If you are applying to a competitive UK university for 2027 entry, the odds are high that you will need to sit at least one admissions test, and the system you are applying into has changed more in the past year than at any point in the last two decades. This guide sets out exactly which test each course requires, what each one contains, how they are scored, and every date you cannot afford to miss. All information is taken directly from the official test boards and university admissions pages.
Furthermore, the most important thing to understand at the outset is this. In January 2026, the University of Oxford discontinued eight of its own admissions tests and moved to a set of shared tests run by University Admissions Tests UK (UAT-UK). Consequently, a great deal of the guidance still circulating online, including advice being given by schools and tutors, refers to tests that no longer exist. If you are preparing for the PAT, the MAT or the TSA for an Oxford application, you are preparing for the wrong thing.
At Briggate Educational Consultants, our team supports international students applying to leading UK universities across a wide range of disciplines. This guide is intended as a single, reliable reference for the 2027 admissions cycle.
What Changed for 2027 Entry, and Why It Matters
Until recently, Oxford ran its own admissions tests in-house, Cambridge ran a separate set, and Imperial, UCL, LSE, Warwick and Durham each had their own arrangements. As a result, an applicant targeting several universities could find themselves sitting three or four different tests, each with its own registration system and deadlines.
However, that has now largely been consolidated. Oxford discontinued the following eight tests in January 2026: the PAT (Physics Aptitude Test), the MAT (Mathematics Admissions Test), the TSA (Thinking Skills Assessment), the MLAT (Modern Languages Admissions Test), the PhilAT (Philosophy Admissions Test), the BMSAT (Biomedical Sciences Admissions Test), the AHCAAT (Ancient History and Classical Archaeology Admissions Test) and the CAT (Classics Admissions Test).
In their place, Oxford now uses three shared UAT-UK tests: the ESAT for engineering and science, the TMUA for mathematics and computer science, and the TARA for the social sciences cluster. Furthermore, these same three tests are used by Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, LSE, Warwick and Durham, which means one test can now serve several applications.
In addition, two long-standing tests sit outside this system and are unchanged: the UCAT for medicine and dentistry, and the LNAT for law. Both are administered independently and have entirely separate timelines.
The practical consequence for applicants is significant. There are fewer tests to prepare for, but the registration deadlines are earlier than many people expect, they are strictly enforced, and failing to register for a required test can invalidate your application outright.
The Five Admissions Tests at a Glance
| Test | Subject area | Used by | Length | Cost (UK) | Cost (overseas) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESAT | Engineering, physics, natural sciences, veterinary medicine | Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, UCL | 120 mins (most candidates) | £78 | £133 |
| TMUA | Mathematics, economics, computer science | Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, UCL, LSE, Warwick, Durham | 2 hrs 30 mins | £78 | £133 |
| TARA | Social sciences, psychology, computer science, mechanical engineering | Oxford, UCL | 2 hrs | £78 | £133 |
| UCAT | Medicine and dentistry | Most UK medical and dental schools | Approx. 2 hrs | £70 | £115 |
| LNAT | Law | Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE, KCL, Durham, Bristol, Glasgow, SOAS | 2 hrs 15 mins | £75 | £120 |
Note that the ESAT, TMUA and TARA are all delivered by UAT-UK through Pearson VUE test centres and share a single registration system and identical deadlines. The UCAT and LNAT have separate systems and separate, earlier deadlines.
The ESAT: Engineering and Science Admissions Test
Who needs to sit it
The ESAT is required for engineering, physics, natural sciences, biological sciences and veterinary medicine courses at Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College London and UCL. It is compulsory for the courses that list it, and failing to register may invalidate your application.
Format and modules
The ESAT consists of five available modules in total: Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Each module lasts 40 minutes and contains 27 multiple-choice questions.
Mathematics 1 is compulsory for every candidate. Most candidates then take two further modules, making the test 120 minutes long in total. However, the specific modules you need depend entirely on your course, and some courses specify exactly which ones you must take.
Notably, this is where applicants most commonly go wrong. Your module selection cannot be changed after you book. If you select the wrong modules, your only option is to cancel and rebook, which is subject to test centre availability and carries no guarantee that your preferred date or location will still be free. Therefore, check the module requirement for every ESAT course on your UCAS list before you book anything.
