For students applying to Engineering or Science degrees at top UK universities, the ESAT (Engineering and Science Admissions Test) is one of the most important yet widely misunderstood parts of the UK admissions process. In today’s climate, strong A level, IB or AP grades are no longer good enough on their own and do little to distinguish candidates. Universities increasingly use admissions tests like the ESAT to separate between candidates who are able to apply scientific concepts flexibly and those who can only reproduce familiar methods. 

This article breaks down what the ESAT actually tests, how universities use it and how students can prepare and excel in this critical part of the admissions process.

You might already have seen headlines about changes to Oxford’s admissions tests. This can be unsettling, particularly if you have already been planning your university applications. What’s important to understand however is that while Oxford is making significant changes to its admissions testing from 2027 entry onwards, the underlying purpose of these tests remains the same. Oxford isn’t lowering standards, nor is it making the admissions process easier or harder overnight. Instead, it’s changing how candidates are assessed in response to broader shifts in UK university admissions.

The ESAT (Engineering and Science Admissions Test) is used as the pre-interview admissions test for competitive courses like Engineering, Natural Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London. While every candidate would like to score highly in this test, you may find yourself not performing as well as you had hoped. Fortunately, a weaker ESAT score is not the end of your application, but there are steps you can take to strengthen the rest of your application and improve your chances of admission.