If you’re applying to certain universities or courses in the UK, you may need to complete an admissions test as part of the admissions process. While not mandatory for every university degree, these tests are common in certain fields and are heavily used by some of the UK’s top universities.
On this page, you’ll discover all of the major admissions tests used by UK universities and when you’ll need to take them. You will also find our suite of free guides to these admissions tests, all of which will help you begin your test preparation.
In the UK, there are several universities that use a variety of admissions tests, while others use tests for one or two specific subjects. The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge are the two institutions that use the most admissions tests, with several exclusive tests being implemented. Imperial College London, UCL and the London School of Economics also use several admissions tests for specific courses.
All UK medical schools require applicants to sit the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT), while some law schools, including Oxford, Cambridge, UCL and LSE, feature the Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT) as a requirement for their degrees.Â
The standard UK university application process is fairly in-depth, but it doesn’t always leave applicants an opportunity to differentiate themselves outside of their Personal Statements. For the most competitive courses in the UK, admissions tests help both applicants and admissions tutors but providing an additional metric with which to judge each applicant’s ability.Â
A good admissions test score is a great way to make an impression on the admissions tutors, who will be looking at the results closely to determine which applicants display the most potential. As such, effectively preparing for your test is essential, which can be done in many ways. Be sure to check out the guides below or discover our admissions test tuition.Â
Below are all of the major admissions tests used in the UK, including which universities require them and what key dates you need to know:
Scroll left and right to see more details.
| Test | Universities | Registration Dates | Testing Dates | Results Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) | All UK Medical & Dental Schools | 17th June 2025 – 19th September 2025 | 7th July 2025 – 26th September 2025 | After test |
| Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT) | Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE, KCL, Bristol, Durham, Glasgow, SOAS | 1st August 2025 – 14th January 2026 | 1st September 2025 – 14th January 2026 | Mid February 2026 |
| Test of Mathematics for University Admissions (TMUA) | Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, LSE, Durham, Warwick | 31st July 2025 – 29th September 2025 (October Period), 27th October – 19th December (January Period) | 13th & 14th October 2025 (October Period), 8th – 9th January 2026 (January Period) | 14th November 2025 (October Period), TBC February 2026 (January Period) |
| Engineering & Science Admissions Test (ESAT) | Cambridge, Imperial, UCL | 31st July 2025 – 29th September 2025 (October Period), 27th October – 19th December (January Period) | October 9th & 10th 2025 (October Period), 6th – 7th January 2026 (January Period) | 14th November 2025 (October Period), TBC February 2026 (January Period) |
| Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP) | Cambridge | TBC Match 2026 – TBC May 2026 | TBC June 2026 | TBC August 2026 |
| Ancient History and Classical Archaeology Admissions Test (AHCAAT) | Oxford | 18th June 2025 – 19th September 2025 | 24th October 2025 | TBC January 2026 |
| Biomedical Sciences Admissions Test (BMSAT) | Oxford | 18th June 2025 – 19th September 2025 | 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th & 27th October 2025 | TBC January 2026 |
| Classics Admissions Test (CAT) | Oxford | 18th June 2025 – 19th September 2025 | 22nd, 23rd & 24th October 2025 | TBC January 2026 |
| Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT) | Oxford | 18th June 2025 – 19th September 2025 | 22nd & 23rd October 2025 | TBC January 2026 |
| Modern Languages Admissions Test (MLAT) | Oxford | 18th June 2025 – 19th September 2025 | 24th October 2025 | TBC January 2026 |
| Physics Admissions Test (PAT) | Oxford | 18th June 2025 – 19th September 2025 | 22nd & 23rd October 2025 | TBC January 2026 |
| Philosophy Admissions Test (PHILAT) | Oxford | 18th June 2025 – 19th September 2025 | 24th October 2025 | TBC January 2026 |
| Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) | Oxford | 18th June 2025 – 19th September 2025 | 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th & 27th October 2025 | TBC January 2026 |
| Archaeology Admissions Assessment | Cambridge | NA | Pre-Interview | NA |