Furthermore, if you are applying to two courses that require the ESAT and one of them offers a free choice of modules, your selection must be dictated by the course with compulsory modules. If two of your courses have genuinely conflicting compulsory requirements, contact UAT-UK through your online account before booking rather than guessing.
ESAT module requirements by course (2027 entry)
| University | Course | Modules required |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | Engineering (H100) | Maths 1, Maths 2, Physics |
| Cambridge | Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (H810) | Maths 1 + any two from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths 2 |
| Cambridge | Natural Sciences (BCF0) | Maths 1 + any two from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths 2 |
| Cambridge | Veterinary Medicine (D100) | Maths 1 + any two from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths 2 |
| Oxford | Engineering Science (H100) | Maths 1, Maths 2, Physics |
| Oxford | Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Information and Mechanical Engineering | Maths 1, Maths 2, Physics |
| Oxford | Physics (F303) and Physics and Philosophy (VF53) | Maths 1, Maths 2, Physics |
| Oxford | Biomedical Sciences (BC98) | Maths 1 + any two from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths 2 |
| Imperial | Aeronautical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Electronic, Electronic and Information, and Mechanical Engineering | Maths 1, Maths 2, Physics |
| Imperial | Design Engineering (28G3) | Two modules only: Maths 1 + Maths 2 |
| Imperial | Physics courses | Maths 1, Maths 2, Physics |
| Imperial | Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Ecology and Environmental Biology | Maths 1, Chemistry, Biology |
| UCL | Electronic and Electrical Engineering (H600, H601) | Maths 1 + any two from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths 2 |
Moreover, Imperial’s Design Engineering course is worth flagging separately, as it is the one course on the list that requires only two modules rather than three. Oxford’s foundation year versions of its engineering courses carry the same module requirements as the standard versions.
Scoring
For the ESAT, you receive a separate score for each module, reported on a scale from 1 (low) to 9 (high) to one decimal place. There is no pass or fail. You cannot use a calculator or dictionary, and there is no negative marking, so it is always worth attempting every question.
The TMUA: Test of Mathematics for University Admission
Who needs to sit it
The TMUA is used by seven universities for mathematics, economics and computer science courses: Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, UCL, LSE, Warwick and Durham. Importantly, its status varies by institution, and this distinction matters a great deal.
Compulsory at Cambridge (Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics), Oxford (Computer Science, Computer Science and Philosophy, Mathematics and Computer Science, Mathematics and Philosophy, Mathematics/Mathematics and Statistics), Imperial (all Computing and Mathematics courses, plus Economics, Finance and Data Science), UCL (Economics), Warwick (Computer Science, Discrete Mathematics, Mathematics, except for applicants eligible for a contextual offer), and LSE (BSc Economics and BSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics).
Recommended but not compulsory for a further set of courses, including LSE’s Actuarial Science, Data Science, Financial Mathematics and Statistics, and Mathematics with Economics; Warwick’s Data Science, Economics, EPAIS and MORSE programmes; and Durham’s Mathematics and Mathematics and Statistics degrees.
The word “recommended” is doing real work here. A recommended test is one that can only help you: a strong score strengthens your application, and there is no penalty for not sitting it. Consequently, for a competitive applicant to any of these courses, sitting the TMUA is usually worthwhile even where it is not required.
Format
In terms of structure, the TMUA lasts 2 hours 30 minutes and is divided into two papers of 75 minutes each, with 20 multiple-choice questions per paper.
Paper 1, Applications of Mathematical Knowledge, tests your ability to apply mathematics in unfamiliar situations. Paper 2, Mathematical Reasoning, tests mathematical reasoning and simple ideas from elementary logic.
Importantly, the content is based on Higher Level GCSE mathematics and AS-level mathematics, so it does not require material beyond what you will already have studied. What it tests is how flexibly you can use it. Moreover, UAT-UK publishes a Notes on Logic and Proof document specifically for Paper 2, which is worth working through carefully as elementary logic is not covered in most A-Level specifications.
Scoring
Unlike the ESAT, the TMUA produces a single overall score on the 1 to 9 scale, reported to one decimal place. Again, there is no pass or fail, no calculator, and no negative marking.
The TARA: Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions
Who needs to sit it
The TARA is the newest of the three UAT-UK tests and is currently used by Oxford and UCL only. It replaces Oxford’s discontinued TSA.
At Oxford, the TARA is required for: Economics and Management, Experimental Psychology, History and Economics, History and Politics, Human Sciences, Philosophy and Linguistics, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Psychology and Linguistics, and Psychology and Philosophy.
