UK University Admissions Test Finder 2027 Entry: Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, LSE, UCL & Warwick by Course

Undergraduate AdmissionsUK ApplicationsOxbridge
Written By Daniel Lim

Last updated: 28 August 2026 | For applicants applying in 2026 for 2027 university entry

If you are applying to selective UK universities for 2027 entry, admissions-test requirements now vary substantially by university and course. A single UCAS list can include the Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA), Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT), Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions (TARA), Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT), University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT), or Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP).

This UniWise admissions test finder is designed as a practical starting point for students and parents comparing Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London (ICL), the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), University College London (UCL), the University of Warwick and Durham University. It shows which tests are required, recommended or used as an alternative for the principal 2027-entry courses covered by the universities’ current guidance.

The 2027 cycle contains several important changes from 2026 entry, particularly at Oxford and UCL, and some applicants who rely on last year’s admissions-test lists may prepare for the wrong test. Always verify the current individual course page before booking. The official UAT-UK Course List for 2027 Entry is also useful for checking TMUA, ESAT and TARA requirements.

If you already know which test you need, explore UniWise Admissions Test Preparation for personalised 1-to-1 support. Our admissions-test tutors are top test-scorers, supported by a wider team of Oxbridge and Ivy League graduates, and UniWise works with students across the IB, Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level, international and British A-Levels, and American high-school/AP curricula.

Which UK university admissions tests are used for 2027 entry?

TMUA — Test of Mathematics for University Admission. For 2027 entry, UAT-UK lists Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, LSE, UCL, Warwick and Durham as universities using TMUA for at least some courses. Depending on the university and programme, TMUA can be compulsory, recommended or part of an alternative offer route.

ESAT — Engineering and Science Admissions Test. ESAT is used by Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London for selected science, engineering and related courses. UCL also uses ESAT for Electronic and Electrical Engineering.

TARA — Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions. TARA is used by Oxford for selected economics, humanities, social science and psychology courses, and by UCL for selected Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics and related courses.

LNAT — Law National Aptitude Test. LNAT is used by several UK Law schools, including Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, UCL and Durham. The same LNAT sitting can be used for the participating universities on your application, although different universities have different deadlines and can use the LNAT differently. Because the deadlines and the way LNAT is used vary by university, a UniWise Strategy Lead can map the earliest relevant deadline against your full UCAS list and wider UK application plan.

UCAT — University Clinical Aptitude Test. UCAT is used by Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL and many other UK medical schools. Warwick Graduate Entry Medicine also requires UCAT.

STEP — Sixth Term Examination Paper. STEP remains important for Mathematics applicants, especially at Cambridge, where offers for Mathematics normally include STEP conditions. Warwick Mathematics also uses STEP within its alternative offer routes.

What changed from the 2026 entry?

Oxford: TMUA, ESAT and TARA replace several previous Oxford-specific tests

Oxford’s 2027-entry admissions-test system has changed substantially. For applicants applying in 2026, Oxford now uses UAT-UK’s TMUA, ESAT and TARA for many courses, while continuing to use LNAT for Law and UCAT for Medicine.

For example, the Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT), previously used for Oxford Mathematics and related courses, is no longer taking place in the 2026 admissions round. Oxford Mathematics and Computer Science-related applicants now take TMUA. Physics applicants, who previously encountered the PAT, now take ESAT, while PPE and several related courses now use TARA.

This makes current-cycle information particularly important. For a course-by-course update, see our UniWise Oxford Admissions Tests 2026/27 guide.

Cambridge: Mathematics now requires TMUA, and STEP remains important after application

Cambridge’s published 2027 admissions assessment list requires TMUA for Mathematics as well as Computer Science and Economics. Mathematics applicants therefore take TMUA during the application stage, while successful applicants can still receive offers containing STEP conditions.

Cambridge also uses ESAT for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Engineering, Natural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, LNAT for Law, and UCAT for Medicine. Some courses can also involve College assessments after shortlisting, and Computer Science applicants to Peterhouse or Trinity College are required to take the College-specific Computer Science Admissions Test (CSAT).

Check Cambridge’s official admissions-assessment guidance for the live requirement, then consult your UniWise Strategy Lead to map Cambridge testing alongside the other courses on your UCAS list.

UCL: Several TARA requirements changed for 2027

UCL has one of the most important year-on-year changes. Its current 2027 guidance reports that Sociology BSc, Social Sciences BSc, Social Sciences with Data Science BSc and Management Science BSc/MSci, which used TARA in the 2026 admissions cycle, do not require an admissions test for 2027 entry.

