Every ESAT candidate sits Mathematics 1, and most courses name two more modules. For 2027 entry, Cambridge Engineering, Oxford Engineering and Physics, and most Imperial engineering and physics courses require Mathematics 2 and Physics. Imperial’s bioscience degrees require Chemistry and Biology. Cambridge Natural Sciences and UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering let you choose any two.
By Archie Dyer, founder of Cognivia Tutoring · Last checked 11 October 2026
Mathematics 1 is compulsoryEvery candidate sits it, whatever the course.
Four further modulesMathematics 2, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Most candidates sit two of them.
40 minutes, 27 questions eachMultiple choice, separately timed, no calculator.
Your course decidesSome courses fix all three modules. Others leave two to you.
Fixed at bookingChanging modules means cancelling and booking again.
Which ESAT modules does each university course require?
The modules depend on the course, and UAT-UK, which runs the test, publishes them in one course list for each admissions cycle. The table reproduces the ESAT entries in its list for 2027 entry. Four universities appear: Cambridge, Imperial College London, Oxford and UCL.
ESAT modules required by university and course for 2027 entry, from the UAT-UK course list
University
Course
ESAT modules required
Cambridge
Engineering
Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics
Cambridge
Natural Sciences; Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology; Veterinary Medicine
Mathematics 1, plus any two chosen by the candidate from Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics 2
Imperial College London
Aeronautical Engineering; Civil Engineering; Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Electronic and Information Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; the Physics degrees, including Physics with Theoretical Physics
Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics
Imperial College London
MEng Chemical Engineering
Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Chemistry
Imperial College London
MEng Design Engineering
Two modules only: Mathematics 1 and Mathematics 2
Imperial College London
Biochemistry; Biological Sciences; Biotechnology, each including the listed versions with French, German or Spanish; Microbiology; Ecology and Environmental Biology
Mathematics 1, Chemistry and Biology
Oxford
Engineering Science; Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Information and Mechanical Engineering; the Foundation Year versions of those courses; Physics; Physics and Philosophy
Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics
Oxford
Biomedical Sciences
Mathematics 1, plus any two chosen by the candidate from Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics 2
UCL
BEng and MEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Mathematics 1, plus any two chosen by the candidate from Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics 2
A similar course name does not mean the same test. The same list shows UCL using a different UAT-UK test, the TARA, for Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, and Imperial using the TMUA for its Computing and Mathematics degrees. The TMUA vs ESAT guide covers which test goes with which course.
Check the university’s own course page before you book. UAT-UK states: “Candidates must check the relevant course pages on the website of the institution(s) to which they are applying before booking a test.” Requirements can change between cycles, and this table is a summary, not a substitute.
Module requirements taken from the UAT-UK Course List 2027 Entry (last updated April 2026). The four Cambridge ESAT courses were cross-checked against Cambridge’s own admissions tests page. Checked on 11 October 2026.
What are the five ESAT modules?
The ESAT has five modules: Mathematics 1, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics 2. Each has 27 multiple-choice questions and lasts 40 minutes. UAT-UK’s content specification lists the knowledge each module assumes, and every module also assumes the content of Mathematics 1.
The five ESAT modules and the topics each assumes, from the UAT-UK content specification
Module
Who takes it
Topic headings in the specification
Mathematics 1
All candidates.
Units; number; ratio and proportion; algebra; geometry; statistics; probability.
Mathematics 2
Candidates whose course names it or who choose it.
Algebra and functions; sequences and series; coordinate geometry; trigonometry; exponentials and logarithms; differentiation; integration; graphs of functions.
Physics
Candidates whose course names it or who choose it.
Candidates whose course names it or who choose it.
Seventeen headings, from atomic structure and the Periodic Table through quantitative chemistry, bonding, energetics, rates of reaction and organic chemistry.
Biology
Candidates whose course names it or who choose it.
Eleven headings, from cells, inheritance and DNA through enzymes, animal and plant physiology, and ecosystems.
Timing
Each module is separately timed. UAT-UK says that if a candidate finishes a module early, “the time will not be carried over to the next module”.
Total length
“The ESAT will be 120 minutes long for most candidates”, because most sit three modules.
Calculator
Not allowed. The test is taken on a computer, with an erasable booklet for working.
Scoring
One mark for each correct answer, none deducted for a wrong one, and a separate result from 1 to 9 for each module.