At UCL, the TARA is required for: Computer Science (BSc and MEng), Computer Science and Mathematics MEng, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng, and both the BEng and MEng in Mechanical Engineering.
However, UCL Mechanical Engineering deserves particular attention. It requires the TARA rather than the ESAT, which is unusual for an engineering course and catches applicants out every year. If you are applying to UCL Mechanical Engineering alongside engineering courses at Oxford, Cambridge or Imperial, you will need to sit two separate tests: the TARA for UCL and the ESAT for the others. Plan and budget for both.
Format
The TARA consists of three modules, each lasting 40 minutes, giving a total of two hours. All three are compulsory and are pre-selected when you book, so there are no module choices to get wrong.
Critical Thinking contains 22 multiple-choice questions. Problem Solving contains 22 multiple-choice questions. The Writing Task requires you to answer one essay question chosen from three, with a 750-word limit.
As a result of its design, the TARA is deliberately non-subject-specific. You are not tested on any subject knowledge, which means preparation is about familiarity with the format and disciplined timing rather than revision.
Scoring
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving each receive a separate score on the 1 to 9 scale. The Writing Task is not scored by UAT-UK at all. Instead, a copy of your response is sent directly to the universities you have applied to, where it is read as part of your application. Consequently, the Writing Task is best thought of as a piece of assessed writing that admissions tutors will actually read, rather than as a test section to be optimised.
The UCAT: University Clinical Aptitude Test
Who needs to sit it
The UCAT is required by the great majority of UK medical and dental schools, including Oxford and Cambridge for Medicine. It sits entirely outside the UAT-UK system and has its own, considerably earlier timeline.
Format
As of the current format, the UCAT has four subtests: Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning and Situational Judgement. The test takes approximately two hours.
Note that Abstract Reasoning was removed from the UCAT from the 2025 test onwards and is no longer part of the exam. If you are working from a preparation book or website that still includes pattern-recognition questions, that material is out of date and you should not spend time on it.
Scoring
The three cognitive subtests (Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning) are each scored from 300 to 900, giving a combined total between 900 and 2700. Situational Judgement is reported separately as a band from 1 to 4 and does not contribute to the 2700 total.
Dates for 2027 entry
The testing window runs from 13 July to 24 September 2026, meaning it is already under way. Booking opened on 23 June 2026, and the booking deadline is 16 September 2026 at 3pm UK time. The UCAT Consortium makes no exceptions to this deadline.
Results are delivered to universities in early November 2026. Your UCAT score is valid for the 2027 entry cycle only and cannot be carried forward if you defer or reapply.
The LNAT: Law National Aptitude Test
Who needs to sit it
The LNAT is required for undergraduate Law by nine UK universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE, King’s College London, Durham, Bristol, Glasgow and SOAS. Like the UCAT, it is administered independently.
Format
The LNAT lasts 2 hours 15 minutes and has two sections.
Section A is a multiple-choice reading comprehension paper: 42 questions based on 12 texts, to be answered in 95 minutes. Section B is a single essay chosen from three questions, with 40 minutes allowed.
Scoring
Importantly, only Section A is centrally scored, and that score is sent to your universities. Section B is not scored centrally, but your essay is forwarded to the universities you have applied to and is read as part of your application. Therefore, treat the essay seriously even though it carries no number.
You may sit the LNAT only once per admissions cycle. There is no resit option.
Dates for 2027 entry
Registration opened on 1 August 2026 and testing begins on 1 September 2026. However, the deadlines that follow are where most applicants come unstuck. The deadlines then vary significantly by university, which is the single most confusing aspect of the LNAT.
Oxford and Cambridge applicants must register and book between 1 August and 15 September 2026, and must sit the test by 15 October 2026. Oxford’s Foundation Year in Law is the exception, with a sitting deadline of 13 January 2027.
King’s College London, LSE and UCL applicants must sit by 31 December 2026. Note that this is earlier than the January UCAS deadline: these universities want your test completed before your application is considered.
Bristol and Durham applicants have their own deadline. They must register, book and sit the LNAT by 13 January 2027, which is also the UCAS deadline.
All other LNAT universities require you to register and book by 20 January 2027 and sit by 25 January 2027, with the UCAS form submitted by 13 January 2027.
