16 Aug
2022
Admissions Tests - An Overview
<p><strong>Key Points</strong><br> </p><ol><li>The admissions tests are supposed to be challenging and successful applicants typically score between 50- 70%.</li><li>Past papers for many subjects are readily available for download and are a good source of practice</li><li>Test centres can be found in various countries outside of the UK at international schools or the local British Council.</li><li>Cambridge imposes admissions tests for all its courses whereas Oxford only requires admissions tests for some courses. </li><li>The results from the admissions test has an impact on whether Oxbridge candidates get shortlisted. The degree of influence varies across subjects. </li></ol><p> </p><p><strong>Introduction</strong></p><p> </p><p>Admissions tests are used by various universities to examine an applicant’s academic potential alongside the academic grades (A-Level, IB, AP and exams) that they submit. </p><p> </p><p>Many of these tests are written by the universities themselves and are designed to test an applicant’s ability to think critically. As you will see later on, some admissions tests are tailored for specific subjects whereas other tests are more general. All admissions tests, with the exception of the LNAT, are administered by the same organisation, Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing. </p><p> </p><p>Admissions tests are a big part of the application process, particularly for universities like Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College which put a great deal of emphasis on academic excellence. Indeed, as of 2016, Cambridge has adopted admissions tests for all of its courses while Oxford has introduced a new test for Chemistry as of 2017.<br> </p><p><strong>Admissions Tests Required by Various Universities</strong></p><p> </p><figure class="table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Law</td><td>The LNAT is required by quite a few universities including Oxford, Durham, LSE, KCL, UCL, SOAS, Bristol and Nottingham.</td></tr><tr><td>Medicine</td><td>BMAT is required by some of the most competitive universities. It is different from UKCAT which is used by most universities offering medicine as a degree. </td></tr><tr><td>Mathematics</td><td>Imperial College requires applicants for maths related degrees to take the MAT. STEP is used by Warwick, Imperial and may sometimes be required by other universities at their discretion.</td></tr><tr><td>General</td><td>UCL requires candidates who are applying to do European Social and Political Studies to take the TSA.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure><p> </p><p><strong>Test Centres</strong></p><p><br> </p><p>The various Oxford tests, Cambridge Pre-Interview Assessments and BMAT tests are organised by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing. Within the UK, unless your school is a registered center or you’re an independent A-Level student (homeschoolers), these tests are often taken at schools or specific centres. </p><p> </p><p>Outside the UK, these tests centres are widely available across the world. Often, they will be the local British Councils or international schools that follow the British curriculum. Students from other schools can also register at these schools. <br> </p><p>The list of registered centres which can be found in each country can be determined by visiting the link below: </p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.admissionstestingservice.org/find-a-centre">www.admissionstestingservice.org/find-a-centre</a><br> </p><p>The LNAT exam is organised separately by Pearson and the test centre locations can be found at: </p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.lnat.ac.uk/registration/booking-your-test/">www.lnat.ac.uk/registration/booking-your-test/</a> </p><p><br> <img src="https://oxbridge-blogs.s3.ap-northeast-2.amazonaws.com/hlcgTCylI0tXX5C7yH9K.png"></p><p> </p><p><strong>Past Papers</strong></p><p> </p><p>A considerable amount of specimen (practice) papers can be located through the Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing website, which will direct you to the appropriate page for the various tests. For instance, BMAT specimen papers can be found at the following link: </p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.admissionstestingservice.org/for-test-takers/bmat/preparing-for-bmat/">www.admissionstestingservice.org/for-test-takers/bmat/preparing-for-bmat/ </a><br> </p><p>LNAT specimen papers and downloadable exam simulations can be found here: </p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.lnat.ac.uk/how-to-prepare/practice-test/">www.lnat.ac.uk/how-to-prepare/practice-test/</a></p><p> </p><p><strong>Oxford and Cambridge - Admissions Tests Required</strong></p><p> </p><figure class="table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Oxford</td><td>Cambridge</td></tr><tr><td><p>MAT, CAT, PAT, HAT, OLAT, MLAT, LNAT</p><p><br> </p></td><td><p>Pre-interview assessments </p><p>At-interview assessments</p><p>STEP </p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2">TSA, ELAT, BMAT*</td></tr><tr><td>While many degrees require you to take tests, some do not. To find out if you need to take a test, please visit the university page for your desired course, which will have a list of entry requirements.</td><td>Cambridge requires admissions tests for every subject which are divided into pre-interview tests and those which are taken on the same date as the interview itself.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure><p> </p><p>*Both Oxford and Cambridge have courses which require you to take the TSA. However, note that at Cambridge, only applicants for Land Economy take the TSA whereas applicants to a variety of courses at Oxford will take the TSA.</p><p> </p><p><strong>One Admissions Test May Be Applicable Across Multiple Courses</strong></p><p> </p><p>You may notice that a few courses require the exact same admissions test. There is a reason for this. Often, the subject which you’re applying to read at university is not offered at the high school level. This means that you cannot be expected to have any specific knowledge for the course you’re applying to. </p><p>For instance, Computer Science is not commonly offered as part of the UK high school curriculum. It is therefore difficult (and unfair) to test you on Computer Science related knowledge. Having said that, it is possible to examine if you have the foundational skills necessary to embark on a computer science course. This includes a solid grounding in mathematical concepts. That is why applicants are required to take the Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT). Another example is Engineering where the admissions test which applicants are required to take is the Physics Aptitude Test.