Which ESAT Modules Should You Take? A Course-by-Course Guide for 2027 Entry

The ESAT is the only one of the three UAT-UK tests where you build your own paper. Everyone sits Mathematics 1. Most people then add two of Mathematics 2, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Pick the wrong two and your application to that course may not count — and you cannot fix it after booking.

The good news: for most courses there is no choice to make. The university has already told you which modules to sit. This guide lists every ESAT course for 2027 entry, taken from UAT-UK's official course list, and walks through the cases where you do have to think.

The basics in 30 seconds

• Five modules: Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics, Chemistry, Biology
• Each module: 27 multiple-choice questions, 40 minutes, scored 1–9
• Mathematics 1: compulsory for everyone
• Usual sitting: Maths 1 plus two more, about two hours in total
• No calculator, and no penalty for wrong answers — answer every question
• Modules are locked once you book. Changing them means cancelling and re-booking

Three kinds of ESAT course

Every ESAT course on the 2027 list falls into one of three groups.

1. Fixed: Maths 1, Maths 2 and Physics

Almost all engineering and physics courses. Cambridge Engineering, every Oxford engineering course plus Physics and Physics & Philosophy, and Imperial's engineering and physics courses. Nothing to decide here — sit these three.

2. Fixed: a different set of three (or two)

Three Imperial exceptions to know about:

• Biology-side courses — Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Ecology and Microbiology: Maths 1, Chemistry, Biology
• Chemical Engineering: Maths 1, Maths 2, Chemistry — Chemistry replaces Physics
• Design Engineering: Maths 1 and Maths 2 only. Two modules, not three

3. Free choice: Maths 1 plus any two

Cambridge Natural Sciences, Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology and Veterinary Medicine; Oxford Biomedical Sciences; UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering. You choose two from Maths 2, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. This is the only group where the choice is really yours.

Every ESAT course for 2027 entry

Source: UAT-UK Course List, 2027 entry (last updated April 2026). The ESAT is compulsory for every course above. Confirm on the university's own course page before you book.

If you have a free choice, how do you pick?

The test uses science and maths you are likely to have studied at school, so the plain answer is: pick the two subjects you are strongest in and are studying now. A few practical points:

• Match the course you actually want. Planning the physical side of Natural Sciences? Physics and Maths 2 fit. Planning the biological side, or Veterinary Medicine? Chemistry and Biology fit better.
• Don't pick a subject you have dropped. If you are not taking Biology in Year 12/13 or at IB Higher Level, the Biology module is a poor bet, however much you liked it at GCSE or IGCSE.
• Maths 2 goes further than Maths 1. Read the official ESAT specification before you choose it. IB students on AA SL or AI should check it especially carefully.
• Your other applications come first.If any other course on your list has compulsory modules, those decide your choice — see the next section.

Applying to more than one ESAT course

You sit the ESAT once per admissions cycle, and the same scores go to every university that asks for it. So your one set of modules has to satisfy all your courses at once. UAT-UK's rule is simple: when one course is free choice and another has compulsory modules, the compulsory modules win.

When you need four modules

UAT-UK allows four modules when two of your courses each have three compulsory modules that do not line up. When you book, select all four modules you need. That triggers a review: UAT-UK asks which courses you are applying to and confirms your choice. If your clash needs more than four, or you are unsure, contact UAT-UK through your account before you book.

Honestly, a shortlist that needs four or five modules is also worth a second look for its own sake. Every extra module is another 40 minutes of exam and another subject to prepare, on top of school.

The booking trap

UAT-UK is clear: modules “cannot be changed without cancelling and re-booking your test.” Re-booking depends on test-centre availability, so your date or centre may be gone. In practice:

1. Fix your UCAS course shortlist first
2. Write down the modules each ESAT course needs, using the table above
3. Work out the combination that covers all of them
4. Only then book

Dates for 2027 entry

• October sitting: 12–16 October 2026 — results 16 November 2026
• January sitting: 4–8 January 2027 — results 8 February 2027
• January booking: open 28 October to 21 December 2026, 6pm GMT

Cambridge and Oxford applicants must sit in October (except a few January-deadline routes, such as mature colleges at Cambridge and Oxford's foundation year), so for 2027 entry the October sitting has already happened for them. The January sitting is mainly for Imperial and UCL applicants. In China, Hong Kong and Macau the ESAT runs only on 12 or 13 October and 6 January. Check UAT-UK's key dates page before you plan around any of this.

Where we come in

We coach ESAT students 1-on-1 or in a batch capped at five, all online. Before a single lesson, we sit down with your course shortlist and settle the modules with you, so the booking is right the first time. Then each module is taught by a specialist in that subject, with timed 40-minute practice that matches the real test. See our ESAT coaching page, or message us on WhatsApp with your shortlist and we will tell you which modules it needs.

Not sure the ESAT is even your test? Start with TMUA vs ESAT vs TARA— Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering, for example, need different tests at different universities.

Frequently asked questions

How many ESAT modules do I take?

Most candidates take three: Mathematics 1 plus two more. Imperial Design Engineering asks for only Mathematics 1 and Mathematics 2. A few candidates with clashing courses sit four, with UAT-UK's permission.

Can I change my ESAT modules after booking?

No. You have to cancel and re-book, and your preferred date or test centre may no longer be available.

Do different universities see different modules?

You sit the ESAT once and get a score from 1 to 9 for each module. Scores are sent automatically to the universities on your UCAS form whose course requires the ESAT. You cannot choose which of them see your scores.

Is there a pass mark?

No. UAT-UK publishes no pass mark or grade boundaries, and there is no appeal on scores. Each university decides how to use them.

Checked against UAT-UK's Course List for 2027 entry and esat-tmua.ac.uk, 3 November 2026. Requirements change between cycles — confirm for your own course and entry year.