2025 Guidance on admissions test registration and booking
Many of Oxford’s undergraduate courses require applicants to sit an admissions test on a given test day. This guidance is for anyone taking any of the following tests this year:
- Ancient History and Classical Archaeology Admissions Test (AHCAAT)
- Biomedical Sciences Admissions Test (BMSAT)
- Classics Admissions Test (CAT)
- Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT)
- Modern Languages Admissions Test (MLAT)
- Physics Admissions Test (PAT) – including for Engineering Science and Materials Science
- Philosophy Test (PhilAT) – only for Philosophy and Theology
- Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA)
If you are applying for Law, you need to follow a different process to take the LNAT. If applying for Medicine or Graduate Entry Medicine, follow the guidance for the UCAT.
In 2025, there are separate registration and appointment booking processes you need to follow to take your Oxford admissions test.
If you will be requesting access arrangements for your test, please see instead our 2025 Candidate guidance on admissions test registration and booking (with access arrangements).
Candidates will need to register for their test between Wednesday 18 June and Friday 19 September (6pm BST) via the Oxford Admissions Test registration portal and book their test appointment via Pearson VUE’s booking system between Monday 18 August and Friday 26 September (6pm BST). The link to the booking system will be available on your dashboard in the registration portal from Monday 18 August.
We strongly recommend you register before booking opens on 18 August and that you book as soon as possible as test centre places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Note: You are required to provide your UCAS ID when you register for your test. UCAS applications open on 13 May. You do not need to submit your UCAS application to obtain your UCAS ID, you simply have to begin an application to obtain this. Oxford admissions tests are only available to University of Oxford applicants; failure to provide a UCAS ID which can be matched to your Oxford application will result in your test booking being withdrawn after the 15 October UCAS deadline and before test day.
Registering for your test via the Oxford Admissions Test registration portal
Go to the registration portal and follow the instructions to create your Oxford admissions test user account and register for your test. If possible, we recommend following this process on a computer rather than a mobile.
Account profile
- The first time you click through to the registration portal, you will be asked to provide your email address and a password. You must use the same email address you used for your UCAS application.
- You will then be sent a validation link to confirm your email address is correct. Check your email (including your spam folder) and click on the validation link.
- Once you have validated your email and logged back into the portal, you will be presented with a guidance page. It is important that you read this guidance carefully and ensure you have to hand all the correct information and documentation to register correctly.
Personal information
- You will then be asked for some personal information. Please ensure your legal first name and legal last name match the ID you plan to bring to the test centre. You can consult the Pearson ID policy to check that the ID you plan to use meets their requirements. This information is sent directly to Pearson VUE. This is important - if the ID you take on the day does not match the name in their system you will regrettably be turned away and will not be able to sit your test.
Contact information
- The next page will ask for your contact information. When booking opens, the Pearson VUE booking system will need your address to find the closest test centre to you. If you know you will be sitting your test in a different location, later when booking your test, you can manually override this and search on a different address. A valid phone number is also important as Pearson Vue or Oxford may need to contact you about your booking.
UCAS information
- You will then be asked to provide your UCAS ID. It is mandatory to provide this so, once the 15 October UCAS application deadline is past, we can match your test with your application to the University.
- You can then select your chosen course from a drop-down menu. It will be easier to do this if you know your course code; you can find this on your course page.
- On the basis of your selection, you will be automatically registered for the appropriate test or tests (most courses require only one admissions test, but a few joint courses require more than one).
Amendments
- From registration opening on 18 June until 17 August, you can return any time to the Oxford Admissions Test registration portal using your login details to change your course selection and register for a different test.
- From 18 August when booking opens, until registrations close on 19 September (6pm BST), you can:
- withdraw your admissions test booking
- connect with Pearson VUE’s booking system to rebook your test at a different location
- change your course selection and register and book for a different test (you will need to withdraw your initial registration to do this).
- From 19 September (after registration closes) until booking closes on 26 September (6pm BST), on the registration portal, you can only:
- withdraw your admissions test booking
- request to rebook your test at a different location.
