University admissions in the UK can be tricky for students to make sense of. In the UK, most universities don’t require a general university admission test, but some competitive courses and universities (especially Oxford and Cambridge) do require specific admission tests.

To make it all easier for you, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of the most common UK university admission tests required for specific subjects or courses.

Let’s go over the basic requirements first.

General Requirements

Most UK universities don’t require university admission tests for undergraduates, other than your A-levels, BTECs, IB, or other equivalent qualifications. They mainly use UCAS, which is the central system used for applying to UK universities.

However, there are some subjects, like medicine or law, that require additional tests. Certain Russell Group universities may also ask for additional tests. Courses at Oxford or Cambridge also require university admission tests. Most of these tests are conducted by Cambridge University’s Admissions Testing Service.

Now, let’s go over the different university admissions tests needed for specific subjects.

CAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test)

Students applying for medicine and dentistry usually have to go through UCAT. These university admission tests check your aptitude, problem-solving skills, decision-making, reasoning, and judgment.

It is used by most UK medical and dentistry schools.

LNAT (National Admissions Test for Law)

The LNAT or the National Admissions Test for Law is used by universities such as LSE, Oxford, Bristol, Durham, and King’s College London, among others. There are now a total of nine participating law schools and hundreds of test centres worldwide.

It’s required for law applicants and mainly covers reading comprehension and essay writing.

The LNAT is necessary for both UK and international applicants.

BMAT (Biomedical Admissions Test)

The BMAT or the Biomedical Admissions Test is required by Medicine, Dentistry, and Biomedical Science applicants.

BMT University admission tests are mainly used by Oxford University if you want to study Medicine. Cambridge, Imperial, and UCL among others.

The BMAT covers problem-solving, critical thinking, scientific knowledge (GCSE level), and writing.

However, the BMAT is being phased out for many universities in 2024. Make sure to check your university’s website to see if they still require this test.

ESAT (Engineering and Science Admissions Test)

This is a new test that replaces BMAT, NSAA, and ENGAA.

Who needs it: Students applying to courses like Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Engineering at Cambridge and some other universities.

Covers: Science subjects (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths) and problem-solving.

MAT (Mathematics Admissions Test)

The MAT or the Maths Admissions Test is needed by Maths or Computer Science applicants. It is a 2-hour 30-minute subject-specific admissions test for applicants to the University of Oxford for undergraduate degree courses in mathematics, computer science, and their joint degrees.

 Until the 2024-2025 school year, it will also be used by both the University of Warwick and Imperial College London.

The test covers  A-level Maths and problem-solving. It is created to be approachable for all students. Including those students who have not studied advanced Maths in A-levels,

The MAT is held at the beginning of November, before the interview stage. The results are not published immediately

PAT (Physics Aptitude Test)

The PAT or the Physics Aptitude Test is used by Oxford University for Physics, Engineering, Material Sciences, and other related courses. The test covers A-level Maths and Physics knowledge.

It is a 2-hour subject-specific admissions test for applicants to the University of Oxford for various undergraduate degree courses.

The PAT is held at the beginning of November, although the result does not come out immediately. You can request your test scores as part of your application process if you are applying to Oxford.

TSA (Thinking Skills Assessment)

The TSA or the Thinking Skills Assessment is used by Oxford, Cambridge, and ICL for courses like Economics, Philosophy, Politics, and PPE.

The test covers problem-solving, critical thinking, and sometimes an essay.

ELAT (English Literature Admissions Test)

The ELAT or the English Literature Admissions Test is used by English Literature applicants for courses at Oxford and some courses at Cambridge.

It’s also used for undergraduate courses in English language, combined English and modern languages, and classics and English.

The ELAT usually covers Literary analysis of unseen texts in the test. The ELAT is usually held in late October/early November. Results are available online after the test.

STEP (Sixth Term Examination Papers)

The STEP or the Sixth Term Examination Papers are used by Maths Applicants to Cambridge, Warwick, Imperial, and many others.

These university admission tests covers Advanced Math, as in beyond that which is taught in the A-level Syllabus. Starting from 2024, STEP is administered by OCR, replacing CAAT, which was responsible for administering STEP in previous years.

If you are applying to study mathematics at the University of Cambridge, you will almost always be required to take STEP as part of the terms of your conditional offer. Similarly, other courses at Cambridge that also have a large mathematics component will also require you to take the STEP.

HAT (History Aptitude Test)

The HAT or the History Aptitude Test is used by Oxford University for students who are applying to history courses. It is also required if you are applying to a subject that is not specifically a history course but includes history.

The test itself covers a historical analysis of a primary source.

It is a one-hour test, and although it is currently only employed by Oxford University, other universities are considering adopting a similar test as part of admissions.

MML (The Modern and Medieval Languages Test)

Among others, these are rather specific university admission tests. The Modern and Medieval Languages Test or the MML, is a university admissions test used in the United Kingdom.

Currently, it is only used by the University of Cambridge.

Conclusion

We know how tough university admissions can be; hopefully, this list will be helpful in giving you some clarity about which university admission tests you may need. However, most UK universities don’t need an extra test beyond your qualifications. To make sure, keep in mind its very important to check the university website and courses before applying.

Above all, remember, don’t panic, stay calm, do your prep, and good luck! If you need further help, Enrollmate is here for you!