Expert Insights

Oxbridge Admissions Tests: The Complete List for 2027 Entry

Published 11th September 2026 by Alastair

For 2027 entry, Oxford and Cambridge use nine different admissions tests and assessments between them.

These are: the ESAT, TARA and TMUA from UAT-UK, the LNAT for Law, the UCAT for Medicine, STEP as part of some Cambridge offers, the CSAT at certain Cambridge colleges, Cambridge College admission assessments, and Oxford's written work submission.

The good news is that almost no applicant will need to sit more than one or two of these!

The admissions test landscape has also changed significantly for this application cycle. In January 2026, Oxford retired eight of its own admissions tests and moved to the shared UAT-UK assessments already used by Cambridge. This means guides still referring to the MAT, PAT, TSA, HAT, ELAT, or BMAT for an Oxbridge course are now out of date, and plenty of them are still circulating online.

Remember that Oxford and Cambridge do not use exactly the same assessments. Cambridge does not use the TARA, while Oxford does not have an equivalent to Cambridge's College admission assessments. This guide explains every assessment used by either university, which courses require them and what each one involves. For the full timeline of registration and application dates, see our guide to Oxbridge application deadlines.

Before we begin...

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The nine assessments at a glance

The nine assessments fall into three main groups. Understanding which group your assessment falls into is the quickest way to get your head around the process.

Pre-registration tests are taken in the autumn before shortlisting, and you need to book them yourself through a separate portal. These include the ESAT, TARA, TMUA, LNAT and UCAT. This is where many applicants get caught out, as registration is your responsibility rather than your school's. Missing the registration deadline means missing the test and, in some cases, being unable to continue with your application.

Assessments arranged for you take place after you have been invited to interview. You do not need to register or pay a fee. These include Cambridge College admission assessments and the CSAT.

Everything else sits slightly outside the main application process. STEP is a condition of some Cambridge offers and is taken in June, after A-Levels. Oxford written work is a submission rather than a test, but it still has a strict deadline.

One useful thing to know is that UAT-UK tests are shared between universities. If you are applying to more than one university that requires the same test, you will only need to sit it once. The ESAT is used by Imperial, Cambridge, Oxford and UCL. The TMUA is used by seven institutions, including Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, LSE, Warwick, Durham and UCL. The TARA is currently used only by Oxford and UCL.

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Which Oxford courses need an admissions test?

Sixteen Oxford undergraduate courses require a UAT-UK test, alongside Medicine and Law, which use their own admissions tests. Every other Oxford undergraduate course has no admissions test requirement.

Admissions test	Courses
TMUA	Computer Science; Computer Science and Philosophy; Mathematics and Mathematics and Statistics; Mathematics and Computer Science; Mathematics and Philosophy.
ESAT	Biomedical Sciences; Engineering Science; Physics; Physics and Philosophy.
TARA	Economics and Management; History and Economics; History and Politics; Human Sciences; Philosophy, Politics and Economics; Psychology (Experimental); Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics.
UCAT	Medicine and Graduate-entry Medicine.
LNAT	Law (Jurisprudence) and Law with Foundation Year.

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Which Cambridge courses need an admissions test?

Cambridge splits its assessments into two stages, which can make the process a little confusing at first.

Pre-registration tests are taken before shortlisting and must be booked by you. College admission assessments are arranged by your college after you have been invited to interview, so there is no registration, separate portal or fee.

Assessment	Courses
ESAT	Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology; Engineering; Natural Sciences; Veterinary Medicine.
TMUA	Computer Science; Economics; Mathematics.
LNAT	Law.
UCAT	Medicine and Medicine (Graduate Course).
No assessment	Archaeology; Education; Environment, Law and Economics, recently renamed from Land Economy; History of Art; Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion.
College admission assessment	Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic; Architecture; Asian and Middle Eastern Studies; Classics on both the three-year and four-year routes; Design; English; Geography; History; History and Modern Languages; History and Politics; Human, Social and Political Sciences; Linguistics; Linguistics and Modern Languages; Modern and Medieval Languages; Music; Philosophy; and Psychological and Behavioural Sciences.

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The UAT-UK tests: TMUA, ESAT and TARA

UAT-UK is a not-for-profit collaboration between Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge. Its three tests are computer-based and delivered through Pearson VUE test centres, with around 5,500 centres across more than 180 countries.

Because the tests are shared between universities, your score is automatically sent to every university you have applied to that requires that particular assessment. All three tests cost £78 at test centres in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and £133 elsewhere. Full-fee bursaries are available for eligible UK candidates.

