer: “A simple answer might be that since banks are generally private firms and workers are free to work where they wish, then the pay they receive is just the outcome of a competitive labour market.

“In this story, bankers earn a lot because they are very skilled and have rare talents. It is hard to see a reason for government intervention in this case.

“The key point about this question is trying to get candidates to think about the economics of pay rather than just whether they think it is fair or not.”

Real or false ... candidates may be asked their thoughts on the Bible.

Can archaeology prove or disprove the Bible?

Interviewer: “I would be looking for an answer that showed the candidate could appreciate the Bible was a collection of documents written and transmitted over several centuries, and containing important traditions that have a bearing on history.

“But academic study of the Bible means it has to be examined carefully to see when and where these traditions had come from and for what purpose they had been written.”

Q: Why is income per head between 50 and 100 times larger in the United States than in countries such as Burundi and Malawi?

Interviewer: “The question is focused on perhaps the most important economic question there is: why are some countries rich and some countries poor? As with most economics questions, there is no simple or unique answer. Candidates need to think about all the potential reasons why such income gaps exist.”

Biomedical science ... one of the interview questions asks if sugar in the urine is linked to diabetes.

Q: Why is sugar in your urine a good indicator that you might have diabetes?

Interviewer: “This question builds on general knowledge and material studied at school in biology and chemistry to assess how students approach a clinically-relevant problem. It’s commonly known that diabetes is associated with sugar (glucose) in the urine; this question asks students to think about why this occurs.”

Q: Place a 30cm ruler on top of one finger from each hand. What happens when you bring your fingers together?

Interviewer: This would never be the opening question in an interview — we usually start with a first question that gives the candidate an opportunity to get comfortable by discussing something familiar. This question would come later in the interview, when we present candidates with an unfamiliar scenario and ask them to use what they know about familiar concepts (such as friction) to explain something.