Mechanical Engineering BEng and MEng now require TARA for 2027 entry. UCL continues to use TARA for selected Computer Science and Robotics courses, TMUA for Economics, ESAT for Electronic and Electrical Engineering, LNAT for Law and UCAT for Medicine.

Check UCL’s official 2027 tests, tasks and interviews guidance before relying on any 2026-entry list, and review the final combination with your UniWise Strategy Lead if UCL sits alongside Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial or LSE on your UCAS list.

UCL Admissions Tests

2027 admissions tests by university and course

Can the same admissions test be used for more than one university?

Yes, when your universities use the same test. This is one of the most useful things to understand when building a UCAS testing plan.

For UAT-UK tests, you sit each individual test only once in an admissions cycle. If Oxford and another university both require TMUA, for example, you take one TMUA sitting and the result is matched to the relevant participating universities on your UCAS application. The same principle applies to ESAT and TARA.

This means several highly selective applications can sometimes be covered by one test. Examples include:

• Cambridge Economics + LSE Economics + UCL Economics + Imperial Economics, Finance and Data Science: one TMUA.

• Oxford Engineering Science + Imperial Electrical and Electronic Engineering: one ESAT. Both require Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics, so the module combination aligns.

• Oxford PPE + UCL Computer Science: one TARA.

• Cambridge Law + LSE Law + UCL Law: one LNAT, although Cambridge’s earlier deadline means the student must meet the earliest relevant LNAT deadline.

• Oxford Mathematics + UCL Economics: one TMUA, with the October sitting required because Oxford is on the application.

The important exception is when your UCAS choices require different tests. A student applying to Oxford PPE and Imperial Computing, for example, would need TARA for PPE and TMUA for Computing. A student applying to UCL Computer Science and Cambridge Computer Science would need TARA and TMUA, and could also need CSAT if applying to Peterhouse or Trinity at Cambridge.

Do I need to take multiple admissions tests?

Possibly. The answer depends on the full combination of universities and courses, not just your first-choice university.

A practical way to map the list with your UniWise Strategy Lead is to identify every course, label each test as compulsory, recommended or optional/alternative, and then check the earliest relevant deadline. If two choices use the same UAT-UK test, one sitting can normally cover both. If the choices use different tests, you will need to prepare for each relevant assessment, ideally with the testing workload coordinated across your wider application plan.

ESAT requires an additional check because two courses can both require ESAT while specifying different modules. Applicants applying to multiple ESAT courses need to choose modules that satisfy the compulsory requirements across the complete course list. Modules cannot be changed after the test has been booked.

This is why admissions test planning is best done early, ideally from around June and before UAT-UK booking opens in July. Working with your UniWise Strategy Lead and admissions test tutors at that stage helps prevent unnecessary duplication and sets a realistic allocation of preparation time across each required test.

Imperial College London Admissions Tests

Key 2026/27 admissions test dates

TMUA, ESAT and TARA — UAT-UK

For the 2027-entry cycle, the main UAT-UK test windows are:

• October 2026: 12–16 October 2026

• January 2027: 4–8 January 2027

Standard Oxford and Cambridge applicants who require TMUA or ESAT, and standard Oxford applicants requiring TARA, must use the October sitting. Applicants to universities such as Imperial, LSE, UCL, Warwick and Durham can often use October or January where their individual course permits either.

For the October sitting, UAT-UK test booking closes on 28 September 2026 at 6pm UK time. Applicants needing access arrangements have an earlier deadline.

Check the official UAT-UK dates and deadlines before booking.

LNAT

For the 2026/27 LNAT cycle, registration opens on 1 August 2026 and testing begins on 1 September 2026.

Oxford and Cambridge applicants have the earliest key deadline: they should register and book by 15 September and take LNAT by 15 October 2026. LSE and UCL applicants should take LNAT by 31 December 2026 for the relevant equal-consideration timetable, while Durham has a later January deadline.

Check the official LNAT dates and deadlines because your earliest-choice university should determine when you sit the test.

UCAT

UCAT testing for the 2026 cycle runs from 13 July to 24 September 2026. Booking opens on 23 June 2026, and the booking deadline is 16 September at 3pm UK time under the current published schedule.

Medical applicants should plan UCAT preparation earlier than most October UAT-UK tests because the testing window ends before the Oxford/Cambridge UCAS deadline.

Check the official UCAT test dates.

STEP

STEP takes place later in the admissions process and is usually relevant after an application has been submitted, particularly where it forms part of a Cambridge Mathematics or Warwick offer. Applicants should follow the current STEP timetable and the conditions in any university offer.