If you need a bursary or access arrangements, make sure you apply before booking your test. Neither can be added to an existing booking or refunded afterwards, so it is important to leave enough time. You cannot use a calculator or dictionary in any of the three tests. There is also no negative marking, so it is always worth answering every question, even if you have to make an educated guess.

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TMUA

The TMUA consists of two 75-minute papers with 20 multiple-choice questions in each, making the total test time 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Paper 1 covers Applications of Mathematical Knowledge, while Paper 2 focuses on Mathematical Reasoning. You receive one overall score from 1 to 9, reported to one decimal place. There is no pass mark.

The content is based around Higher Level GCSE and AS Maths, which can make the TMUA sound more straightforward than it actually is. Paper 2 relies heavily on logic and proof, which are not covered in much detail by most A-Level and IB Maths courses. UAT-UK publishes separate Notes on Logic and Proof for this reason, and this is often the area applicants underestimate.

The TMUA replaced Oxford's MAT for 2027 entry.

Our TMUA tuition pairs students with tutors who have sat the test themselves.

TMUA Tutors

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ESAT

The ESAT is divided into modules. There are five available: Mathematics 1, which all candidates take, alongside Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics 2.

Most candidates take Mathematics 1 and two additional modules, making the total test time 120 minutes. Each module lasts 40 minutes and includes 27 multiple-choice questions. Modules are scored separately from 1 to 9.

Choosing the right modules is one of the most important parts of booking the ESAT. You select your modules when you book, and you cannot simply change them at the test centre. Changing them means cancelling and rebooking your test, which also means paying the fee again.

If one of your courses specifies a particular module while another gives you a choice, take the module specified by the course. If two courses genuinely require conflicting combinations, contact UAT-UK through your account before booking rather than trying to resolve the issue afterwards.

The ESAT replaced Cambridge's NSAA and ENGAA and now covers Oxford courses that previously used the PAT and BMSAT. See our ESAT tuition pages for module-specific support.

ESAT Tutors

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TARA

The TARA is the newest of the three UAT-UK tests. It was first sat in October 2025 and is currently used only by Oxford and UCL. Cambridge applicants do not need to take it. The test has three compulsory modules, each lasting 40 minutes. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving each contain 22 multiple-choice questions and are scored from 1 to 9.

The third section is a Writing Task, where you choose one essay question from a choice of three and write up to 750 words. UAT-UK does not score the Writing Task. Instead, a copy of your essay is sent directly to the universities you have applied to, where it is read by their admissions teams.

Keep that in mind when preparing. You are writing for an admissions tutor rather than a central examiner marking against a standardised rubric.

The TARA has effectively replaced Oxford's TSA, and our TARA tuition covers all three modules.

TARA Tutors

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LNAT

The LNAT is required for Law at both Oxford and Cambridge and is also used by around nine UK universities. The test has two sections and takes 2 hours and 15 minutes in total.

Section A contains 42 multiple-choice questions based on 12 argumentative passages and lasts 95 minutes. Section B gives you a choice of three essay questions, from which you choose one, and lasts 40 minutes. Section A is centrally scored, while your essay is sent to the universities you are applying to for them to read. Once you move from Section A to Section B, you cannot go back. Make sure you are happy with your answers before moving on.

The LNAT costs £75 at UK and EU test centres and £120 outside the EU. The fee depends on the test centre's location rather than your nationality or where you live. You can only sit the LNAT once per application cycle. If you sit it a second time, your later result is voided, and you cannot carry scores over from one year to the next.

Our LNAT tuition focuses on both argument analysis for Section A and essay technique for Section B.

LNAT Tutors

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UCAT

The UCAT is required for Medicine at both Oxford and Cambridge, including graduate-entry Medicine. It has replaced the retired BMAT.

The UCAT is taken during the summer, several months before the UCAS deadline. This makes it the earliest admissions test in the Oxbridge application process and one that applicants can easily leave too late.

The fee is £70 in the UK and £115 overseas, with a bursary scheme available for eligible candidates.

UCAT recommends booking a July or August test date rather than waiting until September. Availability can be limited later in the testing period, and leaving things until the last minute gives you very little flexibility if something goes wrong or you need to reschedule.

Because the test takes place so early, UCAT preparation should ideally begin during the spring of Year 12 rather than waiting until the summer.

Our UCAT tuition is designed around that timeline.

UCAT Tutors

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STEP

STEP sits separately from the admissions tests above. It is a condition of some Cambridge offers rather than part of the shortlisting process, and it is set and administered by OCR.

