Admissions Testing update: First look at The ESAT
What is the ESAT?
The Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) is new test developed by Imperial College London with exam-writers Pearson for applicants seeking admission to degrees like Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Engineering, Natural Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge and Imperial. From what we’ve heard, we expect the computer-based test to predominantly use Multiple Choice Questions in five sections. All candidates will complete at least one maths section, and then two further sections (determined usually by the subject you’re applying for) from the three sciences, and further maths. Exact subject requirements for each degree are still being worked out by Cambridge, but we’ll come to you directly with an update once they have finalised their internal decision making process. We’re expecting the test to take two hours in total, and be broadly similar in structure to the current NSAA assessment. Further good news for test takers is that they aren’t employing a negative marking system (unlike some Oxford tests) so marks are not deducted for wrong answers. The registration window(s) for the ESAT haven’t been decided yet but will be published on the Imperial and Cambridge websites later this year. Registration for the test costs £75 in the UK or Republic of Ireland and £130 elsewhere, with bursary vouchers available for eligible UK candidates. One of the disadvantages with this test over many of the older ones is that, as it’s being delivered with Pearson - the test will have to be completed at a Pearson test centre, which may be much less familiar than your typical exam location. We’re expecting the ESAT to happen at the same time as the other Cambridge tests, and have seen a preliminary exam schedule for ESAT assessments beginning on the 15th of October 2024. Imperial is currently writing mock papers, which will be available in May, and the difficulty of the questions is expected to broadly match that of A Levels, so revising your A level maths content will be useful for the compulsory maths section, further maths for the optional maths section, and so on. Pearson will be automatically sharing your exam results with the universities you apply to when they come out, about 6 weeks after the exam, so there is one less thing to worry about there.
We have already put together a preparation plan for our students hoping to take ESAT this year, and are developing our own mock materials, in collaboration with former Pearson exam writers and Cambridge admissions officers, which we’ll use to support our students so that they’re ready for the mock exams this summer.
What other tests have changed?
The BMAT has been replaced by the UCAT at the university of Cambridge for medical applicants. While some students will be enthused to see that the challenging BMAT exam is giving way to a more straightforward psychometric-style test, this actually poses an obstacle for admissions. An easier test makes it harder for good candidates to stand out (see our blog post on admissions tests to learn more), and so it makes relevant supercurriculars all the more vital. The UCAT is a well-established test, and our mentors have been teaching it for well over a decade, but it’s sad to see the decline of the BMAT as the UK’s premier medical examination, which had greater scope for students to excel and stand out with enough support.
