FAQs

If you require an item in the testing room that is not listed as a permitted comfort aid, you will need to apply for approval from the UAT-UK office. You will need to provide supporting evidence that specifically outlines why you need continuous and immediate access to the item.

You must provide supporting evidence for access arrangements requests. You can apply using this form providing applications have been opened for the sitting in which you intend to test.

You may need to ask your school/college for your supporting evidence. If you are intending to sit your test in October, and you require access arrangements, please set up your UAT-UK account and submit your request while your school/colleges is still open.

Please refer to our Access Arrangements Policy for full details on what evidence will be accepted. If you are no longer in education and have a learning difficulty such as dyslexia, we require a full, post-16 diagnostic assessment report, signed by an appropriate professional. If you have a physical disability, sensory impairment or any other medical or health condition, we will accept a recent letter (dated 2024) from your usual GP Practice or a specialist (e.g. a consultant or psychiatrist).

Yes, if you are entitled to access arrangements during school exams, such as extra time, then you should be able to get this approved by UAT-UK. You will need to provide supporting evidence when applying for any access arrangements.

UAT-UK are unable to reimburse you if you have paid for a test and subsequently apply for a bursary. You can cancel your existing test booking, up until 48 hours prior to your scheduled test, and re-book using your bursary voucher, however this will be subject to test centre availability and there is no guarantee you will be able to re-book for the same time in the same test centre after cancellation.

UAT-UK does not share information on your access arrangements and we do not pass on details of any disability.

No, unless this has been approved by UAT-UK on medical grounds.

No, UAT-UK will not approve this access arrangement request.

If your school/college is closed, you should still apply for access arrangements as soon as possible. UAT-UK will review your application and provisionally approve it, where appropriate. You will have two further weeks, after the stated registration deadline, to provide the relevant evidence to UAT-UK. If you do not meet this final deadline, your access arrangements will be cancelled, and your test booking will revert to a standard test booking.

Please refer to our information on access arrangements. Make sure you are aware of the relevant deadlines. It can take up to ten working days for a request for standard access arrangements to be confirmed. You should apply for access arrangements in advance of the registration deadline to ensure you still have time to book your test.

No, once UAT-UK has issued a bursary code, it is valid for one test sitting only. After this time, you will need to reapply as we will need to verify your documentary evidence still meets the requirements in our policy and is appropriately dated.

Please refer to our Bursary Policy. You must then fill out this form and upload the required supporting evidence. Please do so in advance of the test registration deadline. It can take up to five working days for UAT-UK to review a bursary application.

A bursary voucher is a code provided by UAT-UK that is entered at the point of payment so that you do not have to pay for the test yourself. This will only apply to eligible candidates. You will need to apply to UAT-UK for a bursary voucher in advance of making your test booking.

No, you (or your parent/guardian) only need to be in receipt of one of the listed awards and provide one piece of supporting evidence that meets the outlined requirements.

Although we can offer bursaries for the full cost of the test, we are unable to support students with other expenses.

If you are applying to courses that require conflicting compulsory ESAT modules, you should contact UAT-UK using the form on the UAT-UK Policies page. You may be required to sit more than three modules.

If one of your courses allows for a free choice of modules, you should sit the compulsory modules required for your other application.

For ESAT specific course requirements, please refer to the course pages on the websites of the institutions to which you are applying. If you have any questions about admission requirements, you should contact the institution directly.

The TUMA overview page lists the universities signed up to use the TMUA and the ESAT page lists those using the ESAT. For specific course requirements, please refer to the course pages on the websites of the institutions to which you are applying and ensure you understand which test you need to sit, if any, and which parts you need to register for if you need to sit the ESAT. If you have any questions about admission requirements, you should contact the institution directly.

You will be provided with an erasable notebook and pen at the Pearson VUE test centre. For reasons of test security, students will not be allowed to take their own materials into the test.

Calculators are not permitted in either test.

We would strongly discourage candidates from paying to sit the test early and there is no benefit in doing so. UAT-UK provides practice tests, free of charge, in the Pearson VUE system, which replicate the test system that candidates will see on the day. One of these has the additional benefit of including explained answers, which can be used for revision purposes, and the other is offered under timed conditions. Booking a test in a Pearson VUE test centre takes a seat away from a candidate that needs to take the test that year.

If you are sitting in the UK, you can apply for an ID exemption. If an exemption is granted, you will be able to present a Citizen Card OR a letter, with a photograph, from your school. To apply for this, you should contact UAT-UK as soon as possible using the form on this page. You will not be permitted to present these forms of ID at your test centre without prior permission from UAT-UK.

If you have forgotten your username and/or password you should initially try and retrieve these by following the ‘forgotten username/password’ link on the login page.

Please do not set up a new account as multiple accounts are not permitted. If you continue to have issues, please contact Pearson VUE Customer Services for further assistance.

No. You must register and take the test at a Pearson VUE test centre. A list of test centres will be available to you via your UAT-UK account when test booking opens.

No, you can only take the test once in any given application cycle. If you are applying to Cambridge, you must take the test in October. If you are not applying to Cambridge, you can choose to sit the test in either October or January.