Cambridge Mathematics applicants whose offer includes STEP sit STEP 2 and STEP 3 in June 2027, after their A-Levels. A typical offer requires a grade 1 in both papers, although some offers may specify an S.

Each paper lasts three hours and contains 12 questions: eight pure mathematics questions, two mechanics questions and two statistics and probability questions. Only your six highest-scoring answers count towards your final mark, which is out of 120. Grades are awarded as S, 1, 2, 3 or U.

Registration is completed through a school, college or authorised open test centre rather than directly by the student. There is no late-entry route.

The Cambridge Faculty of Mathematics and NRICH both provide extensive free preparation materials. This is particularly useful for STEP, as a large amount of high-quality official preparation isavailable at no cost.

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Cambridge College admission assessments and the CSAT

For most Cambridge arts, humanities and social science courses, the assessment takes place around the interview stage rather than before shortlisting. There is no registration, separate portal or fee. The college interviewing you arranges everything and lets you know what to expect.

For most applicants, these assessments take place during the first three weeks of December. The exact format varies by subject and college, so the college's own website is the best source of information. A typical assessment may be a written paper lasting around an hour, often divided into several sections.

Cambridge states that applicants must not share assessment or interview questions, as doing so may disadvantage their application. For the same reason, be cautious about supposed past papers shared on student forums, as these are not official and may not be reliable. The CSAT is an assessment often missed by other Oxbridge admissions test guides.

Computer Science applicants at certain Cambridge colleges sit the Computer Sciences Aptitude Test alongside the TMUA. The college arranges the CSAT rather than UAT-UK or Pearson VUE, and it is free to sit. It is usually taken in December immediately before the interview, which may then include discussion about how you approached the questions.

Climb, a non-profit spin-out from the University of Cambridge, runs the test. This is one of the areas where your choice of Cambridge college can affect the amount of preparation you need to do, so make sure you check both the course requirements and the requirements of the college you are applying to.

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Oxford written work

Oxford written work is not an admissions test, but it has a strict deadline and specific requirements, making it an important part of the application for many courses. Written work must usually be submitted to your college by 10 November, although Fine Art portfolios are due earlier.

Each piece must be no more than 2,000 words, written in English and originally produced as part of your school or college work. Ideally, it should have been marked by a teacher and should not be rewritten or corrected specifically for your Oxford application. IB Extended Essays and EPQs are longer than the word limit and cannot be submitted in full, although an extract of the appropriate length can be used. If your work was written in another language, you will need to submit both the original and your own translation.

Each piece also needs a cover sheet explaining the conditions under which it was written, as admissions tutors take this information into account when reading your work. Your college will send you instructions for submitting your written work after the UCAS deadline, usually before the end of October, and submissions are completed electronically.

Courses requiring written work include Archaeology and Anthropology, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Classics and its joint courses, Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, English Language and Literature, English and Modern Languages, History and all its joint courses, History of Art, Music, Philosophy and Theology, Religion and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and Theology and Religion, plus a portfolio for Fine Art.

Keep a copy of anything you submit, as your written work may form the basis of some of the discussion if you are shortlisted for interview.

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Discontinued Oxbridge Tests

Oxford discontinued eight of its own admissions tests in January 2026: the MAT, PAT, TSA, MLAT, PhilAT, BMSAT, AHCAAT and CAT. The ELAT and HAT had already been removed in earlier application cycles. Meanwhile, Cambridge replaced the NSAA and ENGAA with the ESAT, while the BMAT was retired across the sector and replaced by the UCAT.

This matters when you are preparing and when you are planning your application. Past papers from retired tests can still help you revise relevant subject content. NSAA and ENGAA material can also still provide useful practice for ESAT topics. However, the format, timing, and computer-based delivery differ, so don't treat old papers as exact mock exams.

If you are using a preparation resource that has not been updated since 2025, check carefully which admissions test it is actually preparing you for!

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How to prepare for Oxbridge admissions tests

These tests are generally designed to assess how you think and apply knowledge you already have, rather than requiring you to learn an entirely new syllabus. Preparation is therefore more about getting familiar with the question style and learning to work effectively under time pressure, which is why last-minute cramming is often less effective than starting early and building familiarity over time.

Start with the official free preparation materials. UAT-UK publishes specifications, specimen tests and its Notes on Logic and Proof; LNAT provides sample essays and practice tests; and UCAT has official practice materials and a Skills Trainer. For STEP, preparation material comes from NRICH and the Cambridge Faculty of Mathematics, while Climb publishes CSAT past papers.

