For the Attention of: U6th Interview Candidates
Well done for reaching these questions (which will be updated over the Summer)!
You are now ahead of your Peers!
To gain an extra point from the Interviewers, please send a blank email to MGAW with your Name as the SUBJECT of the email by 4pm on Monday 20th September 2010.
QUESTIONS added to this section, need an update for the Topical ones .
The following comments and questions may prove a useful complement/ update for those who have read the 1st Edition of 'We'll Be In Touch'.
'It's important at interview to be enthusiastic, but, at the
same time, down to earth. They do tend to ask about current affairs,
e.g. both about diseases and the NHS. I had an interesting five-minute
discussion on CJD and what it does to the brain- luckily I had just
read up on it on the train on the way! I recommend www.netdoctor.co.uk
for a roundup of current news - reading up on government plans for the
NHS and hospitals would be useful. Apart from all that, they're
actually quite nice at interview- mine lasted for half an hour, only
because I just didn't shut up! Typical me!'
Former Student relating his Interview Experience.
Enjoy your interviews! Be yourself! Don't hide your
culture! Be individual!
Offer proof of interest! Relate work experience! Stand out
from the rest!
Answer calmly and positively! Look good! Flatter!
Clean, tidy hair! Clean shoes! Under-stated make-up!
Don't drown yourself in perfume/ after-shave!
Remember your entrance and exit!
Handshake! Natural smile! Posture and delivery!
Remember your 'Talk/ Listen' ratio!
Mirror body language!
Be professional! Be better than the rest!]
Mobile off!
A recent report on undergraduates spoke of their need to improve self-presentation
skills.
Some students have described the trend for 2 or 3 students being interviewed at the same time by a panel or individual interviewer.
If nervous, wiggle your toes inside your shoe! Who will see that!?
Never ever ask, at this stage: 'How did I do?'
Think of it as a meeting!
EXTRA QUESTIONS
According to 'The Guardian', there are a few Deadly Questions:
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Which achievement are you most proud of?
What do you like doing outside of (sic) work?
'Sell me the pencil/ notebook I'm holding'.
Would you ever break the rules to get the job done?
Have you ever been fired?
The illegal question:'Do you have/ want kids?'
- MIXED BAG
Current and Topical...
To keep on top of the weekly news, read a decent paper or news digest. 'Woody's Webwatch' has a direct weblink to the BBC news headlines.
· Have July 7th, September 11th, October 12th and March 12th changed the world? How?
· What brand are you most like?
· Should we worry that the Argos catalogue is more eagerly read than the classics?
· Are GCSEs and A Levels past their sell-by date?
· Should smoking be banned from cities?
· Why is it difficult to get redress when your solicitor makes errors?
· Which advert impresses you most?
· Can you trust a manifesto?
· Would you meet Tony Blair, George Bush or Michael Moore?
· Who will win the next general election? Why?
· What would be a perfect office lunch?
· Is football in crisis?
· Hutton- legal gloss or whitewash?
· Education, education, deprivation?
· Is racing corrupt?
· What does your supermarket say about you?
· Hutton- legal gloss or whitewash?
· EU turn?
· How would you change the world 4 a fiver?
· What tourist traps do you know?
· Are you taking a gap year? Why? Why not?
· Should smokļng be banned in restaurants and bars?
· PHP or ASP?
· Should the NHS treat George Best?
· Is excess an essential of rock music?
· Who do we admire more? The great and good or falsely famous?
· Define responsible lending.
· Digital or Paper storage?
· Define middle youth, adultescents and kidults.
· Consumer fads. What is in/out?
· More people recognise the golden arches of McDonalds than religious symbols. Good or bad?
· The average urban Briton is caught on camera 300 times a day. Discuss.
· Define a true hero. Is it different now?
· What are the UK and American views on cloning?
· Privacy... Should there be the same laws for all or do those in the public eye lose some rights if
they court publicity?
· Can we trust our army not to abuse POWs?
· Would you vote to go into Europe?
· How do the papers differ?
· Is there a viable alternative to jail?
· What is the spine? What are its benefits?
· Comment on the 'A Level pass farce'. Do you have it easy?
· Boscastle. New Orleans. How can nature be contended with?
· After a disaster like Boscastle, how would a business bounce back?
· Do the freebies doctors get from drugs companies affect the treatment they
pick for patients?
· Can you trust postal ballot?
· Are you party to a crime if you allow a dinner guest/ pub mate to drive home
over the limit?
· Should a jury know the previous record of the defendant?
