Key points

  • There's no official pass mark for the ESAT: UAT-UK reports a separate score for each module on a scale from 1.0 to 9.0, with no pass or fail.
  • How a university uses those scores is up to the university, so check the pages for each course you're applying to.
  • Specimen tests don't get a scaled score and any calculator is only an estimate, so judge your practice by raw marks, timing and the mistakes you keep making.

What is a good ESAT score?

There's no official answer. UAT-UK doesn't set a pass mark for the ESAT, and we can't point you to any official figure for what counts as a good score.

Your results come as a separate score for each module you sit, on a scale from 1.0 to 9.0. UAT-UK says there's no pass or fail. Each university decides how it uses the scores, and requirements differ between courses and universities.

So the useful question for you is narrower: what do the courses you're applying to say, and how is your practice going against the paper itself?

How is the ESAT scored?

Each ESAT module has 27 multiple-choice questions. Every correct answer scores one mark, and no marks are taken off for a wrong answer. That gives you a raw mark out of 27 for each module.

The raw mark is then turned into a score on the 1.0 to 9.0 scale. That conversion depends on how everyone in the live sitting performs, so the same raw mark won't always give the same score.

Results for each module are reported separately. If you sit Mathematics 1 and two more modules, you'll get three scores, released through your UAT-UK account.

Why is there no single number to aim for?

Because the scale depends on the cohort, nobody outside UAT-UK can tell you in advance which raw mark gives which score. Any fixed conversion you see for a future sitting is an estimate.

The modules are also different tests. A score in Biology and a score in Mathematics 2 come from different papers, so don't assume a number that looks fine in one module means the same in another.

And universities don't all use the ESAT in the same way. Courses that use it include Engineering and Natural Sciences at Cambridge, Physics and Engineering Science at Oxford, and Mechanical Engineering and Physics at Imperial. Each sets its own module requirements.

What do universities do with ESAT scores?

Start with the course page for each university you're applying to. It will tell you which modules you need, and if the university says anything about how it uses ESAT results, that's where you'll find it.

Don't go by what a friend on a similar-sounding course has been told. Write down what each course page says and the date you checked it. If something isn't clear, ask the university's admissions office.

Can you predict your ESAT score from practice?

Only roughly. UAT-UK doesn't give a scaled score for its specimen and practice tests, because the real scale depends on the ability of the live cohort. Those tests are there to show you the format and the software.

If you want a rough idea, the free ESAT score calculator on this site lets you enter your raw marks and gives an estimated score range on the 1.0 to 9.0 scale for each module. It's our own estimate, not an official conversion, and it can't tell you what a university will make of the result.

The estimated scores on Noetra's mocks work the same way: they're our own estimate, not an official result.

How to judge your practice results

A raw mark is still worth tracking, especially when you compare papers of similar difficulty over a few weeks. Put three more things next to it: which topics lost you marks, roughly how many seconds each question took, and which correct answers were really guesses.

Then look at where the marks went. Marks lost to misreading a question or being short of time are usually quicker to win back than marks lost on a topic you haven't been taught. If you're finishing with no time left, a better rule for when to move on may be worth more than another week of revision.

A better target than a number is a change you control: reaching the end of each module with a few minutes left, and seeing the same mistake turn up less often.

Questions students ask

Is there a pass mark for the ESAT?
No. UAT-UK reports a score for each module on a 1.0 to 9.0 scale and says there's no pass or fail. Universities decide how they use the scores.
How is the ESAT score reported?
Each module you sit gets its own score on a scale from 1.0 to 9.0. Results are released through your UAT-UK account.
Can I get an official ESAT score from a specimen test?
No. UAT-UK doesn't give a scaled score for specimen and practice tests, because the real scale depends on how the live cohort performs.
Is the ESAT score calculator official?
No. The free calculator on this site gives our own estimated score range from your raw marks. It isn't a UAT-UK conversion and it can't tell you what a university will decide.

Official sources

Current details were checked against these primary sources on the date shown above.