Interviews - tell me what you know

[SamPoodle123]

I got some good tips from a pp in regards to interviews, and thought why not ask for more tips :) Please tell me what you know about the interview process, how you helped your child prepare, what sort of questions came up. What are group interviews like? Basically, anything you think would be helpful to know. I will copy and paste what a pp wrote so it is included here as well.

Just copying something that was posted in another thread I started that I thought was useful in case someone else also is looking for more interview tips. Would greatly appreciate any more tips from others!

Abuildingwith4wallsandtmrinsid · 04/06/2022 11:01

Re interview for superselective, they are typically looking for a child with deeper interests and a spark. So does she have hobbies she can talk about in detail, does she read the newspaper etc and can she hold a good conversation with different adults? My nephew never did any interview practice and got offers from all the top boys schools, Westminster/eton/Winchester. All we did is ask him to write out his reasons of why he liked each school etc plus he used to love reading the Financial Times so was always up to date on current affairs. I don’t know the girls schools but Westminster would definitely ask what do you think about Partygate, the war in Ukraine etc and are looking for a child who can speak on different subjects. Always read good books she is happy to talk about too - get her to chat to other educated adults. Does she know what subjects interest her the most? That is another one that can come up. They like kids who are already passionate about certain subjects and can say why.
I do think the girls schools are a bit nicer at interview - my nephew turned up at his Winchester interview to be interviewed in French initially! Being able to talk about an abstract painting or poem is another one.

@SamPoodle123 , the range is really wide esp in SW London, for example the difference between KGS which is straight forward "what book are you reading" 10 min chat and LEH which is part of the selection process and they are looking for particular personalities is massive. It's easier to wait until your dc has been asked to an interview and ask for advice for that school.

Any advice on how to prepare for interviews

I’d say the OP’s second post is pretty comprehensive.

Thanks @Edmontine

A 10-year-old reading the Financial Times? 👀That's not normal, sorry.

My daughter was mostly just asked about her favourite subjects at schools and her hobbies and why she liked the school. I think she was once asked about what she would do if she were Prime Minister. She certainly wasn't asked about any current M&A deals. It all depends on the school though.