UK admissions tests for 2027 entry: TMUA, ESAT, TARA and LNAT

Which test each Oxford course needs

Oxford’s admissions tests page has a section headed ‘NEW for entry in 2027’. From 2026, Oxford uses admissions tests owned and managed by UAT-UK, as well as the LNAT for Law and the UCAT for Medicine.

Oxford says applicants for its Foundation Year courses may take the October 2026 or the January 2027 sitting.

Older advice may mention the MAT or PAT. Oxford’s maths department says the MAT will not take place in the 2026 admissions round (applications made in 2026 for 2027 entry), and all applicants take the TMUA instead. Oxford Physics calls the PAT its previous admissions test. If in doubt, check your course page: PPE’s, for example, says all applicants must take the TARA.

Which tests Cambridge uses

Cambridge calls these pre-registration tests: you register in advance and take the test at a test centre near you. For 2027 entry:

• ESAT: Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Engineering, Natural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine
• TMUA: Computer Science, Economics and Mathematics
• LNAT: Law
• UCAT: Medicine (Standard Course A100) and Medicine (Graduate Course)

If you’re applying for Computer Science at Peterhouse or Trinity, you also take the Computer Sciences Aptitude Test (CSAT). Several other courses set a College assessment instead: if you’re shortlisted, the College that interviews you arranges it, and you don’t register in advance.

The UAT-UK tests: TMUA, ESAT and TARA

The TMUA, ESAT and TARA are owned and managed by UAT-UK and delivered online by Pearson at its test centres, which UAT-UK says are in over 180 countries. Each test costs £78 for candidates in the UK and Republic of Ireland and £133 for candidates elsewhere.

• The TARA (Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions) has three modules of 40 minutes each. UAT-UK says it’s currently used by Oxford and UCL in a range of subjects.
• For 2027 entry there are two sittings, in October 2026 and January 2027, and you can only sit once within an admissions cycle.
• The October sitting ran from Monday 12 to Friday 16 October 2026, and most Oxford and Cambridge applicants for these courses had to take it. Booking closed at 6pm UK time on Monday 28 September 2026.
• Results from the October sitting are due on Monday 16 November 2026, in your UAT-UK account.

The January 2027 sitting

UAT-UK’s second sitting runs from Monday 4 to Friday 8 January 2027. It isn’t for most Oxford or Cambridge applicants. The exceptions UAT-UK names are mature applicants to a Cambridge mature college with a January deadline, and applicants to Oxford’s Astrophoria Foundation Year. For all other candidates, UAT-UK says there’s no advantage to sitting in October or January.

UAT-UK links to a list of the courses that use its tests for 2027 entry, so check whether your course asks for one before you book.

The LNAT for Law

The LNAT (Law National Aptitude Test) is used for Law by Oxford, Cambridge and several other UK universities; Oxford calls it the Pearson LNAT. Testing for 2027 entry began on Tuesday 1 September 2026, and the deadlines depend on where you’re applying:

Read your row’s wording carefully: booking ‘before’ a date isn’t the same as ‘before or on’ it.

The UCAT for Medicine

Oxford and Cambridge use the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) for Medicine; Oxford calls it the Pearson UCAT, and it’s taken at Pearson test centres in the UK and worldwide. For 2027 entry, Cambridge asked applicants to register by Wednesday 16 September 2026 and take the test by Thursday 24 September 2026. UCAT’s own booking deadline was 3pm UK time on Wednesday 16 September 2026, and results are delivered to universities in early November. The medicine interviews guide covers what comes next.