Would you get into Oxford University?

IF you have ever wondered if you are clever enough to join the academic elite at Oxford University, you can now test yourself.

Christ Church's Tom Tower, Oxford University, EnglandChrist Church's Tom Tower, Oxford University, England [GETTY ]

And if you know the answers to 'If you invented a new musical instrument, what kind of sound would it make?' or 'How much of the past can you count?' then you are in with a chance.

These are the kind of questions that give would-be students the chance to show their ability during an interview for a place at the prestigious institution.

According to Oxford's admissions chief Dr Samina Khan, tutors do not ask unusual questions to catch students out, but to see how applicants think and respond to new ideas.

"While we look very carefully at GCSE results, aptitude test scores, personal statement and teacher's reference in addition to interview performance in considering who gets a place at Oxford, we know that for many students the interview is the most daunting part of the process," she said.

"Academic interviews will be an entirely new experience for most students, so we want to show students what they are really like so they aren't put off by what they might have heard."

In a bid to debunk the "myths" behind its admissions process, the university released a set of sample questions posed by tutors conducting the interviews.

Potential biological sciences students may be asked why rainforests and coral reefs support such a high diversity of plant and animal life while those planning to study art history could be asked to discuss a painting they have never seen before.

If you invented a new musical instrument, what kind of sound would it make?

The sample questions, released on deadline day for students hoping to gain a place next year to apply, also included some more left-field conundrums.

Interviewer Stephen Tuck of Pembroke College said: "The question provides a chance to see whether the applicant can relate other subjects to history - quite a challenge given that subjects are often studied entirely separately at school.

"In this case, the question gets at all sorts of issues relating to historical evidence.

"For which periods and places and aspects of the past is data readily available?

"When it's not, can it be collected, or at least estimated (and if so, how)?

"When it is available, is that data trustworthy? Is it sufficient? How might it be misleading (intentionally or unintentionally)?"

A question for students planning to take experimental psychology could be: "An experiment appears to suggest Welsh speakers are worse at remembering phone numbers than English speakers. Why?"

Nick Yeung of University College said: "This would never be given as a one-line question out of context - it is one of a set of questions I ask students after showing them a psychology experiment case study with data about short-term memory in English and Welsh speakers.

"The key point is that numbers are spelled differently and are longer in Welsh than in English, and it turns out that memory (and arithmetic) depend on how easily pronounced the words are.

"I would hope the student would pick out this connection between memory and how easy to spell or pronounce a word is, and how that relates to spelling and pronunciation in Welsh versus in English."

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