Late deadlines of 25 July 2027 to book and 31 July 2027 to sit exist, but these normally apply to international applicants only, and your chosen universities may not accept a result taken that late. Check directly with each institution rather than assuming.
The fee is determined by the location of your test centre rather than your nationality or place of residence. Furthermore, candidates in a specified list of countries, including Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya and Iran, cannot pay by card at all and must use the LNAT voucher scheme, which takes at least a week to process. Consequently, applicants in those countries need to start the payment process considerably earlier than everyone else.
Universities begin receiving LNAT results from 21 October 2026. Candidates themselves receive their own results only in mid-February or mid-August, depending on when they sat the test.
Other Tests You May Encounter
STEP (Sixth Term Examination Paper) is used principally by Cambridge for Mathematics, where offers typically include STEP conditions, and by Warwick and Imperial in some circumstances. It is a set of long-answer written papers sat in the summer alongside A-Levels, not a shortlisting test taken before application. One detail worth knowing: applicants to Peterhouse for Engineering at Cambridge may also be asked for a grade in STEP II, which is unusual among Cambridge colleges.
College admission assessments at Cambridge are separate at-interview assessments set by individual colleges for some subjects. These are not booked in advance through UAT-UK and are administered on the day. Check the requirements of your specific college.
Written work is required by Oxford for a number of humanities courses and by some Cambridge colleges. This is submitted school work rather than a test, but it has its own deadlines and should not be left to the last minute.
Every Key Date for 2027 Entry
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 August 2026 | LNAT registration opens |
| 1 September 2026 | LNAT testing begins |
| 14 September 2026, 6pm | Deadline to request UAT-UK access arrangements for the October sitting |
| 15 September 2026 | LNAT registration and booking deadline for Oxford and Cambridge applicants |
| 16 September 2026, 3pm | UCAT booking deadline |
| 21 September 2026, 6pm | Deadline to request a UAT-UK bursary for the October sitting |
| 24 September 2026 | Final day of the UCAT testing window |
| 28 September 2026, 6pm | ESAT, TMUA and TARA booking closes for the October sitting |
| 12 to 16 October 2026 | UAT-UK test window 1 (ESAT, TMUA, TARA) |
| 15 October 2026, 6pm | UCAS deadline for Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. LNAT must be sat by this date for Oxford and Cambridge |
| 21 October 2026 | Universities begin receiving LNAT results |
| Early November 2026 | UCAT results delivered to universities |
| 16 November 2026 | UAT-UK results released for the October sitting |
| December 2026 | Oxford and Cambridge interviews |
| 21 December 2026, 6pm | ESAT, TMUA and TARA booking closes for the January sitting |
| 31 December 2026 | LNAT sitting deadline for KCL, LSE and UCL applicants |
| 4 to 8 January 2027 | UAT-UK test window 2 |
| 13 January 2027 | Main UCAS equal consideration deadline (6pm UK time). Also the LNAT register, book and sit deadline for Bristol and Durham |
| 20 January 2027 | LNAT booking deadline for all remaining LNAT universities |
| 25 January 2027 | LNAT sitting deadline for all remaining LNAT universities |
| 8 February 2027 | UAT-UK results released for the January sitting |
Candidates sitting in China, Hong Kong and Macau face additional restrictions. Following attempts in October 2024 to obtain and sell test content, UAT-UK now runs its tests on only limited days in these regions: the ESAT on 12 or 13 October and 6 January, the TARA on 14 October and 7 January, and the TMUA on 15 or 16 October and 8 January. There are no exceptions, so applicants in those regions have far less flexibility and should book at the earliest opportunity.
The Rules That Catch People Out
Oxford and Cambridge applicants must sit in October. The January UAT-UK sitting is not available to them. The only exceptions are mature applicants to a Cambridge mature college with a January deadline, and applicants to Oxford’s Astrophoria Foundation Year. Applicants to every other institution may choose either sitting, and there is no advantage to either.
You may sit each test only once per admissions cycle. This applies to the ESAT, the TMUA, the TARA and the LNAT. There is no resit, and no opportunity to improve a disappointing score.
There are no late bookings. UAT-UK, the UCAT Consortium and the LNAT Consortium all state plainly that they cannot accept bookings after the published deadlines and will not make exceptions. Every year, strong candidates are excluded for administrative rather than academic reasons.