Summary registration page
- Finally, you will be asked if you require access arrangements (sometimes known as reasonable adjustments or accommodations). If you do not have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), you simply select ‘no’ and you will be taken to the portal’s summary page.
- For all candidates, the final registration step is a summary page where you can check that all the information you have entered is correct. It is important to take your time and check this information carefully. Any errors may delay your booking or prevent us from matching your registration to your UCAS application, which could result in your test being withdrawn and your booking becoming invalid.
- If you realise you have made a mistake, you can use the right-hand buttons to go back to the page with the error and make corrections.
- Once you are confident that the information you have entered is accurate, you can submit your form. At this final point, you will be asked to confirm that all the information you have entered is correct.
Booking your test appointment at a Pearson VUE test centre
On 18 August, when booking opens, all registered candidates will find a link on their test registration dashboard. You will be able to click this link and be automatically transferred to Pearson VUE’s test booking platform.
Policies
- Once on the Pearson VUE test centre platform, you will be asked to read and agree to Oxford’s admissions test policies before proceeding.
Test centre search
- The ‘Find a test centre’ function will automatically suggest centres near the address associated with your user account. An interactive map will pinpoint the location of any selected centre.
- If you will be taking your test away from home, you can override this selection and enter another location to search.
- Using your Oxford Admissions Test account, you may be able to change the location of your test until up until 26 September (6pm BST).
- Any late changes cannot be guaranteed as places are allocated in order of booking.
Find an appointment
- Once you have chosen your test centre you will be asked to ‘Find an appointment’.
- Some tests are only available for one day (AHCAAT, PHILAAT, CAT, MLAT), others are available over multiple days (TSA, BMSAT, MAT, PAT). You will need to find and select the date you require on the calendar. Check your available test date/s via our website.
- If there are multiple test sittings at your chosen test centre, you will be invited to select the time you want to sit your test and book the appointment.
Confirm appointment
- Finally, you will be asked to check all the booking details are correct. It is very important that you scroll to the bottom of this page and press the ‘Submit Order’ button. Until this button is pressed, your booking will not be processed and is not confirmed.
- Once you press the final confirmation button, you will be taken to your Pearson VUE dashboard where you will see confirmation that your test has been successfully booked.
Booking confirmation and reminders
- You will also receive direct email confirmation of your test appointment from Pearson VUE, giving the date, your appointment time and duration, the address of the test centre you have selected and directions.
- If you do not receive this confirmation, please check your spam folders. The two email addresses you should expect to receive emails about your test booking are:
- If you now return to the dashboard on your Oxford Admissions Test registration portal, you should also see confirmation of your successful booking. It is a good idea to check this to ensure you have correctly completed your booking.
- Please note that the duration of your test appointment will show as longer than the time of your test. Time will be added for a tutorial before the test (10 minutes) and a feedback survey at the end (5 minutes).
Cancellations and withdrawals
- If at any time you want to withdraw your booking or rebook, you should go to 'Manage appointment' or 'Withdraw registration' on the Oxford Admissions Test registration portal.
- If you book a test but do not submit your UCAS application by the deadline of 15 October, or provide the correct UCAS ID on the registration portal, you will be notified that your test booking has been automatically cancelled. Oxford admissions tests can only be taken by Oxford applicants.
- If you change your mind and decide not to apply to Oxford and/or sit an admissions test, and have made a test booking, please cancel your booking as soon as possible to free up available slots for candidates. You can cancel your booking up to 48 hours before your scheduled test time.
Registering for and booking your Oxford admissions test video
- 0:00 Introduction
- 1:00 Overview
- 2:52 Registering for your test
- 5:18 Booking your test appointment
- 7:20 Further guidance and support
Additional support
- View our FAQs or contact Oxford through the 'messages' option available on the Oxford Admissions Test registration portal.
- You can also contact us through Oxford’s undergraduate applicant helpdesk with questions regarding your Oxford application.
- Contact Pearson VUE customer service with queries about your test centre booking.
- You can make changes to your test appointment by signing in to your Oxford Admissions Test user account and selecting 'manage appointment'.
Please contact us using the ‘messages’ option in the navigation menu on the registration portal if you have any difficulty accessing the content on this webpage.