Applying to UK Universities from Singapore

Applying from Singapore: admissions test planning for UK universities

Applicants from Singapore may be preparing for the same university admissions tests through very different school systems. Students in Singapore junior colleges typically follow the Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level, with subjects at H1, H2 and H3 levels. International-school applicants may follow the IB Diploma, including students at UWCSEA and SJI International, while students at Singapore American School (SAS) may combine an American high school curriculum with AP and AT courses.

The test you need is determined primarily by the university and course. A Singapore-Cambridge A-Level, IB or American curriculum applicant to Cambridge Economics, for example, still follows Cambridge’s TMUA requirement. What changes is the preparation context: syllabus coverage, school examinations, internal deadlines and the amount of time available for test preparation can differ materially between curricula.

For students following an American/AP curriculum, SAT or ACT can also be relevant to the academic qualification route at some UK universities. Oxford and UCL accept defined AP plus SAT/ACT combinations for certain US-curriculum applicants, while Imperial states that it does not use SAT or ACT for undergraduate entry. Students should therefore check the qualification requirements as well as the course-specific admissions test requirement for every university on their list.

Singapore applicants should also plan around the local academic calendar. UAT-UK testing for standard Oxford and Cambridge applicants falls in October, and UCAT testing ends earlier in September. Singapore-Cambridge A-Level students may be balancing school examinations and national examinations, while IB and AP students can have different internal and external assessment calendars. Starting the admissions test plan around June gives more room to diagnose weaknesses before bookings and autumn deadlines become compressed. A UniWise Strategy Lead and admissions test specialist can then align preparation with the student's full UK application timeline.

For male Singapore citizens and permanent residents, National Service can also affect the application and matriculation timeline. Cambridge’s current guidance recognises Singapore’s two-year military-service obligation and allows many Colleges to consider two-year deferred applications. The relevant admissions test is still taken in the cycle in which the application is submitted, so the test date, interview period and intended matriculation year should be planned together with the student’s wider application strategy. A UniWise Strategy Lead with experience supporting students during National Service can help construct and confirm this timeline around service commitments, the testing window, interview period and intended matriculation year.

Reapplying to UK universities from Singapore during National Service

A recurring reapplication profile UniWise sees in Singapore is a strong student applying again after graduation, often while completing National Service, whose previous application was weaker at the admissions test or interview stage than the rest of the academic profile. Time away from school can reduce fluency and speed with familiar mathematical or reasoning material, especially where preparation has been mainly self-directed or timed practice has been limited.

For reapplicants, the priority is to diagnose what constrained the previous cycle and turn that diagnosis into a targeted improvement plan. UniWise can review available admissions test results, interview feedback and current diagnostic performance, then track progress across the new preparation cycle so that limited study time is concentrated on the weaknesses with the greatest scope to improve. This is especially important during National Service, when study time can be fragmented and the return on each hour of preparation matters. In UniWise's own work, we have supported Singapore reapplicants who materially improved their admissions test and interview performance for Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London and Medicine after targeted preparation.

A UniWise Strategy Lead can review the previous application, course choices, available test scores and interview feedback, then coordinate a new application plan with National Service commitments and specialist admissions test and interview preparation.

UniWise works with students from Singapore government schools and international schools across Singapore-Cambridge A-Levels, IB, British and international A-Levels, and American/AP curricula. A UniWise Strategy Lead can map your full university list and timetable, and our specialist admissions test tutors can build a personalised study plan around your actual syllabus and current performance.

How UniWise helps students map admissions test requirements

A course finder is useful for identifying the first layer of requirements. The more important planning question is how the tests interact across the student’s actual UCAS list.

UniWise Strategy Leads can review the proposed university and course combination, identify compulsory, recommended and alternative tests, check ESAT module combinations and build the relevant deadlines into the wider application plan. Specialist 1-to-1 tutors can then begin with diagnostic assessment and build a personalised preparation plan for TMUA, ESAT, TARA, LNAT, UCAT or STEP. Our admissions test tutors are top test-scorers, supported by a wider team of Oxbridge and Ivy League graduates. UniWise works with students across the IB, Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level, international and British A-Levels, and American high-school/AP curricula, so the plan can account for differences in syllabus coverage and school calendars.

Across UniWise’s wider admissions work, our Oxbridge and Ivy League graduate team has supported students who have secured 700+ offers across Oxbridge, Ivy League and other leading global universities. Students researching independently can use this finder to narrow the requirements first; students and parents seeking comprehensive support can speak to UniWise about UK University Admissions Consulting.