UAT-UK describes the test as drawing on “science and mathematics that you are likely to have already learned in your school studies”, and recommends reading the specification to see which topics need revising.
Modules, topic headings, timing and scoring from the UAT-UK ESAT Content Specification (for assessment in October 2026 and January 2027) and its About the ESAT page. Checked on 11 October 2026.
ESAT Mathematics 2 or Physics: which should I take?
For most engineering and physics courses it is not a choice: the course list names both Mathematics 2 and Physics alongside Mathematics 1. The question only arises on the courses with a free choice, such as Cambridge Natural Sciences, Oxford Biomedical Sciences and UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering.
Mathematics 2 is the further mathematics module. Its eight topic headings are the same as those in Part 1 of the TMUA specification, which UAT-UK describes as “almost all covered within the pure mathematics specification of an AS level in mathematics”. UAT-UK publishes one set of notes for both: Notes on Mathematics for TMUA Paper 1 and ESAT Mathematics 2.
Physics is a science module covering electricity, magnetism, mechanics, thermal physics, matter, waves and radioactivity. Like every module, it also assumes the Mathematics 1 content.
Where the choice is yours, my own view is that it should follow the subjects you are studying and are most secure in, since the test draws on school content. One rule overrides preference. UAT-UK states that if you are applying to two or more ESAT courses and one has a free choice, “your module selection must be dictated by the courses that have compulsory modules listed”.
No. UAT-UK states: “It is not possible to change your module selection or add or remove modules after booking your test.” If your requirements change or you make a mistake, you must cancel the booking and book again, and UAT-UK warns there is no guarantee of securing the same appointment. Modules cannot be changed at the test centre either.
Two ESAT courses, one with a free choice: sit the compulsory modules of the other course.
Two ESAT courses with different compulsory modules: UAT-UK’s FAQs say you might need to sit four modules instead of three, and that this needs its permission. It asks candidates to contact it through their online account before booking.
Four of the five: Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics and Chemistry. Archie Dyer, a second-year Theoretical Physics student at UCL and the only tutor at Cognivia, does not tutor Biology, so a course requiring the Biology module would need that module covered elsewhere.
Lessons are one hour and one to one, at £45 online on Google Meet or £55 in person around Marylebone, London. A 5-pack of five lessons saves £15, at £210 online or £260 in person, and a 30-minute online trial is free with no card needed. None of this is a promise about a score.
UAT-UK publishes its specification, ESAT Guide, specimen and practice tests and an archive of past papers free of charge, and says it does not endorse any commercial preparation service. Cognivia Tutoring is independent, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by UAT-UK, Pearson VUE or any university.
Free materials and the statement on commercial preparation from UAT-UK’s Prepare page. Checked on 11 October 2026.
FAQ
ESAT module questions, answered
Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics. That is the combination named for Cambridge Engineering in UAT-UK’s course list for 2027 entry. Confirm it on Cambridge’s own course page before booking.
Mathematics 1, plus any two modules you choose from Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics 2. UAT-UK’s course list for 2027 entry gives the same free choice for Cambridge Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology and for Veterinary Medicine.
It depends on the course. For 2027 entry, UAT-UK’s course list names Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics for Imperial’s Physics degrees and for Aeronautical, Civil, Electrical and Electronic, Electronic and Information, and Mechanical Engineering. Chemical Engineering needs Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Chemistry. Design Engineering needs Mathematics 1 and Mathematics 2 only. The listed bioscience degrees need Mathematics 1, Chemistry and Biology.
Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics. UAT-UK’s course list for 2027 entry names that combination for Oxford Physics, Physics and Philosophy, Engineering Science and the named engineering courses. Oxford Biomedical Sciences is different: Mathematics 1 plus any two other modules.
UCL uses the ESAT for BEng and MEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering, with Mathematics 1 plus any two modules chosen from Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics 2. In the same UAT-UK list for 2027 entry, UCL Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science use a different test, the TARA.
No. UAT-UK states that it is not possible to change your module selection or add or remove modules after booking. If your requirements change or you make an error, you must cancel the booking and book again, with no guarantee of the same appointment.
Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics and Chemistry. Archie Dyer does not tutor Biology, so a course requiring the Biology module would need that module covered elsewhere. Lessons are one hour and one to one, at £45 online or £55 in person around Marylebone, London, with a free 30-minute online trial.
Where to go next
Once you know your modules, the pages below cover the test, the dates and the preparation.
