WHAT THE ESAT IS, AND WHAT IT ASKS OF YOU.
The Engineering and Science Admissions Test is a computer-based test run by UAT-UK and used by the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, the University of Oxford and UCL. Every candidate sits Mathematics 1, and most sit two further modules set by their course. Each module is 27 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, with no calculator.
27 QUESTIONS. 40 MINUTES. NO CALCULATOR.
That works out at roughly 89 seconds a question, which is the single fact that should shape how you revise. It is not a paper you can grind through carefully.
- Modules available
- Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Biology, Chemistry, Physics
- Modules you sit
- Mathematics 1 is compulsory for everyone. Most courses set two further modules, giving 120 minutes in total, but a few set only one — Imperial’s Design Engineering takes Mathematics 1 and Mathematics 2 alone.
- Per module
- 27 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes
- Calculator
- Not permitted. No dictionary either.
- Marking
- No negative marking. Nothing is lost for a wrong answer, so never leave one blank.
- Scoring
- Each module reported separately on a 1 to 9 scale, to one decimal place
- Delivery
- Computer-based, at a Pearson VUE test centre
FOR 2027 ENTRY.
Taken from the UAT-UK deadlines page on 25 August 2026. Check it yourself before you rely on any of it.
October 2026 sitting
- 14 September 2026
- Access arrangements deadline, 6pm BST. Earlier than the booking deadline, and the one candidates most often miss.
- 21 September 2026
- Bursary request deadline, 6pm BST
- 28 September 2026
- Booking closes, 6pm BST. There is no late entry.
- 12 to 16 October 2026
- October test window
- 16 November 2026
- Results released
January 2027 sitting
- 7 December 2026
- Access arrangements deadline, 6pm GMT
- 14 December 2026
- Bursary request deadline, 6pm GMT
- 21 December 2026
- Booking closes, 6pm GMT
- 4 to 8 January 2027
- January test window
- 8 February 2027
- Results released
Which sitting applies to you is set by your university and course rather than by preference, so confirm before assuming January is available. Note that access arrangements and bursaries close before booking does in both sittings, which is the deadline candidates most often miss.
THE COURSE SETS THE MODULES, NOT THE TEST.
Mathematics 1 is compulsory for everyone. The rest are chosen or mandated by the course you are applying to — usually two more, occasionally only one — so confirm the combination on your own course page before you book.
- Cambridge
- Engineering
- Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics
- Cambridge
- Chemical Eng & Biotechnology
- Mathematics 1 plus two of your choosing
- Cambridge
- Natural Sciences
- Mathematics 1 plus two of your choosing
- Cambridge
- Veterinary Medicine
- Mathematics 1 plus two of your choosing
- Oxford
- Physics, and Physics and Philosophy
- Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics
- Oxford
- Biomedical Sciences
- Mathematics 1 plus two of your choosing
- Oxford
- Engineering Science
- ESAT REQUIRED · MODULES NOT PUBLISHED
- Imperial
- Aeronautics
- Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics
- Imperial
- Chemical Engineering
- Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Chemistry
- Imperial
- Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics
- Imperial
- Design Engineering (Dyson School)
- Mathematics 1 and Mathematics 2 only — two modules, not three
- Imperial
- Electrical & Electronic Engineering
- Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics
- Imperial
- Life Sciences
- Mathematics 1, Chemistry, Biology
- Imperial
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics
- Imperial
- Physics
- Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics
- UCL
- Electronic & Electrical Engineering (H600, H601)
- Mathematics 1 plus any two of Mathematics 2, Physics, Chemistry and Biology
Every row was read off the university's own pages on . UAT-UK does not publish a central list and tells candidates to refer to each institution's course pages, so each row is checked against whoever actually sets the requirement. The one row still marked is marked because the combination is not published, not because it was not looked for. Confirm your own course page before you book: you cannot change modules on test day.
ONE TO NINE, PER MODULE, TO ONE DECIMAL PLACE.
