The ESAT, Engineering and Science Admissions Test, is required for applicants to engineering, natural sciences, chemical engineering, and veterinary medicine at Cambridge, and for engineering programmes at Imperial College London. It replaced two earlier tests — the ENGAA and NSAA — from the 2024 admissions cycle onwards.

If you are applying to Cambridge Engineering, Natural Sciences (Physical or Biological), Chemical Engineering, or Veterinary Medicine, or to Imperial Engineering, you will need to register and sit the ESAT. Given that these are among the most competitive STEM programmes in the world, the test carries significant weight.

Test structure

The ESAT runs to 80 minutes total and consists of multiple-choice questions across three parts. Every candidate completes Part 1 (Mathematics), which is compulsory. You then choose two additional parts depending on your intended course.

Part 1 — Mathematics covers algebra, functions, geometry, calculus, and combinatorics at roughly A-level Further Mathematics standard. For students on the French baccalaureate (Spécialité Maths and Maths Expertes), the content is broadly comparable, though the question style is different.

The subject-specific parts are: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics 2. Cambridge Engineering applicants typically sit Mathematics 1 + Physics + Mathematics 2. Natural Sciences applicants choose based on their intended specialisation. Your Cambridge course page specifies which combination applies.

Questions are all multiple-choice with five options, and there is no negative marking. Each part is 40 minutes and contains approximately 27 questions.

When to register and sit

The ESAT is sat in October, with a single window across several days. Registration typically opens in August via the UAT (University Admissions Tests) portal at universitytest.ac.uk. Test centres are available across Europe, including in France. You receive your score immediately after completing the test. Scores are reported on a standardised scale from 1 to 9.

How to prepare

The ESAT is harder than A-level content in two specific ways: the questions are faster (many students don’t finish) and they require applying concepts in unfamiliar combinations rather than following a standard method. Knowing the content is necessary but not sufficient.

Effective preparation works through past papers from the predecessor tests (ENGAA and NSAA) as well as official ESAT practice material. Cambridge and Imperial have published sample papers and mark schemes. Working under strict time conditions from the beginning is important — untimed practice builds false confidence.

For the mathematics sections, the key skills are: working with unfamiliar notation quickly, handling multi-step problems without a calculator, and recognising when a problem is simpler than it appears. Calculators are not permitted.

For the physics section, the emphasis is on mechanics, waves, electricity, and modern physics. Questions often embed a physical scenario and ask you to extract the relevant equations.

French baccalaureate students should budget time to learn English scientific vocabulary if they’ve studied their bac spécialités in French.

What score do you need?

Cambridge does not publish an official cutoff, but scores generally need to be competitive with the rest of the applicant pool. For Cambridge Engineering, candidates who receive interviews tend to score 5.5 or above in the relevant parts. Imperial uses the ESAT as a screening tool at the shortlisting stage.

YourDreamSchool’s ESAT preparation

YourDreamSchool works with students applying to Cambridge and Imperial for STEM programmes. Our ESAT preparation includes:

• Diagnostic assessment to identify which parts of the syllabus need the most work
• Timed practice sessions with worked solutions and question-type analysis
• Targeted work on the mathematical reasoning speed that differentiates high scorers
• Coordination with your overall Cambridge or Imperial application timeline (UCAS personal statement, references, interview preparation)

ESAT preparation is available as a standalone programme or as part of our UCAS and Oxbridge packages. Book a free 10-minute consultation to discuss your timeline and target score.