Several competitive courses require a separate admissions test alongside your UCAS application. Which one you need depends entirely on your course, and each has its own format, timing and preparation approach.
Medicine, dentistry and vet science
Most courses require the UCAT, a computer-based test covering verbal and decision-making skills rather than subject knowledge, usually sat in the summer before you apply. Some courses use alternative tests, so it is worth checking the specific requirement for each university on your list.
Law and other subjects
Law applicants to many universities need the LNAT, a reading and reasoning test. Other subjects — including maths, engineering and some sciences — have their own specific tests set by individual universities or consortia, often in the autumn.
How to prepare properly
These tests reward familiarity with the format as much as raw ability, since most are heavily timed. We run mock tests under real time pressure and review your technique, not just your answers, so test day is not the first time you have felt that time pressure.