Explore UniWise Admissions Test Preparation

Explore UniWise UK University Admissions Consulting

UniWise TMUA Tutoring

UniWise ESAT Tutoring

UniWise TARA Tutoring

UniWise LNAT Tutoring

UniWise UCAT Tutoring

UniWise STEP Tutoring

UniWise SAT Tutoring

UniWise ACT Tutoring

UK Admissions Test Finder

UK university admissions test finder 2027: FAQs

  • UAT-UK’s current 2027-entry list includes Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, LSE, UCL, Warwick and Durham. The exact courses and the status of TMUA differ by university: it is compulsory for some programmes, recommended for others, and can be part of an alternative offer route.

  • For the universities covered in this guide, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London and UCL use ESAT for selected science, engineering and related courses. Applicants need to check the exact ESAT modules required by every relevant course before booking.

  • Oxford and UCL use TARA for 2027 entry. Oxford uses it for selected economics, social science, humanities and psychology courses. UCL uses it for selected Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering and Robotics-related programmes.

  • Yes for BSc Economics and BSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics for 2027 entry. LSE recommends TMUA for several other quantitative degrees, including Mathematics, Data Science, Actuarial Science and related programmes.

  • Yes. Imperial requires ESAT across several engineering and science departments, including Aeronautics, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Design Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Life Sciences, Mechanical Engineering and Physics. The required ESAT modules differ by department.

  • Yes, but the course list changed from 2026. For 2027 entry, UCL requires TARA for selected Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering and Robotics programmes. Several courses that used TARA in 2026 no longer require it, while ESPS/ISPS-related programmes have moved to UCL’s own Thinking Skills Test.

  • Cambridge Mathematics applicants take TMUA during the application stage for 2027 entry. Cambridge Mathematics offers normally also include STEP conditions, so many successful applicants prepare for STEP later in the cycle.

  • Yes, provided the courses on your UCAS application use TMUA and you meet the relevant sitting requirement. You do not sit a separate TMUA for each university. If Oxford or Cambridge is among your choices, the October sitting is required for the standard application timetable.

  • No. UAT-UK allows each test to be sat only once per admissions cycle. October is not a first attempt followed by a January retake.

  • You may. A student applying to courses that require different tests must sit each relevant assessment. For example, Oxford PPE plus Imperial Computing requires TARA and TMUA. UCL Computer Science plus Cambridge Computer Science requires TARA and TMUA, with an additional CSAT requirement if the Cambridge College is Peterhouse or Trinity.

  • Among the universities covered here, Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, UCL and Durham use LNAT for Law. Other participating LNAT universities include Bristol, Glasgow, King’s College London and SOAS. Always check the current LNAT participating-universities list and each institution’s deadline.

  • UCAT is widely used for UK Medicine. Among the universities covered here, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial and UCL use UCAT for their standard Medicine programmes, while Warwick uses UCAT for Graduate Entry Medicine. Applicants should check the official UCAT university list because medical school requirements can change by cycle.

  • SAT and ACT are general standardised tests used primarily in US undergraduate admissions and are separate from UK course-specific tests such as TMUA, ESAT, TARA, LNAT and UCAT. They can still be relevant to UK applications for students following an American high school curriculum, such as students at Singapore American School (SAS). Oxford and UCL accept certain AP plus SAT/ACT qualification combinations, while Imperial states that it does not use SAT or ACT for undergraduate entry. Applicants should therefore check the qualification rules of every university on their list and include relevant scores where required. Students applying across both UK and US systems can coordinate the testing calendar with their UniWise Strategy Lead. UniWise also offers personalised 1-to-1 SAT tutoring and ACT tutoring with experienced, top-scoring specialist tutors, including graduates of leading global universities; preparation can begin with diagnostic performance and target institutions so that practice is focused on the areas with the greatest scope for improvement.

  • Yes. A UniWise Strategy Lead can review the student’s intended universities and courses, identify all compulsory and recommended tests, check ESAT modules and deadlines, and coordinate the testing plan with the wider application. This can be particularly useful when the UCAS list spans universities using different tests.

🚀 UniWise Admissions Consulting: Your Success is Our Mission

University applications can be a challenging and daunting endeavour. However, engaging with a team of trusted admissions consultants simplifies the process and greatly enhances your chances of securing an offer by up to 4x.

Reach out to learn how we can help you achieve your university dreams. ⭐

Daniel Lim
Next

Oxford Admissions Tests 2026: ESAT, TMUA and TARA for 2027 Entry