<p>“Of course, wouldn’t standardized final exams for high school courses also mean that there is more consistency across high schools, and there is no need for college admissions specific tests like the SAT and ACT?”</p>
<p>The UK operates a national curriculum and centralised administered exams followed by most schools, even privates ones. Some subjects (Medicine, History) have introduced supplementary tests as well</p>
<p>It is a VERY different system, that is looking for applicants to demonstrate their proficiency and commitment to the academic subject they are applying to study - admissions are not looking for ‘all rounders’. There is early focus on 3-4 subjects in junior and senior year of HS, and then one/two for your degree. Academic results are the main factor in gaining entry to university, although some ECs do help with the application (e.g. shadowing a doctor for medicine, school newspaper editor for English). </p>
<p>If there are interviews, they are often with professors in the subject you have applied for and and questions will be almost always about academics. e.g. if you apply for English, you might be given a piece of prose, sight unseen, 5 mins to read it, then asked various questions to provoke a discussion…Oxbridge interviews are a very unusual experience but there is lots of help and advice out there, on youtube, and on various internet forums. I doubt it is easier to get accepted to Oxbridge if you are an international. It MAY be easier to get an interview based on stats etc, but you still need to perform well once you get there…</p>
<p>Neither system is better, just very different…</p>