Some universities and colleges require that you pass an admissions test as well as standard qualifications if you are applying for courses in particular subjects. This is mostly for medical courses, law courses, Oxford and Cambridge but there are other courses and universities that require such tests.

Make sure you check that you do not need to sit an admissions test for your course as you should start to be preparing for this and you will need to register over the summer.

Whilst all of this information has been checked it is important for you to double check with your specific university in case of any variation in dates/details.

You will find two types of information below, general guidance and more specifc information and guidance to a certain course:

Oxford Admissions Test Guidance - this will cover the BMAT, LNAT, MAT, TSA and more. Click here.

Written Work - some courses require applicants to send in a sample of their written work as part of their application, such as a portfolio. Students should check their course page, here is the Oxford Written Work page, as an example. Click here.

Interviews - often these are more like tutorials and will require preparation. Here is an example of guidance from the Oxford interview page. Click here. You will find interview questions and MMI panel questions in our Sixth Form Teams Group.

Law National Admissions Test - LNAT – registration is from the 2^nd of August 2021 and the test can be taken from 1^st of September onwards.

• Oxford LNAT – must be sat by the 15^th of October 2021 at the latest.
• All other universities – by the 20^th of January 2022 at the latest.

N.B. And 26 February 2021 for both Bristol University and the University of Nottingham, and 29 January 2021 for both LSE and UCL

DO NOT sit the LNAT before the 2021 summer holiday as your result WILL NOT COUNT for 2021/2022.

How to prepare: https://lnat.ac.uk/how-to-prepare/

You can take the LNAT before or after you send off your UCAS application.

EXAM ACCESS REQUIREMENTS - Candidates with examination access requirements (e.g. for those with additional time to sit the test, e.g. for dyslexia, or the use of a reader recorder) should register for the LNAT online, but not book their test online. Further information can be found here: https://lnat.ac.uk/registration/special-considerations/

Medical Courses and some Veterinary courses – some universities require the BMAT and some require the UCAT – check the course entry requirements for

Biomedical Admissions Test - BMAT - Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the BMAT – September test session will not go ahead in 2021. It will run in November and therefore please check the BMAT November page for updates: https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/bmat/bmat-november/.

The University Clinical Aptitude Test - UCAT – From 2 June you can register (create a web account) but you cannot book a test until 28 June. Candidates can register (create a web account) between 2 June – 22 September 2021.  If you do not register by the deadline you will not be able to sit the UCAT 2021.  They will not make exceptions to this deadline.

How to prepare: https://www.ucat.ac.uk/ucat/practice-tests/

Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT) & STEP – for many courses at Oxbridge, Warwick and Imperial)

The MAT is a paper-based test. It is a 2-hour 30-minute, subject-specific admissions test for applicants to the University of Oxford’s undergraduate degree courses in Mathematics, Computer Science and their joint degrees.

Imperial College London uses the MAT for all of its undergraduate Mathematics course applicants. For details, visit Imperial College's Department of Mathematics website.

If you are applying to the University of Warwick for the Mathematics BSc (G100) degree or Master of Mathematics (G103) degree, you are encouraged to take the MAT, STEP, or the Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA).

The dates for MAT 2021 will be available soon. Please check here for updates: https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/mat/dates-and-costs/

How to prepare: https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/mat/preparing-for-mat/

STEP (Sixth Term Examination Paper) Mathematics is a well-established mathematics examination designed to test candidates on questions that are similar in style to undergraduate mathematics.

STEP is used by the University of Cambridge, the University of Warwick and Imperial College London. Please check the details of your course(s) to confirm if you are required to take STEP as part of the application process. If you are in any doubt, please contact the university directly.

How to prepare: https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/step/preparing-for-step/

Thinking Skills Assessment (for many courses at Oxbridge & UCL) - registration is from the 1^st of September 2020 and the tests will be taken on the 4^th of November.

How to prepare: https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/thinking-skills-assessment/tsa-oxford/preparing-for-tsa-oxford/

All other tests are listed here: https://www.studential.com/university/applying/UCAS-application-guide/UK-university-admissions-tests

Useful books:

BMAT - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-BMAT-Collection-BioMedical-UniAdmissions/dp/1912557258/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=bmat&qid=1591182779&sr=8-1

LNAT - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-LNAT-Collection-Questions-UniAdmissions/dp/1912557304/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=LNAT&qid=1591182801&sr=8-1

UCAT - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Score-Higher-UCAT-Questions-Online/dp/1506213588/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=UCAT&qid=1591182823&sr=8-2

TSA - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Guide-Practice-Questions-UniAdmissions/dp/0993571115/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1QEF50A0N23GI&dchild=1&keywords=thinking+skills+assessment&qid=1591182846&sprefix=Thinking+Skills+%2Caps%2C139&sr=8-4

MAT & STEP - https://www.amazon.co.uk/STEP-Guidebook-University-Maths-Tests-ebook/dp/B07GBBMGQY