MLAT (Modern Languages Admissions Test)
What is the MLAT?
If you are applying for one of the following courses you will be required to sit the MLAT as part of the admissions process:
- European and Middle Eastern Languages
- Classics and Modern Languages
- English and Modern Languages
- History and Modern Languages
- Modern Languages
- Modern Languages and Linguistics
- Philosophy and Modern Languages.
The Modern Languages Admissions Test is a paper-based test which consists of 10 sections. Which sections you take depends on the course you are applying for.
There are eight individual sections for each of the following languages: Czech, French, German, Italian, Modern Greek, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. The other two sections are: the Language Aptitude Test (LAT: for those applying for new languages as beginners and for Russian on its own), and the Philosophy test (for those applying for Philosophy and Modern Languages). The Philosophy section lasts 60 minutes while each other section is 30 minutes.
Please note that there is no longer a Linguistics test section.
Candidates will need to take a maximum of two sections. You can find out which elements you need to sit using the tables on this page.
Why do I have to take a test?
Most applicants to Oxford University have great personal statements, excellent references, and are also predicted top grades. It can therefore be difficult for us to choose between so many well-qualified candidates, especially as applicants come from all over the world and take different qualifications.
Tests give us an extra piece of information for every student who has applied for a given course, wherever they are from. Considered together with the other elements of the application, this helps us to identify the very best candidates. However, there is no specific mark that will guarantee your application will be shortlisted. The tests vary each year, and your test score will be considered alongside the scores of other students who apply for your course.
Do I have to pay?
We do not charge candidates to take this test. However, please be aware that some independent test centres do charge an administration fee to candidates; you should contact your centre for details.
How are the tests designed and reviewed?
When a department wishes to introduce a new admissions test for their course, there is a substantial consultation process within the University, including a pilot testing phase, designed to ensure that the test is suitable. Where appropriate, subject departments are encouraged to share common tests, or elements of tests, to ease the process of application for the student and administration for the school or college. Use of the tests is carefully reviewed and we undertake substantial statistical evaluation of each test.
How do I register?
More information on how to register for this admissions test will be available here shortly. The deadline for registering will be 29 September.
Joint Schools
Please note that students applying for European and Middle Eastern Languages, Classics and Modern Languages, English and Modern Languages or History and Modern Languages will need to sit more than one test and will need to ask to be registered for both tests.
You will receive two candidate numbers as confirmation that your registration has been successful.
Can I apply for access arrangements?
Your test centre will be able to apply for access arrangements for you if you have a permanent or long-term disability which might affect your performance such as a sight impairment, dyslexia or cerebral palsy. You may also be eligible for access arrangements if you have a short-term difficulty, such as a broken arm.
The access arrangements you are eligible for will depend on the exact nature of your condition and most often will be the same as those you would get while taking a public examination at your school. These could include modified materials (i.e. large print or braille exam papers), extra time, or the use of a laptop.
You should let your school or test centre know of any requirements you may have as early as you can and provide them with medical evidence to support your application. The deadlines for applying for modified papers and requesting access arrangements will be available soon.
When do I take the test?
Depending on which test is being taken, this will be on one of the two dates given below, so a few weeks after the test registration deadline of 29 September.
2023 test dates:
19 October: CAT, ELAT, GAT, MAT and AMELAT
20 October: HAT, MLAT, PAT and Philosophy Test
We are aware that sometimes tests fall during school half terms which vary by region reach year. Unfortunately, due to the tight timeframes for processing applications, it is not possible to avoid this but we hope by giving you considerable notice of test dates, schools will be able to make plans for their students to sit tests either at their school or at an alternative test centre, and candidates will make sure they are available to take the necessary test(s).
It is not possible to re-sit a test. If you feel you did badly due to extenuating circumstances, for example: if you were ill on the day of the test or if there was some form of disruption at your test centre, it will be possible for the centre or yourself to submit a form reporting these circumstances in order for you to be considered for special consideration. Further details on how to do this will be available here shortly.
Remember to ensure you register for the test by 29 September, even if you feel exceptional circumstances may mean there is a risk you will not able take it. Our admissions tests are an important part of our assessment process for candidates and in order to make sure your application is as competitive as possible, we strongly advise that you make every effort to sit the test. We are aware that there may be extra difficulties for some candidates this year but we do expect the vast majority of candidates to be able to sit tests as planned. If you experience exceptional circumstances beyond your control which prevent this, please alert the college you have applied to as soon as possible. If you have made an open application, please contact us using our contact form. In this case your application will be considered using the other information you give us as part of your UCAS form and alongside other candidates applying for your subject.
How do I get my results?
Admissions tutors will receive the results of all candidates' tests directly and in time to make their shortlisting decisions in November.
Test scores will be automatically distributed to all applicants shortly after college decision letters are sent in January. Applicants will still be able to write to their college to request feedback.