· If you disapprove of smoking, is it wrong to bring back cheap duty-free
cigarettes for a friend?
· The Paperazzi. More like the Stalkerazzi?
· Do we really need another reform of the exam system?
· Should the law of blasphemy be repealed?
· Name 5 areas of Law.
· Do university students merely bring dereliction and devastation to an area when they
are absent for about 5 months of the year?
· Zoo? Nuts? Bliss? More?
· Define a nutrigenomic diet.
· 'The i generation' - define. Advantages?
· Bush or Kerry? Or Arnie?!
· Was the war against Iraq justified?
· Will bladdered Britain sober up? Should it?
· Define £50 bloke
· Are magazines like 'Heat' a 'Fame' tax?
· Name 5 Eastenders characters, 5 world leaders and 5 cabinet ministers. Which was the easiest task? Why?
· Do the Conservatives have a viable leader?
· Tony Blair or Gordon Brown? George Bush or John Kerry?
· Who won the Booker prize?
· What part does intelligence play in sporting performance?
· Was Chelsea FC right to sack their striker Mutu for drug abuse?
· 'Disease, drought, floods, fuel and social unrest.' Is Britain falling apart?
· Compulsory identification cards: a good or bad thing?
· What good has come from recent books written by Paul Burrrell, Katie Price and Ulrika Jonsson?
· Is any meat safe?
· England's Rugby team: forever the bridesmaid once more?
· Are the makers of games like 'Grand Theft Auto' liable for prosecution over claims they incite aggression?
· Landfill or incineration? Which method would you choose for waste disposal and why?
· Is life easier now as a man or a woman?
· Are painkillers too readily accessible?
· Do singles sales now mean anything?
· Now war coverage is so graphic, has technology created a monster?
· Is it possible to respect the Royal Family?
· If someone wasn't cutting the mustard at work, how would you deal with it?
· How would you deal with Rio Ferdinand?
· Should children be vaccinated against nicotine?
· Should the Royal Family's expenses be open for public scrutiny?
· Could foot-and-mouth ever be spread deliberately?
· Are speed traps fair?
· Should the Queen have paid towards the Burrell trial costs?
· What does the T Shirt say to you?
· Is it safe for the police to be issued with tasers?
· AS/ A2! Good thing or bad thing?
· Should we all be able to sequence our genome?
· Is Manchester the new London?
· MMR? Mobile phones? Uranium? Chicken? Is it safe to trust
those in power?
· What is 'pester power'?
· Will we miss phone boxes?
· How accessible is broadband in Britain?
· How are children targeted as consumers?
· Where should mobiles be banned from?
· Should we feel guilty for the faults and crimes of our
ancestors?
· 'Claim and blame'. Is this a correct description
of 21st Britain?
· What are the Israelis and Palestinians fighting for?
· Name the first advert that comes to mind? Why that one?
· What end of term report would you give the current
government?
· What do government task forces do?
· How would you excuse the abuse David Blaine received while in his perspex box?
· Should parents sue a school if their child underachieves?
· Would you trust your best friend, doctor, MP, form tutor or a
policeman most?
· Is 'up talk'/ HRT ('high-rise terminals') a scourge?
· Is ecstasy harmless?
· Where can drugs help?
· What are the risks and advantages of GM foods?
· Is it possible to live without 'Brookside'?
· Which prison rules was Jeffrey Archer accused of breaching?
· Are revision websites/ essay sites a good thing?
· Is a fair trial still possible?
· Why was plastic the worst invention ever?
· Do you eat breakfast or 'deskfast'?
· What has happened to political protest in music?
· What feelings do you have about cannabis being downgraded?
· What opinion do you have of Prince Edward and the Countess
of Wessex? Is Prince Charles fit to be king?
· Asylum-seekers: friends or foes?
· Explain '3G', 'broadband' and 'bluetooth'?
· What advantages will there be of Instant Picture Messaging?
· Should Helen, Jade, Jon or Stuart have won 'Big Brother 2, 3, 4 and 5'
respectively?
· Do photographs have any validity?
· Does the Press deserve to hang its head in shame for its
treatment of celebrities?
· Is Manchester United a spent force?
· Is Formula 1 too predictable?
· Is football a game for the people played by thugs?
· David Beckham, Angus Deayton, Michael Barrymore, John Leslie and Wayne Rooney have all hit the headlines over the last year or so. Who has
retained their credibility and why?
· What do you feel about chequebook journalism?
· Is there life in the morning, after Richard and Judy?
· How would you revive 'Rise'?
