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UK Admission Tests
For whatever UK college you are planning to apply to the chances are that you will need to take an admission test (also known as an aptitude test). The type of aptitude test you take varies depending on your major and university! Get to know them and the differences down below.
UCAT (Medicine):
The UCAT is an essential entry exam taken for Medicine and Dental Undergraduate courses in the UK. The UCAT can be taken at numerous test centres around the world. The test is split into five subsets, all of which test a different range of abilities. In the first four subsets, no previous medical knowledge is required. However, the last subset ‘Situational Judgement’ tests your ability to understand real world medical and moral situations, in which knowledge of ethics in medical/dental context may be useful.
ESAT (Engineering and Science):
The ESAT is entry exam required by Cambridge University for Chemical Engineering, Engineering, Natural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine. Additionally, it is required by Imperial College London for courses in Engineering and the Department of Physics. The ESAT tests students for problem solving skills rather than specific scientific or mathematical knowledge. The ESAT is designed to cater a wide variety of qualifications rather than a specific syllabus. Results are scored from 1 to 9 , with 9 being the highest achievable score. Whilst there is no pass or fail, scores are taken into high consideration for shortlisting interviews. There are 5 modules in the ESAT, each lasts 40 minutes and contains 27 multiple choice questions. Module 1 is Mathematics 1 and must be taken by all candidates, whereas Modules 2 to 5 are Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics 2 and most candidates will only take 2 of the modules. Specific courses will require specific modules to be undertaken.
TMUA (Mathematics):
The TMUA is required by numerous universities for Computer Science, Economics and Mathematics undergraduate courses. The tests last for 2 hours 30 minutes and is divided into Applications of Mathematical Knowledge and Mathematical Reasoning. A calculator is not allowed in the test so quick, mental mathematical calculations are essential. Attempting all questions is in your favour as there is no negative marking for wrong answers. Past papers and preparation materials can be found online.
BMSAT (Biomedical Science):
The BMSAT is a replaced for the BMAT entry exam previously used for Biomedical Science at Oxford University. The BMSAT contains 80 questions with 20 multiple choice questions in each of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. The test lasts for 90 minutes, so quick judgement is essential for this fast-paced test. Do to the recent inclusion of the BMSAT there is no past papers to practice on. However the BMAT section 2 is useful for practice as it contains multiple choice questions on scientific topics.
PAT (Physics, Engineering and Materials Science):
The PAT is required by Oxford University for Physics, Engineering and Materials Science. Scores range from 0 to 100, where scores over 60 gives applicants a competitive advantage since very few applicants score this high. Reviewing core physics concepts and time management are essential in order to prepare for the PAT.
MAT (Mathematics):
The MAT is required by Oxford, Warwick and Imperial University for Mathematics and Computer Science courses. The MAT is a 2 hour 30 minutes examination. The tests aims to understand the depth of mathematical knowledge of a student as opposed to the range of knowledge. Further Mathematics A-level does not have to be taken to succeed in the test although may be useful towards an overall application in Mathematics. The test is free to register for at Pearson VUE centres in the UK. There are 25 multiple-choice questions where each question is worth 2,3 or 4 marks. Additionally, there are two longer questions where students have to type responses. Each long question is worth 15 marks.