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Admissions Tests - How Hard Are They?</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The admissions tests are designed to test an applicant’s aptitude for the subject and more generally, whether they have the necessary comprehension and critical thinking skills to succeed in their course. Inevitably, this means that the difficulty of the questions often goes beyond what is frequently encountered in the A-Levels or IB exam.</p><p> </p><p>The average test scores for each admissions test varies from year to year. This table below illustrates the typical score for certain admissions tests in a specific year.</p><p> </p><figure class="table"><table><tbody><tr><td>MAT</td><td>Average score of 70% amongst successful applicants </td></tr><tr><td>PAT</td><td>Those that score above 55% are shortlisted </td></tr><tr><td>TSA Oxford</td><td>Average score of 62% in 2014 </td></tr><tr><td>TSA Cambridge</td><td>Average score ranging in the high 50% bracket </td></tr><tr><td>LNAT</td><td>26-28 (out of 42) - 64%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure><p><br>*You can get more admissions related information from college webpages like this one: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.merton.ox.ac.uk/undergraduate/admissions-feedback/mathematics-and-joint-schools">www.merton.ox.ac.uk/undergraduate/admissions-feedback/mathematics-and-joint-schools</a></p><p> </p><p><strong>How do the Admissions Test Results Affect My Application?</strong></p><p> </p><p>The degree of influence your admissions test result has on your application varies across universities and even across subjects. Asides from the general principle that an admission decision is made based on a consideration of the applicant’s grades, personal statement, admissions test result and interview performance, very little is made public.</p><p> </p><p>Having said that, it is possible to make certain educated guesses. The impact of your admission test result on your application is twofold: <br> </p><ul><li>There is a strong correlation between the admissions test result and the percentage of applicants shortlisted for the interview.</li><li>The admissions test result can also have an impact on the final offer decision itself (ie whether you are accepted onto the course).</li></ul><p> </p><p><i>1) Chances of Being Shortlisted</i></p><p> </p><p>In terms of Oxford applications, when we compare a subject which does not impose admissions tests (such as Biochemistry) with a subject that does (such as Mathematics), we see that the percentage of Biochemistry applicants who are shortlisted for interviews is about 80%. In contrast, it is about 50% for Mathematics applicants.</p><p> </p><p>A similar trend is observable in other subjects as well. Those which require admissions tests shortlist a smaller percentage of applicants than those subjects which have no such requirements. This suggests that the admissions test is often used to filter applicants before the interview stage.</p><p> </p><p>The percentage of applicants who are shortlisted also varies across subjects that require admissions tests. For instance, both Engineering and Physics courses require the PAT. However, the percentage of students shortlisted for Engineering interviews is higher than that for Physics. This may reflect a greater emphasis by the Physics department on an applicant’s performance in the admissions test. </p><p> </p><p>In terms of applications to Cambridge, the observation above does not apply as much since around 75% of all applicants are shortlisted for interviews. This is compounded by the fact that Cambridge has only recently implemented admissions tests for all of its courses (since 2016). </p><p> </p><p>Having said that, subjects which require pre-interview assessments shortlist less than 75% of applicants for interviews. In contrast, subjects requiring at-interview assessments (assessments which are taken on the same day as the interview) typically shortlist more than 75% of their applicants. <br> </p><p>This trend may be explained by the fact that admissions test results have more of a screening function for those subjects which require pre-interview assessments. </p><p> </p><p>On the other hand, subjects which have admissions tests on the same day of the interview do not use the admissions test as a way to filter candidates. Rather the admissions test result is considered together with the interview performance of the candidate as a whole for the purpose of making the final offer decision.</p><p> </p><p><i>2) Final Offer Decision</i></p><p> </p><p>Naturally, the admissions test result can also have an impact on the university’s final decision (i.e whether to make the applicant an offer). For example, it is widely acknowledged amongst Oxford mathematicians that an applicant who achieves a very high score in the MAT (e.g. 90% or above) is very likely to receive an offer.<br> </p><p><strong>Oxford and Cambridge Past Papers</strong><br><br>A considerable amount of past specimen (practice) papers for Oxford can be found on the Admissions Testing Services website; these papers are searchable by subject. For instance, if you’re looking to take the BMAT, you can find specimen papers here: </p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.admissionstestingservice.org/for-test-takers/bmat/preparing-for-bmat/">www.admissionstestingservice.org/for-test-takers/bmat/preparing-for-bmat/</a><br> </p><p>Past papers for the Cambridge admissions tests are not as widely available because many subjects only started implementing them in 2016. But specimen papers can often be found on the university course entry requirements page for that particular subject. For example, specimen papers for the ECAA (Economics) course can be located at: </p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/economics">www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/economics</a></p><p> </p>