Tutors for the Oxford entry exams?

[OHmynoIdontthinkso]

Does anyone know if these exist and if so where I'd find them?

I’m pretty sure they do exist, but do realise once there it is really intense and full on. With the tutorial system there is nowhere to hide, so if your child has needed tutoring to get in they will probably struggle.

However this is purely based on the experience of my dd, who applied post A levels with no help from school or tutoring.

@Molecule Thank you. Yes, that makes total sense. DH (who went to Oxford I I didn't ) is insisting kid gets a tutor. I feel they should just take the practice tests and give it their best shot on the day...

We are an Oxford graduate household and really I wouldn't get tutoring. My DH did get tutored for his 11+ but after that it was just school and his own work. If you pass the exam you can still fail the interview and in any case it should be a true test of whether your child would enjoy the work. If he needs a tutor, he really won't and it's grindingly hard.

Don't waste your time or money. The tests are deliberately designed NOT to give people who can afford a tutor or attend the sorts of schools destined to send generations to Oxbridge an unfair advantage. There is a lot of info available on the university application web pages.

DH (who went to Oxford I I didn't ) is insisting kid gets a tutor.

Do they actually want to go themselves? What do they think about tutoring?

I did look at the History test (that being my subject). I'm not sure what a tutor could add to this one - the skills they are looking for seem similar to what you would gain from doing History A Level.

Kid wants to have a go at the test, yes. Also I'm trying to figure out what would be gained from using a tutor on this one.

No one has a suggestion for a tutor so far though, which may help my case!

I’m connected with an Oxbridge Economics tutor on LinkedIn and she seems excellent.

Which subject are they thinking of applying for?

https://oxbridgeapplications.com/

they are good but pricey

its worth having someone help you look at the exam questions and understand how to answer the questions and what they are really asking..similarly for the interviews. They are all different from most other exams and so they need to be approached from a different mindset

I think/ hope tutors can help. We're using one for my son for the pat. Whether it helps I not I think maybe dependant on the subject. Ds wants to sit the pat (physics) and not all of the pat curriculum Is covered in his a-level first year.

So how will they cope when they have to submit 2 worksheets and 2 essays each week, then get them ripped to shreds in their weekly tutorial?

this was a long time ago, but I went to a school that did masses of extra tuition to get kids into Oxbridge. 30% of my year got in. we did an extra 50% of the syllabus by the end of yr12 and had masses of practice on previous exam papers and the types of questions asked. If I hadn't had practice, I wouldn't have known what the questions meant. e.g. religious studies exam - pick 3 gobbets and describe them means: pick 3 of these bible verses and explain who wrote each one & when & why.

so if you get a tutor, you want one who really knows the detail of the Oxford entrance system for that particular subject. I'm sure the school I went to is still tutoring their kids intensely and it does help.

A few students studying at Oxbridge have their own private tutors to help them with their essays

I mean if you can afford it then you will find a tutor to help get your DC into Oxbridge then to help them cling onto staying there

OXFORD, not CAMBRIDGE so not OXBRIDGE, just to clarify for you. 😚

Oh good god

I'm off

Good luck OP

OP, I think you may get better advice if you specify which subject. When I looked at the MLAT for French (a few years ago now), that struck me as one where a good tutor could definitely help. Regarding the argument that, "If you need a tutor to help you get in, you won't cope once there", I think that very much depends what type of school the student attends. If you attend a school that is very geared towards getting students into Oxford and already tutors them for the entrance exam, that argument may be valid. But if you attend a school that struggles to recruit teachers in your subject (or is not in a position to be picky about the quality of teachers it recruits), I think a good tutor could be really helpful in bridging the gap between the quality of teaching you've had and the quality of teaching that some of your fellow applicants will have had.

And yet the schools desinted to send generations to Oxbridge will very definitely be giving their prospective Oxbridge students a lot more help than might be offered to students at other schools.

Which is exactly why they look at exam results and other parts of applications in context.

DS sat the TSA; we didn’t pay for a tutor. DS just did the practice papers that are available online in the month leading up to the test. The TSA doesn’t require any subject specific knowledge though so any gaps in teaching aren’t a problem.

Thank you to those of you with helpful suggestions for where to look.

Maybe they'll use the skills taught to them by expert tutors?

My DC’s friend starts Oxbridge degree in a few weeks and had some help from the organisation below, was directed towards it by the school.

Zero Gravity

Not tutoring but give advice on the whole entry process.

surely thats the point of having the tutors, to teach them to succeed ?

Just a thought... I'm not sure where your child is upto but if starting yr 12 in Sep maybe have a look at widening participation. I know Oxford does outreach and there are various things that your child could apply for if they qualify which would help.

Does the school do classes for Oxbridge applicants?

DCs 6th Form do, but they are all dreading the exams after the Oxford online exams fiasco last year