· Should a worker face the sack for sending lewd emails to a
workmate?
· How would you improve your school?
· At what age will you become an adult?
· Would you have a botox?
·Are we too clean for our own good?
· Explain the philosophy of 'The Simpsons'.
· Punk? Rap? Reggae?
· Is smallpox more terrifying a
bioweapon than anthrax?
· CD or vinyl or iPod? Why?
· Eminem? Responsible for society's ills or a mouse of a man?
· How has MTV changed the way we appreciate music?
· Are you happy to be a part of the 'silicone' generation?
· Which party poses greatest threat to the Labour party?
· 'The remote control is the most vital accessory for the 21st
century infant bedroom.' Discuss!
Crunchers...
· Are peas vital?
· How would you explain offside or the LBW law?
· Give me 5 reasons for being cheerful?
· If you were a roundabout, what song would you sing all day and why?
· Sell me an umbrella when I am more than happy to get wet.
· What would you enjoy about being a wishing well?
· How would you justify yourself being described as
'value-added'?
· What is your 'Unique Selling Point'?
· Describe your last confrontation and/ or the last piece of
criticism you received.
· Describe your ethics.
· Does gender bias play a part in selection procedures?
· Would you consider writing to us after your interview?
· Are you a muggle, wizard or witch?
· How will you make yourself 'an oven-ready graduate'?
· In what ways are you the weakest link?
· In what ways are you not the weakest link?
· How far do you think outside the box?
· Are you a wobbler, wobbling or wibbly wobbly?
· What does 24/7 mean for bosses?
· How do you make the perfect cup of tea?
· If you were to go into crime, what area would it be? Rate your chances of avoiding detection.
· Sell Hitler.
· How would you explan the colour red to a blind person?
· If you could enter a phone box and emerge as someone else,
who would it be?
· How do you cope with stress?
· Are men or women advantaged at interview?
· Do you get nervous at interview?
· 'The whole point of being a teenager is that you're supposed
to be full of angst.' Discuss.
· What would you do with a pound coin you found in a shop? Would you act differently if you found it in a classroom?
· What do you miss most when you are abroad?
· What is the best medicine?
· What anxieties do you have?
· Is a bad memory helpful?
· Which laws have you broken?
· Would you like a drink or a meal?
· Whom do you admire?
· What's your ideal party?
· Why will I remember you, out of the thousands of people I
have seen this year?
· How come women can talk about any of 40 subjects but men can
only cover 4?
· Tell me a riddle/ joke. Make me/us laugh.
· Tell me about yourself.
· White or brown or dark chocolate??
· How do your extra-curricular activities help/ hinder you?
· What's the best album ever made?
· When does the artist in every child grow out?
· What qualities do you have that the rest of the candidates
don't?
· What luxury would you choose?
· What could you not survive a week without?
· Do you have any vices?
· Who are you?
· How can you make your own luck?
· Would you ever lie for your employer?
· Which era would you wish to be born in?
· What 3 questions would you ask if you appeared on Blind Date?
· Tell me what your body language tells me about you now.
· If you weren't going to get the job, which candidate would
you choose and why?
· Which dead rock star would you most like to have seen and
why?
· What kind of parent will you be?
· Is there any question you have been asked today that you
would now change or expand your answer to?
· Think of a song you really like. What makes it special? How
would you convince me I should like it?
· Which 1 of the following could you not live without: MSN,
email or texting? Does this typecast you?
· Should bum cleavage be banned?
- SPECIFIC SUBJECTS
Architecture, Art, Design, Fashion...
Remember your portfolios or mood boards!
· Is Charlie Luxton good for architecture?
· Which area can you see yourself specialising in after a
Foundation Year?
· Is there an art chic?
· Do you consider this year's Turner Prize entries to be
'Art'?
· How might you adapt a photograph for your artistic
purposes?
· Is Luella Bartley's work with New Look proof of designers
dumbing down?
· Which design consultancy/ graphic designer/ commercials director impresses you the most and why?
Business, Finance, Marketing...
Do you have your own company yet?! Bring proof e.g. url, business card...
· How did the last pair of jeans you bought make their way
into the shops?
· What were the 5 Euro tests Gordon Brown used?
· What lessons does the demise of Leeds United teach?
· How would you market a medium-sized provincial hotel?
· How does a factory work?
· 'Advertising is indefensible.' Discuss.
· 'The advertiser's dream is cradle-to-grave loyalty.'
Discuss.
· Give examples of food products that count as line
extensions and sub-brands?