Each test costs £75 for candidates in the UK and Republic of Ireland and £130 for candidates elsewhere.

We have a Bursary scheme for UK candidates in financial hardship. A bursary will cover the full test fee. Please refer to our bursary information for eligibility criteria.

You will still need to apply for the test before the entry deadline. If you are still undecided about your choice of university or course, please still register either for ESAT or TMUA as appropriate.

If you then choose not to apply to University of Cambridge, Imperial, or one of the other universities that uses the test, you can withdraw from it. You will be entitled to a full refund provided you cancel at least 48 hours prior to your test booking.

No, you must sit the test in the cycle in which you apply. Previous test scores will not be available to the institutions to which you are applying.

No, the October deadline applies to all Cambridge applicants

You must sit your test in the same admissions cycle in which you submit your application. An admission cycle would include both the October and January test sittings for entry onto a course the following October.

We would strongly discourage candidates from paying to sit the test early and there is no benefit in doing so. UAT-UK provides practice tests, free of charge, in the Pearson VUE system, which replicate the test system that candidates will see on the day. One of these has the additional benefit of including explained answers, which can be used for revision purposes, and the other is offered under timed conditions. Booking a test in a Pearson VUE test centre takes a seat away from a candidate that needs to take the test that year.

Preparatory materials can be found on our prepare page.

We can’t guarantee a candidate’s first choice of test centre in all cases, however we are working hard to make sure there is enough capacity so that candidates can sit within a reasonable distance from their home or school address. Outside of the UK, candidates may need to travel further within their country.

For UK candidates, If there is a test centre that you can travel to, within 40 miles, we advise that you book and pay for your slot. If you check back regularly on the Pearson VUE site, new slots might become available due to cancellations, and you can reschedule your test free of charge until 48 hours before your scheduled test time.

If you are sitting in the UK and are unable to book a test within 40 miles of your home postcode (please note that this will not be possible in some remote locations), please contact the Pearson VUE customer services team via pvemeacustomerservice@pearson.com and they will work with you to find the closest available appointment.

If you are sitting a UAT-UK test in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Iran, Kenya, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Tanzania or Uganda, and are unable to pay by credit or debit card online, you should contact UAT-UK using the form on our Policies page to arrange to pay by bank transfer.

If your school or college exams clash with the October UAT-UK testing window, and you are not applying to the University of Cambridge, you should sit your test in the January window instead. This will not disadvantage you in any way. Candidates applying to Cambridge should contact us using the form on our Policies page, providing information of the dates and times of your school exams that clash with the UAT-UK test dates.

Please check the key test dates here to see if the booking window is open. You will only be able to book your test if our booking window is open. If the booking window is open, and you are still unable to book your test, please contact Pearson VUE Customer Services.

You should be able to amend your personal details from your dashboard on your UAT-UK account. If you are unable to do so, please contact Pearson VUE Customer Services.

Account details must be validated before your account set up can be completed. You may need to wait up to 1 business day , for an email from Pearson VUE, with additional instructions. This may be in your junk/spam folder. If this email has not arrived, after checking your junk/spam folders, please contact Pearson VUE Customer services

Please refer to our Key Dates and Deadlines to know when test booking opens for each test sitting. You are only permitted to register once for a test in either October or January. If you are applying to Cambridge, you must sit in October.

You can do this via your UAT-UK online account or by calling Pearson VUE Customer Service, up to 48 hours prior to your test. A test reschedule will be subject to test centre availability and there is no guarantee you will be able to rebook for the same time or in the same test centre after cancellation.
You cannot reschedule less than 48 hours prior to your test. Failure to cancel or reschedule in time, or failure to appear for your test will result in the forfeiture of your test fee

No, you are responsible for registering and paying for your own test.

Yes, you can cancel your test booking and get a full refund as long as you do so at least 48 hours before your scheduled test booking.

No, UAT-UK does not require that you supply your PID when you register for a UAT-UK account or book your test. UAT-UK and Pearson VUE will work closely with UCAS to match your score for your ESAT or your TMUA to your UCAS application using various other data points you supplied at the point of booking. This is a more accurate way for us to do this. Please be assured your test scores will be passed to the relevant institutions automatically.

Scores for the TMUA and for each part of ESAT will be reported on a 1.0 to 9.0 scale. An explanation of the meaning of your scaled score will be provided when your results are released.

You will be notified by email that your results are available via your UAT-UK account. This will be approximately six weeks after your test date.

Only universities on your UCAS application, that are official users of the ESAT or TMUA will have access to your results. Results are released automatically to each participating university.

Yes, you must provide photo ID bearing the same name used when registering for the test. A list of accepted forms of ID can be found Here If you fail to present the required ID you will not be allowed to test and will forfeit your test fee.

Please refer to our Special Consideration policy.

Please refer to our Test Incident Policy.

If you fell ill and notified an invigilator, this will be recorded, and you should raise it with Pearson VUE Customer Services under our Test Incident Policy. This applies regardless of whether or not you completed the test.