Booking deadlines come well before test dates. The October UAT-UK booking deadline of 28 September falls a full two weeks before the test window opens on 12 October. Treat the booking deadline as your real deadline.
Access arrangements and bursaries must be applied for before you book. A bursary application takes up to five working days to review, and an access arrangement request takes up to ten working days. Furthermore, UAT-UK cannot reimburse a test fee after you have paid it, so if you are eligible for a bursary you must apply and be approved before booking. UK candidates in financial need can have the full fee covered.
Cancelling after the deadline ends your cycle. If you cancel a booking after the registration deadline has passed, you will not be able to book another slot.
LNAT deadlines vary by university, and the variation is unusually wide. There are five separate deadline sets: Oxford and Cambridge (sit by 15 October 2026), KCL, LSE and UCL (sit by 31 December 2026), Bristol and Durham (sit by 13 January 2027), all other LNAT universities (sit by 25 January 2027), and a late window normally reserved for international applicants. If your five UCAS choices span more than one of these groups, the earliest deadline among them governs your whole application, because you may only sit the LNAT once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Oxford still use the PAT or the MAT? No. Oxford discontinued both in January 2026, along with the TSA, MLAT, PhilAT, BMSAT, AHCAAT and CAT. For 2027 entry, Oxford uses the ESAT for engineering and physics, the TMUA for mathematics and computer science, and the TARA for social sciences. Medicine still uses the UCAT and Law still uses the LNAT.
Which admissions test do I need? It depends entirely on the course, not the university. UAT-UK publishes a full course list for 2027 entry showing exactly which test and which modules each course requires, and you should check it alongside the course page on each university’s own website.
Can I sit an admissions test more than once? No. The ESAT, TMUA, TARA and LNAT may each be sat only once per admissions cycle. The UCAT may also only be sat once in a cycle.
How much do UK admissions tests cost? The ESAT, TMUA and TARA each cost £78 in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and £133 elsewhere. The UCAT costs £70 in the UK and £115 overseas. The LNAT costs £75 at UK and EU centres and £120 elsewhere. Bursaries and fee waivers are available for eligible UK candidates on all three schemes, but must be applied for before booking.
Is there a pass mark for the ESAT, TMUA or TARA? No. None of the UAT-UK tests has a pass or fail score. Results are reported on a 1 to 9 scale and are read alongside the rest of your application. Different universities and different courses use scores differently, and none publishes a formal cut-off.
Do I lose marks for wrong answers? No. There is no negative marking on the ESAT, the TMUA or the TARA, so you should attempt every question rather than leaving blanks.
Can I use a calculator? No. Calculators and dictionaries are not permitted in the ESAT, TMUA or TARA.
What happens if I do not register for a required test? Your application to that course may be invalidated. UAT-UK states this explicitly, and it is not a discretionary matter that admissions tutors can waive.
Do I need to sit both the ESAT and the TARA? Possibly, and this catches out engineering applicants in particular. If you are applying to UCL Mechanical Engineering, which requires the TARA, alongside engineering at Oxford, Cambridge or Imperial, which require the ESAT, you will need to sit both.
When should I book? As early as possible. Test centre availability is finite, popular slots fill quickly, and booking early gives you the best chance of sitting at your nearest centre on a date that suits you. Booking early also leaves room to fix mistakes, which becomes impossible once the deadline passes.
How Briggate Can Help
As things stand, admissions tests are now a decisive part of the UK application process at the most selective universities. Furthermore, the 2026 overhaul means that many applicants, and a good number of schools, are working from outdated information about which tests are required and when they must be booked.
At Briggate, our admissions consultants provide end-to-end support across every stage of the UK application process. We cover strategic course and university selection, identification of exactly which tests your specific combination of choices requires, test preparation with subject specialists, personal statement and structured question coaching under the new UCAS format, interview preparation, and ongoing support from offer through to arrival in the UK.
We work with a limited number of students each cycle to ensure that the quality of our support remains genuinely exceptional. Book a free initial consultation with a Briggate admissions consultant today.
This article was written by the Briggate Educational Consultants team. All dates, fees, formats and course requirements are taken directly from UAT-UK, the UCAT Consortium, the LNAT Consortium and official university admissions pages, and are correct as of August 2026. Admissions testing changed substantially in January 2026, so treat older guidance with caution. Always verify current requirements on the UAT-UK website, the relevant test board’s website, your target universities’ course pages and the official UCAS website before booking anything.