Practice materials
Taking any type of test or exam can be stressful, but you can help build your confidence by doing a bit of preparation ahead of time. You may do better in the real test if you've had a chance to practise some sample or past papers, and got used to the format and timings of the admissions test you have to take. Here are our top tips for preparing for the MLAT:
- Review the sample papers for the MLAT in this section. This will help you to feel familiar with the test paper and know what to expect.
- If you are taking the LAT or Philosophy Test, read through the advice in the relevant sections on this page on what to expect and how to approach the questions.
- Sit at least one past paper in test conditions. This is really important as it will help you get used to how much time to allocate to each question.
Don't worry if you find the past or specimen papers very difficult - they're supposed to be! All our tests are designed to stretch you further than you have been stretched before - most candidates will find them really hard.
Past papers
The Modern Languages Admissions Test is a paper-based test which consists of 10 sections. Which sections you take depends on the course you are applying for. Candidates will need to take a maximum of two sections. You can find out which elements you need to sit using the tables on this page.
There are eight individual sections for each of the following languages: Czech, French, German, Italian, Modern Greek, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. The other two sections are: the Language Aptitude Test (LAT: for those applying for new languages as beginners), and the Philosophy test. The Philosophy section lasts 60 minutes while each other section is 30 minutes.
Please note that there is no longer a Linguistics test section in the MLAT. Candidates applying for courses including Linguistics should ignore this section of the 2019 and earlier past papers.
- MLAT paper 2022
- MLAT paper 2021
- MLAT paper 2020
- MLAT paper 2019
- MLAT paper 2018
- MLAT paper 2017
- MLAT paper 2016
- MLAT paper 2015
- MLAT paper 2014
- MLAT paper 2013
- MLAT paper 2012
- MLAT paper 2011
The University does not endorse, or allow use of, its tests that are protected by copyright for commercial use
MLAT and LAT solutions
The following are solutions to some recent MLAT papers and some older versions of the Language Aptitude Test, which you can use to mark your own answers, or ask your teacher to refer to them.
- MLAT solutions 2021
- MLAT solutions 2020
- MLAT solutions 2019
- MLAT solutions 2018
- MLAT solutions 2017
- MLAT solutions 2016
The University does not endorse, or allow use of, its tests that are protected by copyright for commercial use
Language Aptitude Test
If you are applying for a new language from scratch, or Russian on its own, you will need to take the Language Aptitude Test (LAT). This section of the MLAT takes 30 minutes and is designed to assess your aptitude for taking up a new language.
The test involves an imaginary language (a new one is invented for the test each year), and invites you to identify and apply the patterns and rules which govern this language.
At the start of the test you may be given some information about the imaginary language, such as the importance of word order. You will be provided with a number of sample sentences written in the language, alongside their translations into English, which illustrate the vocabulary and grammar of this imaginary language. Your task is then to translate a couple of further sentences from the imaginary language into English, and then a couple more sentences from English back into the imaginary language.
After you have completed these tasks with the first set of sentences, you will be asked to do similar tasks with other sets of sentences of increasing complexity (for example, you may need to shift from present to past tense, or establish differences between positive and negative statements).
Tutors will not be expecting a perfect score, but are interested to see how you respond to an unfamiliar set of vocabulary and grammatical rules, whether you can spot patterns, and whether you can apply the rules which you have deduced from the ways the imaginary language seems to work.
Because the imaginary language and its rules differ each year, we recommend that you have a go at one or two of the sample tests available online, simply to practise completing the exercise (understanding the nature of the tasks, getting used to the timing etc.). None of the specific grammatical knowledge you gain from understanding one imaginary language will help you with the next one!
What are we looking for?
We are assessing your attentiveness to the ways languages work: to the ways grammatical concepts shape words; to the different patterns you can discern in a language, even if you are not familiar with it; to the distinction between different parts of speech (nouns or verbs, for example) and how these parts of speech interrelate; and to the features that can identify differences between elements in various sentences. You should pay close attention to variations in spelling, to the functions of each word within a particular sentence, and to the ways each word conveys meaning with its different component parts.
The Philosophy Test
The 60-minute Philosophy Test is designed to test a candidate's philosophical reasoning skills. There is no expectation that you will have undertaken any formal study of philosophy, and it is not a test of philosophical knowledge.
You will normally be asked to undertake a comprehension exercise and write a short essay or answer a structured question. Tutors are looking for the use of precise and careful reasoning to answer the question asked, and particularly answers which anticipate and are able to answer objections to the reasoning given. You should avoid stating an opinion without evidence or argument to support it.
The following information, written by an Oxford tutor, outlines the different types of questions you will come across in the test and discusses ways to approach them.
- Guidance for Section A comprehension-style questions
- Guidance for Section B logic-style questions
- Guidance for Section B half-hour essay questions
Answers to past papers:
The University does not endorse, or allow use of, its tests that are protected by copyright for commercial use