· Are line extensions and sub-brands a better risk than a new
product?
· Why did ITV digital fail?
· How did the club scene
fail financially?
· Who do you feel is winning the battle of the brands?
· What are the business consequences for a football club when
it moves area or stadium?
· How would you have attempted to restore consumer confidence
in M and S and/ or Sunny Delight?
· Why are emails not charged like text messages?
· Is advertising about provocation or persuasion?
· Explain roach and viral marketing.
Computer Science / Electrical & Electronic Engineering/ ICT...
Proof of involvement? URLs?
· What protection is there against hackers?
· How have telecom companies lost money?
· What do you feel have been the 3 most significant failures
in computer hardware/ software?
· Who or what is a blogger?
· Why has spam been an issue this year?
· Could wireless internet access be a high-tech cash cow?
Dentistry...
· What damage does a soft drink cause young teeth?
· What are the advantages and disadvantages of drinking tap water with added fluoride?
· Why don't you become a doctor?
English & Drama...
· Would you have awarded the Booker Prize to Yann Martel?
· 'The stuffy atmosphere, high prices and patronising plots are
keeping kids away from theatre' Discuss?
Education...
· What is the ideal school?
Food Science...
· Is raw food always healthier than cooked?
Geography
· What is the Eden Project?
· How far is it possible to predict the scale of a volcanic
eruption?
· How would you reconstruct New Orleans?
· Why does hard-line protectionism fail conservation?
· Why are Britain's new towns failing?
· How are maps biased?
History
· David Starkey or Tristan Hunt?
· What might have prompted an Oxford Modern History Fellow to
call the current school syllabus 'narrow and fragmented'?
Hospitality
· What makes a good restaurant?
· Why is recruitment a potential problem?
· How can staff turnover be kept to a minimum?
· What external factors can affect the hospitality industry?
· Vending machines. Explain the benefits, popularity and
problems.
· What do pub-goers really want?
· How can you pamper your guests best?
Law
...I'd recommend students scanning 'The Times' regular Tuesday Law supplement. I also have some extra sheets which candidates may find helpful.
· Would you have prosecuted John Prescott for public affray?
· Is sentencing a lottery?
· Define 'copyright'?
· What's the difference between libel and slander?
· Is a jury of 12 too large? What is the ideal number? Should
trial by jury be done away with?
· Are magistrates too white and too middle-class for justice
to be possible?
· Could cloning be a breach of copyright?
· At what point does an individual's right to privacy outweigh
freedom of information?
· Explain the process of appeal for extradition.
· Is justice battered or alive? Are the guilty untouchable?
· How does image affect court cases?
· Could we be overwhelmed by a compensation culture?
· 'A man kills his unfaithful wife and receives a 2 year
sentence. A wife kills her violent husband and receives a life
sentence.' Comment on the terms allocated.
· Are QCs a quaint tradition or the select few? Are they as
revered as medical consultants?
· Should car boot sales be more closely regulated?
Mathematics
· Define 'application of number'?
Media / Journalism
· Is there any newspaper you couldn't or wouldn't work for?
· Can you explain the popularity of 'reality TV'?
· 'The Media'. Friend or foe?
· 'Survivor' or 'Big Brother'?
· 'Fame Academy' or 'Pop Stars: The Rivals/ Pop Idol'?
· How would you react to the suggestion that newspaper editors are more interested in 'Rumours, Rumours, Rumours' than Mr Chadgrind's call for 'Facts, facts, facts'?
Medicine and Medical Science
All Medics should know about the NHS, the training path after the degree, Primary Care, MMR and Foundation Hospitals. Nottingham candidates are advised to check the site address they gave you to discover extra questions.
Daily news update? www.netdoctor.co.uk
· What do you know about Foundation Hospitals?
· Are medical schools elitist?
· How do anti-allergy drugs work?
· How would you treat depression?
· Is water fluoridation a cheap/ reliable way of improving dental health or a rash mass medication experiment
· Do you feel anatomy should be taught using real human cadavers? Is there an alternative?
· Is there any research at the moment that you disagree with?
· What are the disadvantages of a botox?
· What are the symptoms of vCJD?
· How will your interests help you as a medic?
· How would you advise travellers to avoid DVT (deep vein thrombosis)?
· How would you treat a patient who had been exposed to
· Caffeine: friend or foe?
· How closely does the NHS work with Social Services?
· How would you solve waiting times?
· How are 'improvement, reform and expansion' part of the NHS plans?
· How should the NHS expect to retain staff?