| Architecture Admissions Assessment | Cambridge | NA | Pre-Interview | NA |
| Classics Admissions Assessment (CAA) | Cambridge | NA | Pre-Interview | NA |
| English Admissions Assessment (EAA) | Cambridge | NA | Pre-Interview | NA |
| History Admissions Assessment (HAA) | Cambridge | NA | Pre-Interview | NA |
| History of Art Admissions Assessment | Cambridge | NA | Pre-Interview | NA |
| Linguistics Admissions Assessment (LAA) | Cambridge | NA | Pre-Interview | NA |
| Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment (MML) | Cambridge | NA | Pre-Interview | NA |
| Philosophy Admissions Assessment (PAA) | Cambridge | NA | Pre-Interview | NA |
| Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion Admissions Assessment | Cambridge | NA | Pre-Interview | NA |
| Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions (TARA) | UCL | 31st July 2025 – 29th September 2025 (October Period), 27th October – 19th December (January Period) | 15th – 16th October 2025 (October Period), 12th – 13th January 2026 (January Period) | 14th November 2025 (October Period), TBC February 2026(January Period) |
Learn more about your admissions test within our expert guides below.Â
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Admissions tests are exams utilised by institutions and organisations during admissions processes. While these can be used in a variety of contexts, including school admissions and recruitment, university admissions is one of the most common uses for these tests.
There’s no set format or content for an admissions test. Some tests can be subject-specific, while others will test general thinking skills. The tests may consist of multiple-choice questions, longer written answers, essay tasks or a mixture. As well as this, tests may be taken on either a computer or paper.Â
When you take the test can vary too. Some tests are taken before you are invited to interviews, some happen directly before an interview, and some can even take place after offers have been sent.Â
It’s important that you are aware of all of the details surrounding your admissions tests, including the content, format, dates and test location.Â
Each university and subject department will have different formal processes for how they consider admissions test results within their admissions processes. However, in most cases, these results will be used in conjunction with the rest of the candidate’s application, including their grades, UCAS profile and Personal Statement.Â
In most cases, the admissions test score will be one of the most important deciding factors out of what the tutors have available to them. Some universities will even set cut-off scores to eliminate any applicant who falls below a certain score.Â
For universities that require interviews, the admissions test score will be vital in the shortlisting process. Once interviews are conducted, the score will still be considered, but it may not be as important as the candidate’s interview performance.Â
Admissions tests are mostly used for degrees that are highly competitive, such as medicine degrees and popular courses at Oxford and Cambridge. In these cases, it’s important for the admissions tutors to have more support materials for each applicant to help them choose the most suitable candidates to shortlist for interview and ultimately send an offer to.
Some admissions tests do require a fee, such as the UCAT, LNAT, ESAT, TMUA and TARA. Others are free to take, such as the TSA, MAT, PAT and BMSAT.Â
Under most circumstances, you can’t retake your admissions test within the same academic year. Although some tests are sat on multiple days, you won’t be able to book another testing slot if you have already taken it once during the admissions cycle. You are able to try the test again in the subsequent admissions cycle if you do not enrol on a university course, though.Â
How you prepare for your test will depend on its content. Some tests require a lot of subject knowledge, which will require traditional revision, while others are more general and cannot be revised in this way.Â
However, the best way to prepare for any admissions test is to regularly practice the questions. This should be done in both casual practice environments and full exam conditions via mock exams, as it’s important to improve your ability to answer the questions correctly and complete the test within the set time limit.Â
Official practice materials are available for these tests, but they can often be very limited. Therefore, additional questions from third-party providers may be required. There are also options for books, courses and tuition to further improve your understanding of the tests. Our Full-Blue Programmes offer all of these support options and more, to ensure you get a great score on your test.Â
