Special consideration policy for Oxford admissions tests 2025

Which circumstances should be reported?

If you are unable to sit a test due to any of the following extenuating circumstances, please submit a special consideration request, which will be available on your Oxford Admissions Test Registration portal on Monday 29 September:

1. Test day clashes with national holidays and faith days: every effort is made to avoid clashes with national holidays and faith days across the world, but this is not always possible. Often, candidates find a way to observe their faith day and to take their test; however, we are aware that on occasions this is not possible. Please report these circumstances (as outlined in the section below entitled ‘How to request special consideration before your test’).

2. Personal safety: if travelling to the test centre places your personal safety at risk, for example due to dangerous natural occurrences (e.g. hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.) and/or you would have to enter a conflict zone (e.g. local, regional or national riots or war) to reach the test centre. Please report these circumstances.

3. Major injury, illness, or other personal circumstances: the following circumstances should be reported, where they are deemed significant enough to prevent you from attending your scheduled test. Oxford reserve the right to request evidence to support any request. You should expect Oxford to ask for evidence if this is not provided:

• Severe injury or serious physical or mental illness, where this results in hospitalisation and/or significant medical treatment;
• Flare-up of a long-term, severe medical or psychological condition;
• Circumstances relating to immediate family members, for example severe injury or serious physical or mental illness, death or serious personal trauma. Immediate family would normally include any parent, guardian, sibling, child, spouse, or partner.

4. Public examination clashes: very occasionally, a candidate is expecting to sit a public examination at school or college on the same day and at the same time as taking an Oxford admissions test. Where possible, we would ask that the candidate’s school supports the candidate to put in place the necessary quarantine arrangements so that the candidate can take both their public examination and their Oxford admissions test. However, it is recognised that there may be occasions when this is not practical. Some examination boards consider university entrance exams as one of the limited scenarios in which they can accept exam rescheduling requests from schools. We therefore advise that if there is a genuine clash (and students are unable to realistically sit both examinations on the same day) then schools should contact the relevant examination board to request a rescheduling of their examination sitting. If this request is rejected, then please contact us again.

5. No suitable test centre: in exceptional circumstances, and despite both their and Pearson VUE's best endeavours, a candidate cannot find a suitable test centre.

If you have sat your test, but feel your performance has been impacted due to any of the following extenuating circumstances, please submit a special consideration request: 

6. Technical disruption: Pearson VUE aim to ensure that your test goes ahead in the best possible way. However, a technical disruption can, in very rare instances, lead to delays during a test, or lead to a test being stopped entirely. If you experience this, please ensure you request a case log (this will be a ticket with a case number) at the test centre.

7. Other disruption: Pearson VUE aim to ensure that the test centre environment is a suitable space to enable you to perform at your best. However, in very rare instances, there could be a disruption e.g. a fire alarm or construction work. If you experience this, please ensure you request a case log (this will be a ticket with a case number) at the test centre.

8. Moderate or major injury, illness, or other personal circumstances: the following circumstances should be reported, where you are able to sit your test but feel your performance has been significantly impacted. These may include, but are not limited to:

• Severe injury or serious physical or mental illness, where this results in a doctor’s visit and/or significant medical treatment (special consideration is unlikely to be granted if no evidence from a medical professional is provided);
• Flare-up of a long-term, severe medical or psychological condition eg due to a recent change in medication (special consideration is unlikely to be granted if no evidence from a medical professional is provided);
• Circumstances relating to immediate family members, for example severe injury or serious physical or mental illness, death or serious and personal trauma. Immediate family would normally include any parent, guardian, sibling, child, spouse, or partner.

9. In exceptional circumstances where a candidate has been unable to book their admissions test with the required access arrangements by the registration deadline due to significant and verifiable delays beyond their control. This applies only in cases where the candidate subsequently sits the test without the approved arrangements in place. Candidates must provide clear, independent evidence of the circumstances that prevented timely registration (eg delayed medical diagnosis, administrative error by a school or testing centre, or documentation delays outside the candidate's control). Requests lacking sufficient evidence or arising from personal oversight, misunderstanding of deadlines, or late action will not be considered.

