I applied to Oxford for Economics and Management from Singapore and got in. Since then I have coached many E&M applicants through the same interview. This is what I would tell you if you had a week to prepare.
I have personally helped more than 50 Singaporean students get into Oxford and Cambridge, and E&M is the course closest to my own experience. This guide covers the 2027-entry E&M interview dates, what the economics and management halves really test, my own interview question, and a bank of real questions with how to approach each.
For the approach that works across every Oxbridge interview, read the Oxbridge interview guide for Singapore students first.
Dates and format for 2027 entry
From Oxford's official interview timetable (UK time; add eight hours for Singapore):
- First college interviews: Wednesday 9, Thursday 10 and Friday 11 December 2026.
- Second college decision: by 10am UK time on Monday 14 December (6pm in Singapore).
- Second college interviews: Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 December.
- Decision: 12 January 2027 via UCAS.
E&M applicants sat the TARA admissions test in October. Now the interview is what counts.
How competitive is Oxford E&M?
Oxford's own figures for Economics and Management (three-year average, 2023 to 2025):
- 18% of applicants were shortlisted for interview.
- 5% of applicants were successful.
- About 82 students start E&M each year.
That makes the shortlist for E&M one of the hardest to reach at Oxford. Once you are interviewed, a little over one in four interviewees gets an offer.
My own E&M interview
I was asked about purchasing power parity, through the Big Mac index. The question was whether it made sense that a Big Mac costs different amounts in, say, Somalia and Switzerland.
There was no single right answer. What the tutors wanted was to see me reason through it: what the index assumes (that the same good should cost the same everywhere once you convert currencies), why that might fail (local wages and rents, taxes, the fact that a burger cannot be shipped across borders), and what the gap might tell you about a country's exchange rate or living standards. They nudged me along at each step.
That is what an E&M interview feels like. A familiar-looking idea, examined much more carefully than you are used to.
What the economics half tests
Oxford publishes one of its own E&M sample questions, the Holiday Puzzle. Two cousins each have a fixed holiday budget to spread over four days. One gets satisfaction from spending that grows like a square root; the other is impatient and over-values spending today. How will each spread their money, and is there a better way for the impatient one to do it?
Notice what that question needs: a bit of maths (square roots, diminishing returns), an economic idea (how people trade off today against tomorrow), and a final step to real policy, such as pensions or savings schemes. That is the E&M interview in miniature.
Do not neglect H2 Maths
H2 Economics sets the foundation, but a large part of the questions will be mathematical. Past applicants report being asked to sketch graphs, differentiate functions and work out expected returns. If your maths has gone rusty since A-levels, fix that first.
What the management half tests
Students without a business background often worry about this half. They should not. There is no need to learn business. Tutors are not testing management theory.
Instead, spend your time reading recent business news and brushing up slightly on some financials: what revenue, cost and profit mean, what a share price represents, and how investment returns work. That gives you enough to reason about a company's decisions out loud.
Management questions tend to be practical. Should a big supermarket open in the middle of Oxford? Are large or small companies more successful? You are being tested on whether you can think about incentives, competition and trade-offs in a real setting.
Oxford E&M interview questions
Oxford sample questions are published by Oxford. Reported questions come from past applicants' accounts; treat them as representative of the style.
Oxford E&M economics and maths questions
1. The Holiday Puzzle: two cousins, a fixed budget, four days, one patient and one impatient. How does each spend their money?
Source: Oxford sample, St Anne's
Start with the patient cousin. With square-root satisfaction, each extra euro adds less than the one before, so spreading spending evenly makes sense. The impatient cousin will overspend on day one, then regret it. Then the important step: how could he commit himself to a better plan? Link it to real-world savings and pensions.
2. Do bankers deserve the pay they receive? Should government limit it?
Source: Oxford sample, Lady Margaret Hall
Separate "deserve" (a fairness question) from "should the government act" (an economics and policy question). Think about what drives pay (scarce skills, profits, risk), and what a cap might do (people moving abroad, pay shifting into bonuses).
