Tutors for the Oxford entry exams?

[OHmynoIdontthinkso]

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

My son is doing the TSA. He says there are you tube videos. As an Oxford graduate, if your son needs that much help getting in then he's not going to cope. Also what about the interview, really hard to plan for too.

Can definitely recommend Zero Gravity if you qualify for their support.

There are second hand copies of this doing the rounds. I passed ours onto a 2024 applicant this time last year. State school, no tutors like my DD. They'll find out next week if they've got the grades, then the hard work starts.

www.amazon.co.uk/Think-You-Can-Cracking-Assessment/dp/0955079748

The school does not do anything for UK universities. We are from the UK but living overseas. We're going to drive 50 miles to a center where the test can be taken in Oct. Hence the need for some guidance.

So which test?

You could go to the long running current Oxbridge thread and ask how many used a tutor. Proof in the pudding.

There was some interesting analysis in the Spectator magazine a few months ago which looked at where Oxbridge applicants/successful applicants came from, ranking the numbers by school. Lots of London sixth form colleges, many with hundreds of applicants each and dozens securing Oxbridge places. These schools must be able to create a huge bank of information on what has and hasn’t helped over the year and I’m sure this will be used to advise their students.

At DH’s school 30 years ago one of the teachers was an Oxbridge graduate and had taken on the role of essentially guiding those who wanted to apply through the process. The idea of such thing at my school would have been laughable and as a result only unusually intelligent kids ever got in whereas DH’s cousin who has a history degree from Cambridge said his private school funnelled everyone who they thought had any chance of getting in that direction (he’s now a paramedic).

I’m sure familiarity with the style of questions asked would be a great help as the poster above says and what harm would a tutor do?

I know someone who tutors for Oxbridge entry including interview practice and some of the entrance tests. Definitely the TSA, I assume also HAT as they are a Cambridge history graduate and ex head of history. Let me know if you want the details.

OP, I'd ask on studentroom. They have a chat for parents of oxford students. I bet you'd get a few good recommendations there.

As a former Russell Group admissions tutor, I agree with this and similar posts above. It us true that applications are evaluated in context, but adults embedded within the system can underestimate how off-putting unfamiliarity can be.

Having said that, no university is best for all whom it admits, and Oxford is no exception. I have admitted transfer students who really did not belong there and suffered badly from the strain of trying to keep up during Y1.

My understanding is that some help preparing for STEP is worthwhile. I also understand that there is a lot available free online.

The issue is not ability but knowing how to approach questions that are quite different from A level.

And definitely budding medics should be practicing UCAT, which is a timed test.

I know several students who had a tutor to get familiar with the entry tests. You can be sure lots of people nowadays do.

By the way, these kids are doing incredibly well at Oxbridge (with no tutors now) so that argument about if you tutor for the entry test then you'll struggle when you're in has not held true.

Anyway, lots of people have parents/grandparents or teachers in the family or friends or schools that prep them. I don't see the difference (apart from it costing more!).

This is a bit of a derail but just wanted to say "keeping up" at Oxford is not necessarily about how "intelligent" you are.

It's a particular environment and there's a particular skill set to working at that pace. Some people thrive on it, some don't, but it's about personality and sometimes luck as well as intelligence. If you feel you're under too much pressure, feel intimidated by sometimes hyper competitive individuals around you, feel your tutor is more interested in showing off their own genius than your well-being, - you aren't going to produce your best work whatever your supposed "intelligence".

So I don't think it's as simple as saying "if you need a tutor then you won't cope when you get there".

Oh dear. You obviously don't like someone telling you that a tutor really isn't necessary, despite initially saying you were debating this exact issue with your DH. I am speaking from experience, as my DD has recently graduated in PPE having hit the top 10% in her TSA without needing a tutor. I think you will find that the vast majority on the current Oxbridge students thread also didn't waste their money on tutors.

If you check out the applicant threads in November each year you will likewise see the disappointment amongst those who thought their DC would be a cert after years of tutoring and expensive schooling, who didn't quite get the grades as the tests are designed NOT to give an unfair advantage to those with money to waste.

I have also given constructive advice by linking to a book which many use for the practice papers, along with suggesting that your "kid" simply uses the practice papers on the university websites. Still, go ahead and throw money at the problem. Fortunately the vast majority earn their places without having to do so these days.

The subject IS also relevant, as maths may require help if you haven't studied maths to the level required, but TSA doesn't require a tutor, simply a student who can think critically.

Every selective senior school we have looked at for our LO has an Oxbridge program that is designed to help prepare students for the entrance exams, interviews and life at Oxbridge.

So I would agree with the OPs partner. If you are aiming for Oxford and your child’s school does not have a record of getting children in, I would absolutely tutor.

It is disingenuous not to acknowledge that most places at Oxbridge are taken up by privately educated students. The students are not more clever than children from the state sector but they are definitely better prepared (on average).

It is disingenuous not to acknowledge that most places at Oxbridge are taken up by privately educated students. The students are not more clever than children from the state sector but they are definitely better prepared (on average).

This is so untrue. Between 60% - 70% of all Oxford and Cambridge students went to a state school. The stats are openly available on each of their websites.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01425692.2024.2315117

This might be of interest. Good luck, if I were in your shoes I’d tutor as well, assuming your LO is keen and their school isn’t preparing them.

https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/facts-and-figures/admissions-statistics/undergraduate-students/current/school-type

https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/statistics

Private schools are still over-represented though

Thanks, the important thing to consider is that a disproportionate number of privately educated students are accepted.

Please read the first few paragraphs of the article I have linked to above for a very clear explanation on how to interpret the stats and their significance.

So, yes, I apologize, I should have said a disproportionate number of privately educated students gain places at Oxbridge. Instead of saying that most places are taken up by them.

in my defense- English is an additional language and dyslexia 😊

The trouble is that the more people believe the myth that a tutor is essential and the more people believe that potential applicants must attend a school with Oxbridge applicant support, the less likely it is that the who attend ordinary schools and those who can't afford a tutor will bother applying. They will continue to think that everyone is tutored or went to an elite school. It's simply untrue.

Oxford and Cambridge have invested so much time and effort into widening access. It's such a shame that the myths are perpetuated.

But it’s not a myth that a disproportionate number of students at Oxbridge were privately educated.

It is important to acknowledge the problem so that it can be fixed. And the problem is that you have a disproportionate chance of getting in to Oxbridge if you have been privately educated.

And do remember even with the best grades, best school, best preparation, it is still pretty much luck of the draw if you get in. Unless you are doing a not so popular subject. Best to tackle it as a good dream rather than a lifetime ambition.

There will always be a disproportion % because of the nature those applying for HE. However, the myths that:

1. You must pay for a tutor to pass the admissions tests
2. You must have practice interviews to get an offer
3. There's no point applying if you don't have straight 8s & 9s at GCSE or predicted grades of 3 or 4 A*s
4. Your school must have dedicated Oxbridge support
5. Those pesky state school children eligible for contextual consideration receive lower offers than others

are all proven to be untrue.