Each ESAT module is reported separately on a scale from 1 to 9, given to one decimal place. There is no aggregate score across your three modules and no pass mark, so a strong Mathematics 1 does not compensate for a weak Physics in any arithmetic sense: universities see all three numbers.
There is no negative marking. A wrong answer and an unanswered one score exactly the same, which means leaving a question blank is never the right decision. With roughly 89 seconds a question, the discipline that matters is guessing quickly on the one you cannot see a route through, and spending the time you save on the three you can.
THE ARCHIVE YOU WERE REVISING FROM DESCRIBES A DIFFERENT EXAM.
Oxford has moved to the UAT-UK tests for 2027 entry, and Physics and Physics and Philosophy applicants now sit the Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) rather than the Physics Aptitude Test (PAT). Everyone who applies for those courses takes it, without exception.
The practical difference is larger than the name change suggests. The PAT was a long written paper where you showed your working and partial credit existed. The ESAT is multiple choice, roughly 89 seconds a question, with no calculator and no marks for method. Twenty years of PAT past papers remain good physics practice and are close to worthless as format practice.
This cohort is the least well served group sitting the test this year, because almost nothing published has been written for it.
PRACTISE THE CONSTRAINT, NOT JUST THE CONTENT.
SIT WHOLE PAPERS
An untimed question set measures whether you know the topic. A complete 40-minute paper measures the thing the ESAT actually tests, which is whether you know it fast enough. Sit all 27 in one go, to a timer, from the first week.
PUT THE CALCULATOR AWAY
Practising with a calculator to hand quietly ruins the practice. Arithmetic fluency carries more weight in the ESAT than in most A-level papers, and it is the first thing to go if you have never rehearsed without one.
REVIEW BY CAUSE, NOT TOPIC
A wrong answer you can name the reason for is fixed. One you cannot will happen again in the exam. Sort your errors into slips, wrong method and genuine gaps, and treat only the third as revision.
ESAT FAQ.
Are there ESAT past papers?
No. UAT-UK publishes a content specification and a small number of specimen questions for the Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT), and does not release past papers. Practice material therefore has to be written to the specification and to the real format, which is 27 questions in 40 minutes with no calculator and four to eight options a question.
Is the ESAT hard?
The Engineering and Science Admissions Test is less a test of advanced mathematics than a test of pace. The content sits within A-level Mathematics and Physics as set out in the published specification, but you have roughly 89 seconds a question with no calculator, and the wrong options are written to be attractive. Candidates who find the ESAT hard usually do so because their method was too slow, not because they did not know the topic.
How is the ESAT scored?
Each Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) module is reported separately on a scale from 1 to 9, to one decimal place. There is no pass mark and no negative marking, so an unanswered question and a wrong one score the same. Universities read the score alongside the rest of your application rather than against a threshold.
Can I use a calculator in the ESAT?
No. Calculators and dictionaries are both prohibited in the Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT), which is why arithmetic fluency matters more in this test than in most A-level papers, and why practising with a calculator to hand quietly ruins the practice.
How many times can I sit the ESAT?
There are two sittings of the Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) for 2027 entry: 12 to 16 October 2026, with booking closing at 6pm BST on 28 September 2026, and 4 to 8 January 2027, with booking closing at 6pm GMT on 21 December 2026. Which one you take is determined by the university and course you are applying to rather than by preference, so confirm with your course before assuming a January attempt is available to you.
How should I prepare for the ESAT?
Sit complete 40-minute Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) papers rather than untimed question sets, because the constraint being tested is pace. Work without a calculator from the beginning. And review errors by cause rather than by topic: a wrong answer that you can name the reason for is fixed, and one you cannot will happen again.
FIND OUT WHERE YOU ACTUALLY STAND.
A complete ESAT Mathematics 1 mock paper with every worked solution, free. Sit it in 40 minutes, without a calculator, and mark it honestly.