Oxbridge preparation · Cambridge insider

Oxford & Cambridge
economics interviews

Dr Nicky Grant is a triple Cambridge graduate (BA, MPhil, PhD in economics) offering specialist Oxbridge economics interview preparation, TMUA coaching, and personal statement review. He has worked with successful applicants to Cambridge, Oxford and LSE, and understands the admissions process from the inside.

Cambridge economics interviews are not about what you know. They are about how you think. Preparation means learning to reason through unfamiliar economic and mathematical problems out loud, clearly, calmly, and without having seen the answer before.

Book interview preparation Read the interview guide

What I offer

Complete Oxbridge
preparation programme

A programme built around your specific application, college, course, and timeline.

01
Mock interviews with written feedback
Full mock interviews conducted exactly as a real Oxbridge economics interview, unseen problem presented, reasoning worked through live, feedback written up afterwards. Multiple rounds are recommended, with each round targeting the specific weaknesses identified in the previous one.
CambridgeOxfordLSE
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02
TMUA preparation
Systematic preparation for the Test of Mathematics for University Admission, covering both Paper 1 (mathematical knowledge) and Paper 2 (mathematical reasoning). Most students make the biggest gains on Paper 2, where the reasoning skills used in economics are directly tested.
CambridgeWarwickDurham
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03
Personal statement review
Detailed feedback on your draft personal statement, whether it demonstrates genuine intellectual curiosity, whether the books and ideas mentioned are engaged with in sufficient depth, and whether it opens the right conversations in interview.
EconomicsMaths & EconomicsPPE
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04
Economics beyond A Level
Bridging sessions to build the conceptual economics knowledge that interviewers expect applicants to have engaged with, supply and demand, price elasticity, market failure, game theory, basic macro, beyond what is typically covered in A Level Economics.
Economic reasoningMicroMacro
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The Cambridge advantage

Preparation from
someone who was there

There are many tutors who can teach economics. There are very few who can tell you what a Cambridge economics interview actually feels like, and what the interviewer is actually looking for.

Three Cambridge degrees
BA, MPhil and PhD in economics and econometrics from the University of Cambridge. The supervision system, the college culture, the style of economic reasoning Cambridge rewards, all of this is first-hand knowledge, not second-hand advice.
Knows what interviewers are testing
Cambridge economists are not looking for memorised answers. They are looking for students who can stay calm when they don't know the answer and reason their way towards one. Dr Grant's mock interviews deliberately present problems the student has not seen before.
Successful applicants to Cambridge, Oxford and LSE
Students Dr Grant has worked with have received offers from Cambridge, Oxford and LSE. The preparation programme has been refined across multiple application cycles.
Online, flexible, and well before the deadline
All sessions online. Most students benefit from starting interview preparation in September or October, before the November interview dates. Slots fill quickly, get in touch early.

FAQs

Oxbridge preparation FAQ

Ideally September or October of your application year, before interviews in November and December. Three to six mock sessions over that period is a typical programme. If your interview date is soon, intensive preparation over a shorter period is also possible, get in touch as soon as possible.

Typically four to six sessions: an initial diagnostic mock, two to three sessions targeting the weaknesses identified, and a final polish mock. Each session includes written feedback. The exact number depends on how much time there is before the interview date.

Yes. The economics and mathematics components of Oxford PPE interviews are covered. Philosophy components are not covered.

Yes, and the differences matter. Cambridge places more emphasis on mathematical economics problems; Oxford interviews can place more weight on broader economic reasoning. Sessions are tailored to which institution, and which college, if known, the student is applying to.

Free resource

How Cambridge Economics Interviews Actually Work

What interviewers are really testing, what they are looking for, and how to prepare, from someone who knows from both sides of the table.

Read article

Start preparing
today

Free 30–45 minute initial consultation to discuss your application, your timeline, and how to structure preparation. Slots fill early, don't leave it late.

Book a free consultation
Triple Cambridge graduateMock interviews with feedbackTMUA preparationOnline UK-wide