There are also a few practical points that are easy to overlook. These are computer-based tests taken at Pearson VUE centres, so practising only with printed papers can leave you unfamiliar with the on-screen format and navigation, and that can cost valuable time on the day. You cannot use a calculator in the ESAT, TARA or TMUA, so mental arithmetic and numerical confidence matter more than many applicants expect, and since there is no negative marking in the UAT-UK tests, you should never leave a question blank. Finally, book early, because popular test centres can fill up quickly and rebooking may mean paying the fee again.

For most applicants, three to four months is a sensible amount of preparation time, which means beginning serious preparation during the summer before Year 13. Medicine applicants will generally need a longer timeline, as the UCAT is taken in July or August.

If you would like more structured support, Ivy matches students with tutors who specialise in their specific admissions test and have sat it themselves, and you can read more on our admissions test tuition pages.

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Conclusion

There are nine different assessments used across Oxford and Cambridge for 2027 entry, but most applicants will only need to take one or two of them. The most important thing is understanding exactly what your specific course at your specific university requires. This has changed for many courses during the current application cycle.

Two issues cause many of the avoidable problems: The first is missing a registration deadline. Admissions tests are booked through separate systems, and you are responsible for registering on time. The second is preparing for a test that no longer exists. There are still plenty of outdated resources and guides online, so always check that your preparation materials match the current admissions requirements. Both problems are relatively easy to avoid once you know what to look out for.

Check your individual course page as the final authority, and see our guide to Oxbridge application deadlines for the full timeline.

If you would like to talk through which test your course requires and how to prepare, our Oxbridge admissions consultants are all Oxford or Cambridge graduates, and an initial consultation is free.

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FAQs

There are nine assessments across the two universities for 2027 entry: the ESAT, TARA and TMUA from UAT-UK, the LNAT for Law, the UCAT for Medicine, STEP as a Cambridge offer condition, the CSAT at certain Cambridge colleges, Cambridge College admission assessments and Oxford's written work submission. Almost no applicant will need to complete more than one or two of these.

This depends entirely on the course and university you are applying to.

Broadly speaking, the TMUA is used for maths-related courses, the ESAT for engineering and science courses, the TARA for a range of Oxford social science courses, the LNAT for Law and the UCAT for Medicine.

Check the course lists above and then confirm the requirements on your individual course page before registering.

Not entirely.

Both universities use the ESAT, TMUA, LNAT and UCAT. However, only Oxford uses the TARA, while only Cambridge uses College admission assessments, the CSAT and STEP.

The same test may also be required for different courses at each university.

Oxford discontinued all three in January 2026, along with the MLAT, PhilAT, BMSAT, AHCAAT and CAT.

Maths and Computer Science applicants now take the TMUA, Physics and Engineering applicants take the ESAT, and courses that previously required the TSA now use the TARA.

No. The BMAT has been retired.

Both Oxford and Cambridge now use the UCAT for Medicine and graduate-entry Medicine.

No, apart from two narrow exceptions.

Most Oxbridge applicants must sit their admissions test during the October window. The exceptions are Cambridge mature colleges with a January deadline and Oxford's Astrophoria Foundation Year, both of which may use the January sitting.

The ESAT, TMUA and TARA each cost £78 in the UK and Republic of Ireland and £133 elsewhere.

The LNAT costs £75 at UK and EU centres and £120 outside the EU.

The UCAT costs £70 in the UK and £115 overseas.

All three testing organisations offer bursary schemes for eligible candidates, and you need to apply before booking your test.

No.

Each admissions test has its own registration system separate from your UCAS application. Registering for the test is your responsibility rather than your school's.

Missing the deadline can prevent an application from progressing, so make sure you check registration dates well in advance.

A pre-registration test is taken before shortlisting, booked by you and paid for separately.

A College admission assessment is arranged by the Cambridge college after you have been invited to interview. There is no registration or fee, and it is usually taken around the same time as your interview.

No.

The UAT-UK tests, LNAT and UCAT are each taken once per application cycle, and your result is shared with every university you have applied to that requires the test.

You only pay the test fee once.

If different courses require different tests, however, you will need to sit each of the relevant assessments.

No.

All three tests are scored from 1 to 9 and do not have a pass or fail mark. Your results are considered alongside the other parts of your application, including your grades, personal statement, reference and interview performance.

The tests are designed to be challenging, so very few candidates answer every question correctly.

If your course requires an admissions test and you do not register before the deadline, your application cannot proceed for that cycle.

There is no late-entry route.

Your options may then include applying for a course without an admissions test requirement, applying to a university with a January deadline, or applying again the following year.