ESAT explained: who needs it, the five modules, 2027 dates, fees and free practice

Key takeaways

• →The ESAT has five modules, each 40 minutes with 27 multiple-choice questions and no calculator. Everyone takes Mathematics 1, and most take two more.
• →UAT-UK says four universities use it: Imperial, Cambridge, Oxford and UCL. Your course decides the modules, and you cannot change them after booking.
• →Each module gets a score from 1 to 9, with no pass mark and no penalty for wrong answers. The January window is 4 to 8 January 2027, and booking closes at 6pm on 21 December 2026.
• →The fee is £78 in the UK, covered by a bursary for eligible UK candidates. UAT-UK offers free guides for each module and specimen tests with explained answers.

1. ESAT: what it is and who needs it

The ESAT is the Engineering and Science Admissions Test, run by UAT-UK. UAT-UK says you need it if you apply for engineering or science subjects at the universities that use it. It warns that not registering for a required test may invalidate your application.^[1]

UAT-UK says four universities use it: Imperial College London, Cambridge, Oxford and UCL.^[1]

UAT-UK says the ESAT and the TMUA, its maths test, were both offered for the first time in October 2024.^[12]

Cambridge’s 2027 entry table lists the ESAT for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Engineering, Natural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine.^[14]

Imperial says you must take it for eight departments, from Aeronautics to Physics. The table in the modules section lists them.^[15]

UCL’s page for the 2027 cycle names Electronic and Electrical Engineering BEng and MEng.^[16]

Oxford’s engineering page says everyone applying for Engineering Science must take it, as must applicants for Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Information and Mechanical Engineering.^[17]

Oxford’s physics page says physics, physics and philosophy, engineering and materials science applicants must all sit it.^[18]

UAT-UK links a 2027 Entry Course List (a PDF) from its ESAT page. Check it, and each course page, before you register.^[1]

2. ESAT format: five modules, 27 questions each, no calculator

The ESAT is computer-based and has five modules: Mathematics 1, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics 2. Each lasts 40 minutes and has 27 multiple-choice questions.^[1]

Everyone takes Mathematics 1. Most candidates take two more modules, so the test is 120 minutes long for most. Some courses say which modules you must take.^[1]

UAT-UK says calculators are not permitted, and you cannot bring your own materials.^[7]

You get a computer, an erasable notebook and a pen. There are no breaks between modules, and the test cannot be paused unless you have approved arrangements.^[5]

That is about 1 minute 29 seconds a question, by our sum.

You cannot change, add or remove modules after booking. If you get it wrong, you must cancel and rebook, and you may not get the same appointment.^[10]

UAT-UK says the test will draw on science and mathematics you are likely to have already learned in school.^[8]

3. Which ESAT modules each course needs

Cambridge says Engineering applicants take Mathematics 1, Physics and Mathematics 2. Natural Sciences, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, and Veterinary Medicine applicants take Mathematics 1 plus two from Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics 2.^[13]

UCL says Electronic and Electrical Engineering applicants take Mathematics 1 and any two of Physics, Mathematics 2, Chemistry and Biology.^[16]

Oxford’s physics page tells applicants to select Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics when they register. Oxford’s engineering page does not list modules, so check your course page.^[18]

Imperial gives the modules for each department in the table. Mathematics 1 is in all eight.^[15]

4. ESAT scores, results and how universities use them

Each module gets its own score on a scale from 1 (low) to 9 (high), to one decimal place. UAT-UK says each module is scaled separately, and that the median is fixed at 4.5.^[6]

There are no grade boundaries or pass mark. UAT-UK warns that the tests are designed to be challenging, so do not expect scores as high as your school results.^[6]

Only correct answers count, with no penalty for wrong ones. Answer every question.^[1]

Results go to your UAT-UK account and automatically to the universities on your UCAS application whose course asks for the test. Add your UCAS Personal ID to your UAT-UK profile before you apply. UAT-UK does not accept appeals against scores.^[6]

You can sit once per cycle, and scores from earlier years are not visible to any university you apply to this year.^[11]

Universities read the score alongside the rest of your application. Oxford’s engineering page says no specific mark will guarantee that you are shortlisted.^[17]