Is supporting evidence required? 

Where circumstances involve personal safety, exam clashes, illness or injury, or other significant personal issues, it is strongly recommended that you provide appropriate and timely evidence with your special consideration request to support the review process. Where relevant and timely evidence is not supplied, Oxford reserves the right to reject your case. For example, you should provide evidence from your GP, a medical professional, or a member of school/college staff such as your form tutor/year head/UCAS coordinator/head teacher or principal (on school or college letterheaded paper or from an official school/college email address).

Supporting evidence is not required where the circumstances relate to a national holiday or a faith day, but please include the name and date of the occasion in the description.

If you experience any disruption at the test centre that may have affected your performance, please request a case log from the test centre staff immediately after completing your test. This will serve as an official record of the incident. When submitting a request for special consideration, be sure to include the case log number as supporting evidence so we can verify the disruption.

Which circumstances should not be reported? 

For a special consideration request to be taken into account, the relevant circumstances must be outside of your control and must be related directly to the timing of the test booking. If a candidate is on holiday or unable to attend the test centre on time as a result of other circumstances such as a school trip, these circumstances will not normally be accepted for special consideration.

Minor illness/injury or minor personal circumstances: these circumstances should not be reported and would not be deemed significant enough to trigger special consideration. These may include, but are not limited to:

• Common colds, coughs, headaches or minor infections;
• Hay fever and other minor allergic reactions;
• Physical injury where this does not significantly inhibit your ability to take the test, for example cuts, sprains and strains;
• Normal stress relating to examinations and tests;
• General personal or home/family issues.

How should special consideration for circumstances before my test be requested? 

Should you encounter any of the relevant circumstances (ie those outlined in the section above entitled ‘Which circumstances should be reported?’) before sitting the test, this should be communicated via your Oxford Admissions Test account from 29 September, with an explanation of the circumstances and supporting evidence provided (where this is applicable).

If these circumstances are not reported before taking the test, it will not normally be possible for them to be taken into consideration.

How should special consideration for circumstances during my test be requested?

Should you encounter any of the relevant circumstances (i.e. those outlined in the section above entitled ‘Which circumstances should be reported?’) from the time at which you enter the test centre or immediately before your test booking, this should be reported via your Oxford Admissions Test account either prior to, or within 48 hours of your scheduled test, with an explanation of the circumstances. We do understand that in some circumstances it may take longer to acquire the requested evidence. Where supporting evidence is required, requests for special consideration should be submitted, together with evidence, within five working days of the published date for your test.

If the circumstances are not reported within five working days of your scheduled test, it will not normally be possible for these to be taken into consideration. Candidates who may have difficulty acquiring evidence in time should message Oxford via their Oxford Admissions Test account.

How will Oxford consider my request for special consideration?

When there is no test score: where a candidate reports special circumstances (with supporting evidence where required) and this means they are not able to attend their test booking, their Oxford application will then be considered without a test score.

Every year there are some candidates who, through no fault of their own, are unable to take their admissions test on the scheduled date. In such instances, we have a well-established process for special consideration which carefully ensures that an applicant is neither advantaged nor disadvantaged by not having a test score. The strength of a candidate’s application is considered on the basis of the available evidence. If this suggests that, had the candidate achieved a reasonable test score, they would have been shortlisted, then it is recommended that they should be called to interview. If the available information about the candidate is insufficient to make a valid decision not to interview, similarly the applicant should be called to interview.

When there is a test score and you feel that your performance has been affected by special circumstances: if a candidate believes their test performance was significantly affected by special circumstances, they may report this with appropriate supporting evidence. Oxford may, where relevant, take these circumstances into account on a case-by-case basis as part of the admissions process. A review does not mean an adjustment of your test score.