How to plan your ESAT revision, week by week
- Papers
- 72
- Questions
- 2790
- Free to try
- 2
- Test windows
- 12 to 16 Oct 2026 and 4 to 8 Jan 2027; in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau only 12 or 13 Oct and 6 Jan
- Attempts
- One sitting per admissions cycle; modules cannot be changed once booked
- Format
- 27 questions in 40 minutes per module; most candidates sit three back to back, 120 minutes in total
- The sequence
- Make Mathematics 1 airtight, tick off the specification chapter by chapter, then run full timed sittings
- Boundaries
- No pass mark, no published boundaries, no appeals
Every date, rule and topic list on this page comes from UAT-UK's own pages, the official Content Specification and the 2027-entry Course List.
- Fix your module combination before you revise anything. Modules cannot be changed once booked without cancelling and re-booking, and if you apply to two ESAT courses, the one with compulsory modules dictates your choice.
- There are two sittings for 2027 entry (12 to 16 October 2026 and 4 to 8 January 2027). In mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau the ESAT runs only on 12 or 13 October and 6 January, and you may sit once per admissions cycle.
- The sequence is fixed: make Mathematics 1 airtight (every module assumes it), tick off the specification chapter by chapter, then run modules back to back under time. Allocate weeks by chapter count, not by dividing evenly across subjects.
- UAT-UK states that all necessary preparatory materials are free to every candidate, and that it does not endorse any commercial preparation service. The historic ENGAA and NSAA papers are usable, but out-of-specification questions are flagged, so mine them question by question rather than sitting them whole.
- There is no pass mark, no published grade boundary and no appeal against a score. Set process targets instead: chapter coverage, zero unattempted questions, a falling arithmetic-error rate, and time left at the end of each module.
Part 1 of 3
Sections 01 to 04
Lock the module combination before you revise anything
| Modules | |
|---|---|
| Cambridge Engineering (H100) | Mathematics 1 + Mathematics 2 + Physics |
| Cambridge Natural Sciences (BCF0), Veterinary Medicine (D100), Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (H810) | Mathematics 1 + any two of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics 2 |
| Oxford Engineering Science, Biomedical/Chemical/Civil/Electrical/Information/Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Physics and Philosophy | Mathematics 1 + Mathematics 2 + Physics |
| Oxford Biomedical Sciences (BC98) | Mathematics 1 + any two |
| Imperial Aeronautics, Civil and Environmental, EEE, Mechanical, Physics | Mathematics 1 + Mathematics 2 + Physics |
| Imperial Chemical Engineering | Mathematics 1 + Mathematics 2 + Chemistry |
| Imperial Life Sciences | Mathematics 1 + Chemistry + Biology |
| Imperial Design Engineering (28G3) | Mathematics 1 + Mathematics 2 (two modules only) |
| UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering | Mathematics 1 + any two of Maths 2, Physics, Chemistry, Biology |
Check the official Course List against your exact UCAS course code before you book.
The confirmed 2027-entry timeline, straight into your calendar
Test window 112 to 16 Oct
Test window 24 to 8 Jan
Why mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau get only one or two days
How many sittings per admissions cycle
October or January
Can the fee be covered by a bursary
Turn dates into weeks, then allocate by chapter count
Mathematics 1
7 chapters
Codes M1 to M7
Mathematics 2
8 chapters
Codes MM1 to MM8
Physics
7 chapters
Codes P1 to P7
Chemistry
17 chapters
Codes C1 to C17
Biology
11 chapters
Codes B1 to B11
15 chapters
Maths 1 + Maths 2 (Imperial Design Engineering)
22 chapters
Maths 1 + Maths 2 + Physics (most engineering and physics routes)
32 chapters
Maths 1 + Maths 2 + Chemistry (Imperial Chemical Engineering)
35 chapters
Maths 1 + Chemistry + Biology (Imperial Life Sciences)
Cover all of Mathematics 1
Chapter self-test
The two further modules
Full timed sittings
Rhythm maintenance
Phase one: Mathematics 1 is the foundation, not the warm-up
Mathematics 1
Seven chapters (M1 to M7), assumed by every module
BiologyChapters B1 to B11
- Items carry their own B tags
- Plus the M tags
ChemistryChapters C1 to C17
- Items carry their own C tags
- Plus the M tags
PhysicsChapters P1 to P7
- Items carry their own P tags
- Plus the M tags
Mathematics 2Chapters MM1 to MM8
- Items carry the M tags
- Plus the MM tags
Tap a branch to unfold
Chapter by chapter, tested the same day
Rebuild mental arithmetic
Build the units habit
Part 2 of 3
Sections 05 to 08
Phase two: ticking off the specification, made concrete
| What goes in it | |
|---|---|
