You do not need to register for College admission assessments.
If you're invited for interview, the College that is interviewing you will arrange for you to take the relevant College admission assessment. They will let you know when and how you should take your assessment.
Some courses involve an admissions assessment that is taken after we shortlist for interview. If you are shortlisted for interview, you will take the relevant assessment. The College that interviews you will let you know when and how you should take your assessment.
Find out if you need to take a College admissions assessment
The information below is for applicants applying for 2025 entry.
If your course isn't listed below, check the Admissions Assessments page for information on your course.
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
All Colleges
Assessment date
20 November 2024
Assessment format
Four image related questions (60 minutes)
Specimen and example papers
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
All Colleges
Assessment date
21 November 2024
Assessment format
Graphic and spatial ability (30 minutes)
Specimen and example papers
Please note that the writing skills assessment will not run in 2024.
If you are combining with a European Language
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
All Colleges
Assessment format
Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment:
- Discursive response in Foreign Language (40 minutes)
- Discursive response in English (20 minutes)
Specimen and example papers
Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment Specification
Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment Past Paper
If you aren’t combining with a European Language
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
St Edmund’s
Assessment format
Details will be provided by the relevant College.
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
All Colleges
Assessment format
Latin (or Greek) skills assessment interview (20 minutes)
Specimen paper and resources
Classics Admissions Assessment Specification
The specification paper references the OCR Vocabulary lists for Classical Greek and Latin. These lists can be found below.
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
All Colleges
Assessment format
Language aptitude assessment interview (20 minutes)
Specimen paper
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
All Colleges
Assessment date
21 November 2024
Assessment format
Architecture admissions assessment:
Graphic and spatial ability (30 minutes)
Specimen and example papers
Please note that the writing skills assessment will not run in 2024.
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
All Colleges
Assessment date
19 November 2024
Assessment format
Essay/text response element (90 minutes)
Specimen and example papers
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
Hughes Hall and St Edmund's
Assessment format
Details will be provided by the relevant College.
Colleges that ask you to take the assessment
Hughes Hall, Newnham, Peterhouse and St Edmund's
Assessment format
Details will be provided by the relevant College.
Language Assessment
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
All Colleges
Assessment date
21 November 2024
Assessment format
For post-A Level languages:
- Discursive response in Foreign Language (40 minutes)
- Discursive response in English (20 minutes)
For languages from scratch (ab initio):
- Discursive response in English (40 minutes)
- Language Aptitude Test (20 minutes).
Specimen and example papers
For post-A Level languages:
Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment Specification
Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment Past Paper
For languages from scratch:
History Assessment
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
Hughes Hall, Newnham, Peterhouse and St Edmund’s
Assessment format
Details will be provided by the relevant College.
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
Hughes Hall, Newnham, Peterhouse and St Edmund’s
Assessment format
Details will be provided by the relevant College.
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
Hughes Hall, King's, Newnham and Peterhouse
Assessment format
Details will be provided by the relevant College.
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
All Colleges, except Christ's. At Christ's, candidates will be asked to work through comparable problems in an extended interview.
Assessment date
20 November 2024
Assessment format
Three data questions (60 minutes)
Changes to assessment format
In 2023, the format of the Linguistics Admissions Assessment changed. It no longer contains an essay question. This has been replaced by a third data question.
Specimen and example papers
Linguistics Admissions Assessment Specification
Linguistics Admissions Assessment Past Paper 1
Linguistics Admissions Assessment Past Paper 1 Answer Key and Marking Criteria
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
Churchill, King’s and St Edmund’s
Assessment format
Details will be provided by the relevant College
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
All Colleges
Assessment date
21 November 2024
Assessment format
- Discursive response in Foreign Language (40 minutes)
- Discursive response in English (20 minutes)
Specimen and example papers
Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment Specification
Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment Past Paper
Applicants combining a modern language with Classical Latin or Greek
Applicants wishing to combine a modern European language with Classical Latin or Classical Greek will have their classical language assessed. Find out more about the classical language assessments under the Classics sections above.
Applicants will also need to take the MML written assessment (see MML assessment info above).
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
Downing, Girton, Jesus, Magdalene, Newnham, Queens’, Robinson, Selwyn, St John’s and Trinity Hall
Assessment format
Colleges will assess aptitude, knowledge base and potential through tasks at the time of interview.
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
Homerton, Newnham, Selwyn and St Edmund’s
Assessment format
Details will be provided by the relevant College.
Colleges that ask you to take an assessment
St Edmund’s
Assessment format
Details will be provided by the relevant College.