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Original poster

Oxbridge 2024 Entry Part 2

973 replies

Lightsabre · 12/09/2023 22:43

Continuation thread (when old one is full) for those supporting dc through Oxbridge applications. All welcome as we enter the next phase.

OP posts:
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6
DSandDD · 20/10/2023 11:16

He reckons it went OK. The LAT part he was happy with The navigation back and forwards was a bit glitchy. Apparently he forgot the word for 'drawing', which is the easiest word ever!

stoneysongs · 20/10/2023 11:37

MirandaWest · 20/10/2023 10:00

And still another week after this until half term here!

Us too Miranda, are you in Wales?

badger2005 · 20/10/2023 11:40

Anyone's dc sit the PAT today?

mushroom3 · 20/10/2023 11:43

For those who had a mucked up MAT yesterday, It's the special consideration form rather than the extenuating circumstances form that needs to be filled in.The special circumstances form is on the Centre's portal.

Mamiormod · 20/10/2023 11:44

Yes DD just phoned me about the PAT and was very happy about how it went (she was happier about doing it on paper as well!!)@badger2005

badger2005 · 20/10/2023 11:51

Thanks Mamiiormod, and well done to your dd! My ds thought it was fairly easy, but long, and "reckons that the cut-off mark will be high". I'm wondering if that's a sign that it went well, or just a sign that it was easier than usual!

MirandaWest · 20/10/2023 11:55

stoneysongs · 20/10/2023 11:37

Us too Miranda, are you in Wales?

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No - we're in York :)

mushroom3 · 20/10/2023 12:23

As well as the IT issues yesterday
it appears from the student room that the MAT may have been leaked as it was sat by students in Australia and Hong Kong 8 hours earlier than students elsewhere!

Livinghappy · 20/10/2023 12:31

@mushroom3 Absolute nightmare and I feel for your son. Such a disappointing experience. The lack of communication & guidance is also shocking. I guess they will have to interview more students as how else can they remedy it?

I don't know how they deal with the timezone issue - it must have been the same when it was paper?

BackToWhereItAllBegan · 20/10/2023 12:35

DS sat his (paper) test in the US last year at 9am local time which would be late afternoon in the UK so they've always had international students sitting the tests earlier and later in the day than UK students.
I don't know if online tests have made it easier to leak the papers but I've never heard of any issues in previous years.

Redhotchillipeppers · 20/10/2023 12:35

stoneysongs · 20/10/2023 11:37

Us too Miranda, are you in Wales?

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We aren’t in Wales, but still have another to go. All other areas surround my DS’s school are off from next week.

User11010866 · 20/10/2023 12:43

mushroom3 · 20/10/2023 12:23

As well as the IT issues yesterday
it appears from the student room that the MAT may have been leaked as it was sat by students in Australia and Hong Kong 8 hours earlier than students elsewhere!

There is always a possibility of a leak if the exam is not taken at the same time slot. In TSR, a Malaysian student in the UK has reported that their friend received the answers from a friend in Malaysia, a claim that cannot be verified. However, it should not be a widespread issue.

lifeturnsonadime · 20/10/2023 12:52

Well DS phoned earlier and seemed relieved that his HAT test was OK. He said if he doesn't get an interview he's clearly not Oxford material so I think that's positive as I think it means he felt he was able to demonstrate!

So we'll have to see! With humanities subjects it's so subjective!

Revengeofthepangolins · 20/10/2023 13:08

User11010866 · 20/10/2023 12:43

There is always a possibility of a leak if the exam is not taken at the same time slot. In TSR, a Malaysian student in the UK has reported that their friend received the answers from a friend in Malaysia, a claim that cannot be verified. However, it should not be a widespread issue.

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All sounds a bit implausible. Being online I think makes it even trickier to hand material on, and in what sense can you tell someone the answers to a maths question really. I guess they could say, there was a question on x topic, so go revise that, but that would always be the case

Elmer23 · 20/10/2023 13:46

@badger2005 I got exactly the same feedback from my DC. Definitely easier than previous years so interview cut off mark likely to be high but quite time pressured, they had to rush at the end and didn't have time to check their answers and correct a few careless errors...🙁

BiancaBlank · 20/10/2023 13:55

DD3 did HAT this morning, also at 11, but she said the tech was a nightmare. No one could log in for 20 mminutes, then her laptop died 6 minutes in and when she got going again, it had lost all her highlighting. By that time she was no longer in the right frame of mind to do her best! I don’t think the online arrangement is ideal for this sort of test - they should at least give them the source text in hard copy so they don’t have to keep switching screens.

WobblyLondoner · 20/10/2023 14:39

DS says all English applicants who sat ELAT at his school have had an email from Oxford which says:

"This year ELAT scores will not be used in any formal shortlisting calculation. No candidate will be deselected (ie not shortlisted) on the basis of their ELAT score."

lifeturnsonadime · 20/10/2023 14:41

WobblyLondoner · 20/10/2023 14:39

DS says all English applicants who sat ELAT at his school have had an email from Oxford which says:

"This year ELAT scores will not be used in any formal shortlisting calculation. No candidate will be deselected (ie not shortlisted) on the basis of their ELAT score."

Gosh so are they just going to be looking at PS and written work then? They are presumably going to have a larger interview burden.

Revengeofthepangolins · 20/10/2023 14:52

It is all so frustrating. Like I am sure many, DS prepared for ELAT, diverting effort from other things he needed to do, and he felt it was going to be his strongest element. So that was all a waste of time.

Dafrty · 20/10/2023 14:53

WobblyLondoner · 20/10/2023 14:39

DS says all English applicants who sat ELAT at his school have had an email from Oxford which says:

"This year ELAT scores will not be used in any formal shortlisting calculation. No candidate will be deselected (ie not shortlisted) on the basis of their ELAT score."

It’s slightly odd wording. Does it mean informally they might? And will the scores still be used post interview on final decisions?

Revengeofthepangolins · 20/10/2023 14:53

And it takes the element that is incontrovertibly by the candidate alone

lifeturnsonadime · 20/10/2023 15:07

Dafrty · 20/10/2023 14:53

It’s slightly odd wording. Does it mean informally they might? And will the scores still be used post interview on final decisions?

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I think you are right, I think it means they won't be used in a negative way so not to discount a candidate but may be used in a positive way. Who knows though.

InvestedButNotOverinvested · 20/10/2023 15:11

Really feel for all the DC who wrote MAT, ELAT and others yesterday. As has been said, they will presumably need to interview a lot more candidates than normal to ensure a fair process.

I had similar feedback from DD on the PAT. Definitely easier than recent years and with more maths than physics, which hopefully plays to DD’s strengths. But an easier paper will probably mean that a few careless errors could be the difference between making the cut off mark or not.

Some time off now I think for half term, and then the difficult month of prepping for an interview in case they get one, without knowing whether they will or not.