| Chapter code | The official code (M4, MM6, P4, C11, B6), never your own label |
| First test | The day you finish the chapter |
| Result | All correct, errors, or could not start |
| Error type | Concept, wrong formula recalled, arithmetic, missed a condition, ran out of time |
| Retest date | Five to seven days after the first test |
| State | Blank, seen, can do, can do under time |
Calculator
None at any point
Speed
Under 90 seconds per question on average
27 questions in 40 minutes works out at roughly 89 seconds each
Wrong options
You can explain which step makes each incorrect option incorrect
Not merely identifying the right one
Retest
It still passes a week later
Phase three: full timed sittings, because the constraint is the exam
Back to back, in exam order
Paper and one pen only
Lock at the bell
Count the blanks before marking
What the official materials give you, and how to use the historic papers
The official Content Specification
The official ESAT preparation materials page
The historic ENGAA and NSAA papers
UAT-UK endorses no commercial preparation, ours included
Part 3 of 3
Sections 09 to 10
Scores: what is knowable, what is not, and what to aim at
Score scale
Each module scored separately, from 1 (low) to 9 (high), to one decimal place
No combined total; modules are equated and scaled separately
Pass mark and boundaries
None exist
No pass or fail, and UAT-UK publishes no grade boundary of any kind
Appeals
Not accepted
UAT-UK's stated reason: scoring is tested and quality assured before, during and after every window
Chapter coverage
The share of chapters marked 'can do under time'
The only metric that maps directly onto the specification
Unattempted questions
Zero, in every timed sitting
Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, so a blank buys nothing
Arithmetic error share
A number that falls week on week
Track the share of logged errors tagged as arithmetic
Time distribution
Two or three minutes left per module to revisit unsure questions
Much more means giving up too early; none at all means too slow an opening
Test day and afterwards, rehearsed in advance
Arrival
30 minutes before your scheduled sitting
More than 15 minutes late may mean refused entry, with the fee forfeited
Calculator and dictionary
Neither is allowed
Rough-work materials and a pen are provided; raise your hand for a replacement
The rough-work surface
Whatever you are handed
Official pages call it an erasable booklet, an erasable notebook or a whiteboard; what is certain is the centre provides and swaps it
Breaks between modules
None
Finish one early and the spare minutes are gone, not banked
Fee
£78 in the UK and Republic of Ireland, £133 elsewhere
Set by the location of your test centre, not nationality or residence
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should I start revising for the ESAT?
Does Mathematics 1 include trigonometry or calculus?
Should I sit the ESAT in October or January?
Are there free official ESAT past papers, and can I still use ENGAA and NSAA papers?
Which days can candidates in mainland China sit the ESAT?
What is a good ESAT score? Is there a cut-off?
Can I resit the ESAT, or appeal a score I am unhappy with?
Official sources
- UAT-UK official key dates and deadlines
- ESAT Content Specification (for October 2026 and January 2027)
- UAT-UK ESAT test overview (modules, scoring, fees, results)
- UAT-UK test results (scale, equating, no appeals)
- UAT-UK preparation page (free materials and its position on commercial services)
- UAT-UK ESAT preparation materials (including the historic ENGAA and NSAA papers)
- UAT-UK test day rules
- UAT-UK Course List for 2027 entry (module requirements by course)
- Imperial College London ESAT page (booking windows and bursaries)
Other ESAT preparation guides
- ESAT Mathematics 1: the seven topics, and what is not in them
- ESAT Mathematics 2, module by module
- The ESAT Physics Module: Seven Topics, No Calculator, 40 Minutes
- ESAT Chemistry: all 17 official topics, and where the marks actually go
- The ESAT Biology Module: Eleven Topics, Four Blind Spots
- Choosing Your ESAT Modules: Official Combinations for Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial and UCL
- ESAT time management: a minute-by-minute plan for one module
- How ESAT scoring works, and how to read your result
- Cambridge Engineering ESAT scores: what the official FOI data shows
- ESAT test day, from arriving at the centre to the final module
- ESAT vs NSAA & ENGAA: the handover, explained
- ESAT Registration and Key Dates: the Full 2027 Entry Timeline
- ESAT score statistics: the numbers, and their limits
- ESAT in October or January: what the official data can settle
- ESAT international candidates: what the official tables actually show
- ESAT candidate numbers: the real scale of the 2026 cycle
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