How to I prepare for interviews?

The first (and probably the most important) step in preparing for interview is becoming comfortable talking about your subject. Interviews last around 20 minutes each depending on the subject and most of that time will be you answering or discussing a certain topic and explaining how you have come to those answers. Therefore, practicing discussing your course with family, friends or teachers is a really good way of doing this. A good starting point might be online articles. The BBC news website has lots of different subsections on certain topics so choose one (at random is best), read it through and then try to explain summarise what it is about to your listener and then explain your thoughts on it. 

A few things that are good to start practicing are as follows:

  1. Think! It sounds obvious but often silence can feel intimidating in an interview, so pausing to consider your answer can be easily skipped. Take a few seconds to consider what they have said and think through your response. It is better to take the time to think that to give an answer immediately that you don't agree with!

  2. Ask! If you want them to clarify the question or they use a term that you don't understand, just ask the interiewer. They are not trying to try and catch you out, they genuinely want to see you thinking and reasoning at your best.

  3. Answer in 3s! This isn't a strict rule, but when giving an answer, giving two or three points helps you to remember what you are saying when nerves are high and stop you from rambling.

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