STATE school pupils could be damaging their chances of winning an Oxbridge place by picking the most popular subjects.

Figures suggest state-educated students are more likely to apply for the most over-subscribed courses, like Medicine and Law, than their privately educated counterparts.

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of social mobility charity the Sutton Trust, said he was concerned private school pupils were being taught how to "game the system".

But Peter Hamilton, of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, which represents private school leaders, insisted a broader subject choice at sixth form was behind the findings.