Admissions Testing Service

BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT)

The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is a subject-specific admissions test taken by applicants to Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and related courses at the following institutions:

• University of Cambridge
• Imperial College London
• University of Oxford 
• Royal Veterinary College
• University College London
• Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
• Brighton and Sussex Medical School
• University of Leeds

The BMAT is a two hour pen-and-paper test divided into three sections. The BMAT does not require a great amount of extra study as it relies on skills and knowledge that candidates should already have. The test consists of the following three sections:

Section 1: Aptitude and Skills - 60 minutes

There are 35 multiple choice or short answer questions.

Section 2: Scientific Knowledge and Applications - 30 minutes

There are 27 multiple choice or short answer questions.

Section 3: Writing Task - 30 minutes

Candidates need to answer one essay question from a choice of four questions.

Classics Admissions Test (CAT)

The Classics Admissions Test (CAT) is a subject-specific admissions test for applicants to all University of Oxford Classics and joint schools undergraduate degree courses.

The paper-based test is divided into three papers: the Latin Translation Test, the Greek Translation Test, the Classics Language Aptitude Test (CLAT).

The English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT)

The English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT) is a pre-interview admissions test for applicants to English undergraduate courses at the University of Oxford.

The 90 minute test is designed to enable applicants to show their ability in the key skills of close reading. Candidates write one essay comparing two or three passages set for comment, focusing on elements such as:

• language
• imagery
• allusion
• syntax
• form and structure.

History Aptitude Test (HAT)

The History Aptitude Test (HAT) is a two hour subject-specific admissions test, which is taken by applicants to the University of Oxford’s undergraduate degree courses in History and its joint schools.

Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT)

The Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT) is taken by applicants to the University of Oxford’s undergraduate degree courses in Mathematics, Computer Science and their joint degrees.

The paper-based test is 2 hours and 30 minutes long. 

As of 2013, Imperial College London will be using the MAT for all of its undergraduate Mathematics course applicants.

Oriental Languages Aptitude Test (OLAT)

The OLAT is a 30 minute admissions test taken by applicants to certain degree courses in Oriental Studies and its joint schools at the University of Oxford. 

It is designed to assess a candidate’s ability to analyse how languages work, in a way which doesn’t depend on their knowledge of any particular language.

Modern Languages Admissions Test (MLAT)

The Modern Languages Admissions Tests (MLAT) are for applicants to certain undergraduate degrees in Modern Languages, Linguistics and their joint schools at the University of Oxford.

The MLAT are paper-based tests which consists of several parts for different papers for different language and linguistics courses. Candidates will need to take a maximum of two papers. Each paper lasts 30 minutes.

Physics Aptitude Test (PAT)

The Physics Aptitude Test (PAT) is a two hour subject-specific admissions test, which is taken by applicants to all University of Oxford Engineering, Material Science and Physics undergraduate degree courses.

Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) Oxford

The Oxford Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA Oxford) is a two hour pre-interview test for applications to the following undergraduate courses at the University of Oxford:

• Economics and Management
• Experimental Psychology
• Geography
• Philosophy and Linguistics
• Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)
• Psychology and Linguistics
• Psychology and Philosophy