PAT

Overview

PAT (Physics Aptitude Test) was a pre-interview, subject-specific admissions test set by the University of Oxford for applicants to Physics, Physics and Philosophy, and Engineering Science, and (up to the 2025 entry cycle) Materials Science. Like STEP for mathematics applicants to Cambridge, it was a written test used alongside school grades to help a university shortlist candidates for interview, not a school-leaving qualification.

The PAT was last sat in October 2025, for students applying for October 2026 entry. From the October 2026 test cycle (for October 2027 entry) onward, Oxford replaced the PAT with the Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT), a differently structured test shared with several other UK universities. Materials Science did not move to the ESAT and, from 2026 entry, no longer requires an admissions test at all. This page describes the PAT as it ran up to and including its final sitting in 2025; anyone applying now should check current requirements on the Oxford Physics department's website, since the PAT itself is no longer offered.

Who can apply

Every applicant to Physics or Physics and Philosophy at Oxford had to sit the PAT, with no exceptions. Applicants to Engineering Science at Oxford also sat the PAT. Up to and including the 2025 entry cycle, applicants to Materials Science at Oxford sat the PAT as well; from 2026 entry, Materials Science dropped the requirement rather than moving to the ESAT.

Oxford was the only university that used the PAT — no other UK university required or set this particular test for its own admissions.

Exam pattern

The PAT was a 2-hour, single-section test, sat on a computer with a paper answer booklet at an authorised test centre (often the candidate's own school or college). Every question was multiple choice, and physics and maths questions were mixed together rather than split into separate sections, with the paper generally getting harder as it went on. The whole paper was marked out of 100.

Marking and results

The PAT was marked out of 100. There was no published pass mark; instead, the raw PAT score fed into Oxford's "R-score", a combined figure built from the PAT mark, GCSE results, and (after interview) interview marks, which colleges used to rank and shortlist candidates. For the 2025 entry cycle, Oxford's own physics admissions reporting described shortlisting a majority of interview places automatically for candidates above a threshold pre-interview R-score, with a smaller number of additional candidates just below that threshold also shortlisted once contextual information about their background was taken into account.

Candidates did not see their own PAT score at the time of shortlisting or interview — scores were released to candidates only after final offer decisions had been made, in January of the following year.

Important dates

Dates below are for the final PAT sitting, in the 2025 application cycle (for October 2026 entry):

The PAT was not run again after this sitting. From the October 2026 test cycle, Physics, Physics and Philosophy, and Engineering Science applicants to Oxford sit the ESAT instead, on a different syllabus and format; Materials Science applicants sit no admissions test.

Fees

Oxford did not charge a fee to sit the PAT. Some independent or private test centres added their own administration charge to cover room hire and invigilation, particularly for candidates sitting as private candidates rather than through their own school.

How to apply

1. A candidate registered for the PAT directly through Oxford's own admissions test registration portal, using their UCAS ID (this did not require a completed UCAS application, only a started one, to generate the ID).

2. Separately, once registered, the candidate booked an actual test appointment through Pearson VUE's booking system, at an authorised test centre — commonly the candidate's own school or college, or another Pearson VUE centre if their school did not offer it.

3. Test centre appointment slots were limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis within the booking window, so candidates were advised to book as soon as the booking system opened.

4. Candidates needing access arrangements, such as extra time, needed these arranged with their test centre ahead of the test date.

After the exam

PAT scores were sent to Oxford colleges to support shortlisting for interview, combined with GCSE results into a pre-interview R-score. Shortlisted candidates were interviewed by their first-choice college and a second, randomly allocated college. After interviews, interview marks were combined with the PAT mark and GCSE results into a post-interview R-score, which colleges used to decide final offers.

Preparation tips

• Full past PAT papers, still published by Oxford's physics department, were the standard way to prepare, since the test's style of mixing maths and physics in multiple-choice questions was unlike standard school exam papers.

• Working through the four physics topic areas (mechanics; waves and optics; electricity and magnetism; the natural world) separately, before attempting full timed papers, helped identify gaps before the exam.

• Because the paper tended to get harder through the questions, practising pacing and knowing when to move on from a stuck question mattered as much as raw topic knowledge.

• Anyone preparing for Oxford Physics, Physics and Philosophy, or Engineering Science entry now should prepare for the ESAT instead, since its syllabus and difficulty are different from the PAT's.

FAQs