In January 2026, the University of Oxford confirmed the most significant overhaul of its undergraduate admissions testing in decades. The suite of in-house examinations that preceded the famous admissions interviews have been replaced with three tew assessments; the TMUA, ESAT and TARA. Registration for the new tests opens this summer. There is very little time between now and then.
What has been scrapped
Oxford confirmed in January 2026 that from the 2027 admissions cycle, it is retiring the majority of its admissions tests, aside from the UCAT for Medicine and LNAT for Law. The eight tests being discontinued are the Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT); the Physics Aptitude Test (PAT); the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA); the Modern Languages Admissions Test (MLAT); the Classics Admissions Test (CAT); the Philosophy Admissions Test (PhilAT); the Biomedical Sciences Admissions Test (BMSAT); and the Ancient History and Classical Archaeology Admissions Test (AHCAAT). [1]
What replaces them
Oxford has joined the UAT-UK alliance, a collaboration between Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge whose computer-based tests are delivered online through Pearson VUE test centres worldwide. [1] Three tests now cover Oxford’s full range of affected courses.
The TMUA (Test of Mathematics for University Admission) replaces the MAT for Mathematics, Computer Science and related courses. The TMUA doesn’t include the extended-answer questions of the MAT; the emphasis is on solving a larger number of questions fairly quickly within the time limit. [2]
The ESAT (Engineering and Science Admissions Test) is utilised for Engineering, Physics, Biomedical Sciences and related courses. The ESAT is a modular assessment where students have to pick different modules based on the courses they are applying for. Each section comprises of 27 questions and has a duration of 40 minutes. Students are advised to book their sitting well in advance. [3]
The TARA (Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions) replaces the TSA for Economics and Management, Human Sciences and related social science and humanities courses. The TARA is a subject-neutral reasoning test focused on how candidates think and respond to unfamiliar material. [4]
Oxford’s own admissions page confirms that applicants for all affected courses must sit the October test sitting. The January sitting is not available to Oxford or Cambridge applicants. [1]
Why this changes things more than it might appear
The move to shared UAT-UK tests has a consequence beyond format change: Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial now all use the same assessments, meaning a single score is directly comparable across all three institutions simultaneously.
The more immediate consequence concerns preparation resources. The MAT had almost thirty years of published past papers behind it. As exams.ninja noted in their January 2026 analysis, the question banks, preparation guides and revision routes that generations of Oxford applicants have relied upon are no longer applicable to the tests that will be sat in October 2026. [5]
Where things stand right now
Registration details for 2027-entry tests are being published via the UAT-UK website at esat-tmua.ac.uk, which already contain preparation materials for the ESAT and TMUA. The TARA preparation resources are available through the same platform. These are the authoritative starting points and the only reliable preparation materials currently available.
For Law applicants, LNAT registration for Oxford and Cambridge opens on 1 August 2026 and closes on 15 September 2026. The test must be sat by 15 October 2026. [6] For Medicine applicants, UCAT registration typically opens in early summer and testing runs from July through to September.
Everything written above applies specifically to Year 12 students applying in autumn 2026.
At Athena Tuition, our Oxbridge admissions tutors work with students from Year 12 on preparation for both the new UAT-UK tests and the broader Oxford and Cambridge applications. If your child is planning to apply to Oxford in 2026 and has not yet begun structured preparation for the new test framework, now is the right time to start.
Call us on 0208 133 6284 or email enquiries@athenatuition.co.uk
Sources and references
- Oxford University official admissions tests page, confirming discontinued tests, new UAT-UK framework, October sitting requirement, UCAT and LNAT exceptions: ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/admissions-tests
- TMUA replacing MAT: emphasis on mathematical reasoning and precision rather than syllabus depth and extended problem-solving: u2tuition.com/resources/oxford-tmua-and-esat-shift
- Times Higher Education, September 2025: ESAT and TMUA introduced in 2024, TARA first used in 2025, all tests taken online at Pearson VUE centres with limited capacity, students advised to book well in advance: timeshighereducation.com/counsellor/admissions-processes-and-funding/admissions-tests-uk-universities-all-you-need-know
- TARA replacing TSA for social sciences and humanities, subject-neutral reasoning test focused on unfamiliar material: ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/admissions-tests and dukesplus.com/guides/applying-to-university-in-the-uk/uk-university-admissions-tests/tara-test-guide
- UAT-UK past papers from discontinued tests not recommended for TMUA and ESAT preparation due to different formats; TSA partial exception for TARA: exams.ninja/guides/oxford-admissions-tests-changes (January 2026)
- LNAT registration for Oxford and Cambridge applicants: opens 1 August, closes 15 September, test to be sat by 15 October: theuniguide.co.uk/advice/ucas-application/which-admissions-tests-do-i-need-to-take