ESAT Guide: Modules, Scoring and Which Courses Require It

The Engineering and Science Admissions Test, known as the ESAT, is a computer-based multiple-choice test that Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial College London use alongside predicted grades and personal statements when selecting applicants to engineering, physics and natural sciences degrees. It is owned and administered by UAT-UK, a not-for-profit body established jointly by Imperial and Cambridge in 2023, with test centres run worldwide by Pearson. Every candidate sits a compulsory mathematics module plus further modules chosen according to their course; universities set the exact combination themselves.

Which modules a given course requires, how scores are reported and when candidates must register all vary by university and subject, so applicants should check their own course page, since no single combination applies across every engineering or science course. This guide sets out the module requirements confirmed on the official UAT-UK, Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial pages, how each module is timed, how results reach universities ahead of the UCAS deadline that applies to these courses, and where official specimen material is available for practice.

What is the ESAT and who runs it?

UAT-UK is the not-for-profit organisation that owns and manages the ESAT, established in 2023 as a joint venture between Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge to give competitive engineering and science courses a shared admissions test. Pearson delivers the test on UAT-UK's behalf through its worldwide network of test centres, and candidates register and book through a UAT-UK online account, separate from UCAS. UAT-UK also owns two related tests, the Test of Mathematics for University Admission and the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions, though neither falls within engineering, physics or natural sciences admissions specifically.

Which Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial courses require the ESAT?

Each university publishes its own list of courses that require the ESAT; none of the three requires it across every science or engineering course, so applicants should confirm their specific course before assuming it applies.

• Cambridge: Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, and Natural Sciences
• Oxford: Engineering Science, Physics, and Physics and Philosophy; Materials Science, which previously used Oxford's own Physics Aptitude Test, now requires no admissions test at all
• Imperial: Aeronautics, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Dyson School of Design Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Life Sciences, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics

Which modules does each course require?

Every ESAT candidate sits Mathematics 1, a compulsory module, and then further modules that depend entirely on the course applied for, with no course allowing candidates to choose their own combination freely.

• Cambridge Engineering: Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics
• Cambridge Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, and Cambridge Natural Sciences: Mathematics 1 plus two further modules chosen from Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics 2, according to the subjects the applicant intends to pursue
• Oxford Engineering Science, Physics, and Physics and Philosophy: Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics
• Imperial Aeronautics, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics: Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics
• Imperial Chemical Engineering: Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Chemistry
• Imperial Dyson School of Design Engineering: Mathematics 1 and Mathematics 2 only, with no third module
• Imperial Life Sciences: Mathematics 1, Chemistry and Biology

How is each module structured and timed?

Each ESAT module lasts 40 minutes and contains 27 multiple-choice questions, sat on screen under timed conditions with no calculator permitted and only an erasable booklet or whiteboard, provided by the test centre, for working. Modules are timed independently, so time left over from one module cannot be carried into the next. Most candidates sit Mathematics 1 plus two further modules, three modules in total lasting 120 minutes, though Imperial's Dyson School of Design Engineering candidates sit only two modules, 80 minutes in total, since that course does not require a third. Applicants planning to include Biology should also note that, on Cambridge's own course pages, this module is offered only at the autumn sitting.

How are ESAT results reported and used?

Each module is scored on a scale from 1, the lowest, to 9, the highest, reported to one decimal place, with no pass or fail threshold set for the test as a whole. Scores are based solely on correct answers, so there is no penalty for an incorrect or unanswered question. How the score feeds into a decision differs by university: Oxford's Department of Physics describes the ESAT score as its primary shortlisting criterion for interview, interpreted alongside contextual data about the candidate, while Cambridge describes the result as fitting into the rest of the application without publishing a fixed weighting, and Imperial confirms only that there is no pass or fail.

When are the test sittings, and how does registration relate to the UCAS deadline?

UAT-UK runs two ESAT sittings each year, one in the autumn and one in January, to accommodate different university deadlines. Registration is made directly with UAT-UK through a Pearson account and is entirely separate from the UCAS application itself, so submitting a UCAS form does not register a candidate for the test. Most Cambridge and Oxford applicants to these courses must use the autumn sitting, since that is the one whose results reach universities before the UCAS deadline that applies to their course; Cambridge allows mature applicants to use the January sitting instead, and Oxford gives its Foundation Year applicants the choice of either. Any access arrangements or bursary application must be confirmed before booking opens, well ahead of the sitting itself.

How should students prepare using official specimen material?

UAT-UK's own website is the place to prepare for the ESAT, since it publishes the only specimen and practice material the test-setters have endorsed. This includes a content specification and guide setting out the mathematics and science, drawn from GCSE and A-level study, that the test covers; free specimen tests with explained answers; timed practice tests; and an archive of past papers, including legacy papers whose question style overlaps with the ESAT. UAT-UK notes that candidates should not expect their ESAT performance to mirror school exam results, since the test is designed to be challenging enough to differentiate strongly able applicants, and it does not endorse any commercial coaching provider.

Which older tests did the ESAT replace, and what mistakes do applicants commonly make?

The ESAT succeeded several predecessor tests. At Cambridge it succeeds the Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment and the Engineering Admissions Assessment; at Oxford it succeeds the Physics Aptitude Test for Engineering Science, Physics and Physics and Philosophy. Oxford's Materials Science course, which also used the Physics Aptitude Test, had its admissions test requirement removed entirely, with no transfer to the ESAT.

• Registering for a module combination that fits a different course, since Imperial's own courses require different third modules from each other
• Forgetting that ESAT registration is made directly with UAT-UK through Pearson, separate from the UCAS application
• Assuming the Biology module is available at both sittings, when Cambridge's course pages note it is offered only in the autumn
• Leaving an access arrangements or bursary application until after booking opens, when confirmation is required in advance
• Applying to courses at different universities with conflicting fixed module combinations without checking whether a further module needs separate permission from UAT-UK

Sources

Requirements, accepted tests and levels in this guide were checked against the official pages below in September 2026. They change from time to time, so confirm the current position on the official page before booking a test or making a decision.

• esat-tmua.ac.uk/
• esat-tmua.ac.uk/about-the-tests/esat-test/
• esat-tmua.ac.uk/about-uat-uk/
• esat-tmua.ac.uk/prepare/
• esat-tmua.ac.uk/faq/
• imperial.ac.uk/study/apply/undergraduate/process/admissions-tests/esat/
• undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/how/science-engineering-admission-test
• undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/engineering-ba-hons-meng
• undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/natural-sciences-ba-hons-msci
• undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/chemical-engineering-biotechnology-ba-hons

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