5. ESAT dates for 2027 entry: sittings and deadlines

Sitting 1 ran from 12 to 16 October 2026 and is over. Sitting 2 runs from 4 to 8 January 2027, and booking is open now.^[2]

Most Cambridge and Oxford applicants had to sit in October. UAT-UK lists exceptions for mature applicants to a Cambridge college with a January deadline, and for Oxford’s Astrophoria Foundation Year. Other applicants can choose either sitting, and UAT-UK says neither has an advantage.^[2]

UAT-UK cannot accept bookings after the deadlines.^[2]

Each test runs over only five days a sitting, so book early.^[10]

The dates on UAT-UK’s key dates page are for 2027 entry only. If you are in Year 12 and applying for 2028 entry, check the page again for new ones.^[2]

6. ESAT fees, bursaries, test centres and test day

The fee is £78 for candidates in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and £133 elsewhere. It depends on where the test centre is, not where you live or your nationality.^[3]

A bursary covers the full fee for eligible UK candidates, such as those who, or whose parent or guardian, receive free school meals, a 16 to 19 bursary or Universal Credit, with evidence. Apply before you book: UAT-UK cannot apply one to a test you have already paid for.^[4]

Bursaries do not cover travel costs.^[7]

Access arrangements, such as extra time, must be requested before you book, and can take up to ten working days.^[2]

Tests are taken at Pearson VUE test centres, not at your school.^[7]

In the UK, if there is no test within 40 miles of your postcode, contact Pearson Customer Services.^[3]

On the day, arrive 30 minutes early with original, unexpired photo ID. The name on your booking must exactly match it, or you will be turned away and lose your fee.^[5]

You can cancel or reschedule up to 48 hours before your test with no fee. If you miss it or change it too late, you lose the fee.^[10]

7. How the ESAT differs from A-Level exams, and the old ENGAA and NSAA

The table compares the ESAT with two AQA examples, A-level Physics 7408 and A-level Mathematics 7357. Other boards and subjects differ, so check yours.

AQA’s Physics page says each of its three papers is a 2-hour written exam, and that Papers 1 and 2 include 25 multiple-choice questions.^[19]

AQA’s Maths page says its three papers are 2 hours each, with a mix of question styles from short to multi-step.^[20]

There are no marks for working on the ESAT, so a quick, accurate method done by hand matters.

UAT-UK’s ESAT Guide page says there are also historic ENGAA (Engineering Admissions Assessment) and NSAA (Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment) papers that contain questions of the type found in the ESAT. It marks questions that are not in the ESAT specification.^[9]

UAT-UK’s About page does not say the ESAT replaced the ENGAA or the NSAA, so we do not claim it.^[12]

8. Free official ESAT practice and a 12-week plan

UAT-UK’s Prepare page offers free resources: the ESAT specification (structure and possible topics), an ESAT Guide to the science and mathematics you need, and specimen and practice tests on the Pearson VUE site, with explained answers.^[8]

The ESAT Guide has a section for each module. The archives hold ENGAA and NSAA question papers and answer keys for each year from 2016 to 2023.^[9]

Practice tests give feedback but no score, and results may not match the real test. Use a desktop and learn the test player’s features, since you will use them at the centre. UAT-UK does not endorse paid coaching.^[8]

The plan is our suggestion, not UAT-UK’s. The January window is just over nine weeks away, so squeeze weeks 2 to 7 into five.

9. How Brainhub can help

Brainhub tutors the ESAT one-to-one, live online across the UK, from about £40 an hour, and every family starts with a free 45-minute assessment. A tutor can go through your practice results question by question, find the maths and science topics that cost marks, and set the next week’s practice around them. For your exact price, use the price calculator on our Prices page.

1. 1. What are the five ESAT modules, and how long is each?

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2. 2. Can you use a calculator, and do wrong answers lose marks?

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3. 3. Does UAT-UK say the ESAT replaced the ENGAA and NSAA?

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Your next steps

1. 01

   Check the modules your course needs on the university’s page and on UAT-UK’s 2027 Entry Course List.

2. 02

   Create your UAT-UK account, apply for any bursary first, then book the right modules before 6pm on 21 December 2026.

3. 03

   Book a free 45-minute assessment to see which topics to practise first.

Subject guides to go with this

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