· Can food improve the mind?
· What triggers allergies?
· How does diet affect your genes?
· DNA damage: what do yuo know about this and the best method of repair?
· Is ecstasy harmless?
· Is screening dangerous?
· How can the body's immune system cause depression?
· Describe 5 ways to create a child.
· Is poetry better than pills?
· Why should we feed a cold and starve a fever?
· How will the genome transform medicine?
· What implications does your postcode have for your health?
· Do you believe in private healthcare?
· Is cancer treatment still 'luck of the draw'?
· How valuable are post mortems?
· Which medical websites do you surf?
· What do you know about PCTs (Primary Care Trusts)?
· Is the NHS working?
· How can you combat the risk of heart disease?
· Is it possible to treat osteoporosis?
· Can bacteria communicate with one another?
· How could thinning of bone and muscle be affected by diet?
Modern Languages
NB Don't be thrown by your Interview being conducted in your chosen language!
Music
· Explain how Punk and Reggae interlink.
· When was music's golden era?
Optometry
· How damaging are contact lenses?
· Is laser eye surgery safe?
Pharmacy
· What should the pharmaceutical companies charge the third
world for essential drugs?
· Should copies of successful drugs be available for the
poorer nations?
· What effect do regulators have on the pharmaceutical
companies?
· How will supermarket pharmacies and traditional outlets fare in competition?
Philosophy and Ethics (RS)
The Times has a Monday- Friday section in T2 on ethical questions which is well worth exploring.
· Too much consistency is as bad for the mind as it is for the
body. Discuss?
· What's the pleasure?
· Should politicians lie?
· Do students need ethical job guides?
· If I found £400 in a jacket I had bought from a charity shop, should I keep it?
· Should I put up a mock burglar alarm?
· Who is/ was the greatest philosopher?
· What is luxury?
Physics
· How high is the threat of asteroids and how would you combat
any threat?
· Who is Hendrik Schon and how is he allegedly linked to
Physics' biggest ever scandal?
· What is the Universe made of?
· Do we live in a cosmic colander?
· Why do we live in 3 dimensions?
· Is time travel possible?
· Is life written into the laws of Physics?
Politics
· Summarise the 2001 election campaign of the 3 main political
parties. What changes do you envisage in 2005/6?
· Is politics working?
Psychology
· How do babies think?
· If depression and behavioural problems are rife today, does it mean psychology and psychoanalysis have failed?
· How do young children understand and use maps?
· What does a PET scan look for?
· What is Psychology?
· Name Darwin's 6 basic emotions?]
· How far do environmental factors affect psychological disorders?
· Why and how does language develop so rapidly?
· How does loss of consciousness affect cognition?
· How does study of human behaviour help relieve industrial problems?
· How do our memories work?
· To what extent can computer software think like humans?
Science
·Could you agree to a live virus being held under under
international auspices in a well-guarded United Nations lab open to
all countries?
· How do you fall asleep?
· What is infinity?
· What is our fascination with infinity?
· What threat does radon pose?
· Can Science be directed?
· What is the CREST award?
· As super bugs become ever craftier at evading antibiotics,
how can scientists treat them?
· Do plants and animals work in harmony or are fighting to
control the climate.
· Tell me about Science Year.
· Explain the case for and against scientists developing bioweapons?
· Are fingerprints a scientifically accurate proof of identity?
· How does chlorine work in swimming pools? Could another chemical be used?
Sociology
· What was the Experiment? Was it justifiable?
· What are the conditions under which people accept or react against aggression?
Sports Science
· So is Chelsea the best football team in England? Is
Manchester United a spent force?
· How is too much exercise bad for you?
· What role do genes play in sport?
· What part does intelligence play in performance?
· Should pain-killers be admissible?
· Is there any situation where drug-enhanced performance can be justified?
· How far do sports stars set an example?
Teaching
· What is the ideal school?
· Do students prefer teachers with a harmonious and reassuring
appearance?
· What do you know about the 'Numeracy' and 'Literacy' hours?
Veterinary Science
· What would you have done with Phoenix?
· Let's imagine Foot and Mouth never happened. Now tell me what's new in the veterinary world.
· 'Foot and mouth': would you have vaccinated or vacillated?
· Where did BSE originate?
· Name a sedative.
· Is a caged animal as disturbed as a schizophrenic pacing a room?
...and FINALLY?
Don't forget to have some questions to ask yourself.
· Would you like me to expand upon any answer I have given or clarify any particular point?
· What has impressed you about the candidates you have seen today?