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ESAT 2026–27: Format, Dates and Free Practice Test

The ESAT is the science and engineering admissions test: 40-minute modules of 27 multiple-choice questions, no calculator. Everyone sits Mathematics 1; most courses add two of Mathematics 2, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Each module is scored 1–9.

Sources last checked 2026-10-01

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What this record establishes

Owner
UAT-UK
Dates
2027 entry
Format
Official format source listed
Status
Current test

Registration and sitting dates for 2027 entry

Dates change by cycle. Follow the live official pages named below, then check the exact institution deadline rather than copying a date from another course.

  • Sitting 1: 12–16 October 2026, open to every 2027-entry applicant.
  • Sitting 2: 4–8 January 2027, which most Oxford and Cambridge applicants cannot use; check your course before relying on it.
  • The TMUA costs £78 in the UK and Ireland and £133 elsewhere; registration and booking deadlines are on the UAT-UK registration page.
  • Check your course page before booking: it decides which test, and for ESAT which modules, you sit.

Format and modules

What the official sources listed on this page establish about delivery, timing, and papers or modules.

Delivery
Computer-based test taken at a Pearson VUE test centre
Timing
Each module is 27 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes; most candidates take Mathematics 1 plus two more modules, 120 minutes in total

Papers or modules

  • Mathematics 1 — taken by every candidate
  • Mathematics 2
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology

Scope of this format record

  • Your course decides which modules you take.
  • Each module is scored from 1 to 9 to one decimal place, based on correct answers; wrong answers cost nothing.
  • No calculator or dictionary is allowed.

Preparation order

Verify the booking decision first. Preparation advice cannot repair a test choice made for the wrong course, entry year, or module combination.

  1. 1Copy the exact module combination from your course page before you start — it decides what you revise.
  2. 2Work through the ESAT content specification for each of your modules and fill gaps topic by topic.
  3. 3Train for speed: 27 questions in 40 minutes is about 90 seconds each, without a calculator.
  4. 4Sit each module timed, then review every miss and redo it later without the solution.
  5. 5Book a sitting through UAT-UK well before the registration deadline.

Institution and course records

Read the institution, exact course scope, and entry year together. A row is not a rule for a different course or university.

University of Oxford · 2027 entry

Biomedical Sciences; Engineering Science; Materials Science; Physics; Physics and Philosophy

Required for this row

Oxford lists ESAT for these named courses for 2027 entry, with modules determined by the course. Confirm the live Oxford table before booking modules.

Policy owner
University of Oxford
Last checked
2026-08-11
Next review
2026-12-01

Dates · 2027 entry

  • Sitting 1: 12–16 October 2026, open to every 2027-entry applicant.
  • Sitting 2: 4–8 January 2027, which most Oxford and Cambridge applicants cannot use; check your course before relying on it.
  • The TMUA costs £78 in the UK and Ireland and £133 elsewhere; registration and booking deadlines are on the UAT-UK registration page.
  • Check your course page before booking: it decides which test, and for ESAT which modules, you sit.

Format and modules

Computer-based test taken at a Pearson VUE test centre

Each module is 27 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes; most candidates take Mathematics 1 plus two more modules, 120 minutes in total

  • Mathematics 1 — taken by every candidate
  • Mathematics 2
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology

Sitting constraints

  • The required ESAT module combination is controlled by the exact Oxford course; do not select modules from this grouped label alone.
  • The Oxford course list is the scope of this row; other institutions may use different ESAT modules or no ESAT.
  • Use the UAT-UK booking window for the 2027-entry cycle.

Transition history

  • pat → esat

    Oxford's named 2027-entry course group moved from PAT to course-specified ESAT modules. This is not a universal PAT-to-ESAT rule.

Open the primary official source

Scope of this record

Check the exact course before booking.

The test owner controls the test; the institution controls whether your course requires it and by when.

Related test records

Official sources

Each link goes to the official test owner, institution, or official report. A test-owner page does not establish a university course requirement; that requires an institution source.

  1. ESAT: Engineering and Science Admissions Test

    UAT-UK · checked 2026-10-01 · next review 2026-12-01

    ESAT modules, timing, scoring and 2027-entry sittings.

  2. TMUA: Test of Mathematics for University Admission

    UAT-UK · checked 2026-10-01 · next review 2026-12-01

    TMUA papers, timing, scoring, 2027-entry sittings and fees.

  3. UAT-UK registration and fees

    UAT-UK · checked 2026-08-11 · next review 2026-12-01

    Use the live page for TMUA, ESAT, and TARA registration, booking, testing, and fee details. Do not infer a course requirement from registration information.

  4. Admissions tests

    University of Oxford · checked 2026-08-11 · next review 2026-12-01

    Use only for Oxford entry-year and course requirements. It must not be generalized to other universities or courses.

Sources and corrections

Next source review 2026-12-01

These records are dated snapshots of official pages. The live test-owner and institution pages win if a requirement, module, deadline, or sitting rule changes. Send the exact page and row when reporting a correction.

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