3. Three portfolios, A, B and C, pay different returns depending on whether the economy is high, medium or low. Put this in a table.
Source: Reported
Follow-ups: what if you put half in A and half in B? What is the expected return if each state is equally likely? This is basic probability and averages. Work carefully and say every step.
4. Draw the graph of ln(x). What is its derivative? What about x⁵?
Source: Reported
Pure H2 Maths. Follow-ups ask for the maximum and minimum of x² over different ranges. If you freeze here, the economics half never gets a chance. Practise until this is automatic.
5. Purchasing power parity: does it make sense that a Big Mac costs different amounts in different countries?
Source: My own interview
See above. Explain the assumption, find where it breaks, and say what the gap tells you.
Oxford E&M management questions
6. Should a Walmart store be opened in the middle of Oxford?
Source: Reported
Who wins and who loses? Shoppers get lower prices; small shops may lose out; the town centre and traffic may change. Then think about whether the decision should be left to the market or to the council.
7. Are large or small companies more successful?
Source: Reported
Define "successful" first: profit, growth, survival, innovation? Large firms have scale; small ones have speed. Use real examples from your reading of business news.
8. A college has to decide how to lease out its property. What would you suggest?
Source: Reported, Jesus
A practical problem. Ask what the college wants (income, stability, use by students) and design options around those goals.
Oxford E&M text and data questions
9. Using a pre-reading on the gender pay gap: what reasons does the text give for why women are paid less than men?
Source: Reported
Follow-up: given a new table of data, which of those reasons does it support most closely? Then: which solutions does the article suggest, and would they work? Refer back to the text and the numbers.
10. Discuss this unseen article on airline collusion.
Source: Reported, Jesus
Why might firms collude? Why is it hard to keep a cartel going? Why does it matter to customers? Link it to competition and pricing.
11. What are the arguments for and against a minimum wage?
Source: Reported
You know the textbook answer. Go further: when might a minimum wage not cost jobs? Singapore's own approach to wage policy is a fair, brief example to analyse critically.
Personal questions, including "Why E&M?"
12. Why Economics and Management, and why Oxford?
Source: prepare for this
Explain why you want both halves. A good answer links them: for example, how a firm's decisions depend on the economics of its market, and why you want to study both rigorously. For "why Oxford", talk about the tutorial system and the course structure. Avoid saying you want to "go into business".
A note on how it will feel
Almost nobody leaves thinking it went well. On The Student Room, a common reassurance to anxious applicants is that this is true even of people who go on to get offers (thread). Judge your preparation, not your feelings afterwards.
How to prepare for the Oxford E&M interview
- Refresh H2 Maths: graphs, derivatives, probability and expected values.
- Read business news daily until your interview, and pick two or three company stories you could discuss in depth.
- Learn basic financial vocabulary: revenue, profit, margins, returns.
- Reread your personal statement and be ready to go deeper on every idea in it.
- Do mocks with someone who has done an Oxford E&M interview if you can. The mix of maths and open discussion is hard to simulate otherwise.
If you are still building your economics foundation, start with our JC Economics revision guide.
FAQs
When are Oxford E&M interviews for 2027 entry?
First college interviews are on 9, 10 and 11 December 2026. If you are invited to a second college, you will hear by 10am UK time on 14 December, and those interviews take place on 15 and 16 December.
Do I need to know about business or management?
No. Tutors do not test management theory. Reading recent business news and knowing basic financial ideas is enough.
How mathematical is the Oxford E&M interview?
Quite mathematical, in my experience and my students'. Expect graphs, derivatives and probability. H2 Maths matters as much as H2 Economics.
What is the Oxford E&M interview success rate?
Oxford's three-year average (2023 to 2025) for E&M is 18% of applicants shortlisted for interview and 5% successful, with about 82 places a year.
When do Oxford E&M interview results come out?
Oxford releases decisions for 2027 entry on 12 January 2027, through UCAS.
Is E&M harder to get into than PPE?
Both are very competitive. Rather than picking the course you think is easier, choose the one you genuinely want to study for three years. Tutors can tell.
