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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 2024 entry. The details for 2025 entry will be available from April 2024.

If you applied in the March 2024 application round, please use the information below to help you prepare for your College admissions assessment.

If your course isn't listed below, check the Admissions Assessments page for information on your course.

Archaeology

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

All Colleges

Assessment date

Monday 27 November 2023

Assessment format

Four image related questions (60 minutes)

The assessment format for the Archaeology assessment was updated in October 2023.

Specimen and example papers

PDF icon Archaeology Admissions Assessment Sample Paper

Architecture

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

All Colleges

Assessment date

Friday 24 November 2023

Assessment format

Writing skills (30 minutes)

Graphic and spatial ability (30 minutes)

Specimen and example papers

PDF icon Architecture Admissions Assessment Specification
PDF icon Architecture Admissions Assessment Past Paper

Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (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

PDF icon Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment Specification
PDF icon Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment Past Paper

Classics (3-year course)

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

All Colleges

Assessment format

Latin (or Greek) skills assessment interview (20 minutes)

Specimen paper and resources

PDF icon Classics Admissions Assessment Specification

The specification paper references the OCR Vocabulary lists for Classical Greek and Latin. These lists can be found below.

PDF icon Classical Greek vocabulary list

PDF icon Latin vocabulary list

Classics (4-year course)

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

All Colleges

Assessment format

Language aptitude assessment interview (20 minutes)

Specimen paper

PDF icon Classics Admissions Assessment Specification

Design

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

All Colleges

Assessment date

Friday 24 November 2023

Assessment format

Architecture admissions assessment:

Writing skills (30 minutes)

Graphic and spatial ability (30 minutes)

Specimen and example papers

PDF icon Architecture Admissions Assessment Specification
PDF icon Architecture Admissions Assessment Past Paper

Economics

If you are applying to St Edmunds College or Hughes Hall for Economics, the assessment arrangements below will apply to you.

October applicants

If you are applying by the October application deadline, you will need to take the Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA) or an equivalent College set admissions assessment (if you are invited to interview).

If you take the TMUA, you will need to register for this in advance. More information can be found on the TMUA page.

If you choose to take a College admissions assessment instead, you do not need to register in advance. The relevant College will provide details about the assessment format and how to take the assessment.

March applicants

If you are applying as part of the March application round, you will need to take a College set admissions assessment (if you are invited to interview).

You do not need to register in advance for a College assessment. The relevant College will provide details about the assessment format and how to take the assessment.

Education

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

Wolfson College

Assessment format

Details will be provided by the College.

English

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

All Colleges

Assessment date

Wednesday 22 November 2023

Assessment format

Essay/text response element (90 minutes)

Specimen and example papers

PDF icon English Admissions Assessment sample paper

Geography

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

Hughes Hall, St Edmund's, Wolfson

Assessment format

Details will be provided by the College.

History

History Admissions Assessment (HAA)

Colleges that ask you to take the assessment

Christ’s, Clare, Emmanuel, Fitzwilliam, Gonville & Caius, Hughes Hall, Jesus, Lucy Cavendish, Magdalene, Murray Edwards, Newnham, Pembroke, Peterhouse, Queens’, Robinson, St Catharine’s, St Edmund's, Selwyn, St John’s, Sidney Sussex, Trinity Hall

Assessment date

Thursday 23 November 2023

Assessment format

  • Essay/text response element (60 minutes)

Specimen and example papers

PDF icon HAA Specimen Paper 1
PDF icon HAA Specimen Paper 2
PDF icon HAA Specimen Paper 3

College specific assessment

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

Wolfson

Assessment format

Details will be provided by the relevant College.

History and Modern Languages

Language Assessment

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

All Colleges

Assessment date

Tuesday 28 November 2023

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:

PDF icon Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment Specification
PDF icon Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment Past Paper

For languages from scratch:

PDF icon sample paper

PDF icon answer booklet

History Assessment

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

Clare, Emmanuel, Fitzwilliam, Gonville & Caius, Hughes Hall, Jesus, Lucy Cavendish, Murray Edwards, Newnham, Pembroke, Peterhouse, Robinson, St Edmund’s, St John’s, Sidney Sussex, Trinity Hall, Wolfson

Assessment date

Thursday 23 November 2023

Assessment format

History Admissions Assessment (HAA):

  • Essay/text response element (60 minutes)

Specimen and example papers

PDF icon HAA Specimen Paper 1
PDF icon HAA Specimen Paper 2
PDF icon HAA Specimen Paper 3

History and Politics

History Assessment

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

Christ’s, Clare, Emmanuel, Fitzwilliam, Gonville & Caius, Hughes Hall, Jesus, Lucy Cavendish, Magdalene, Murray Edwards (plus additional assessment, see below), Newnham, Pembroke, Peterhouse, Queens’, Robinson, St Catharine’s, Selwyn, St John’s, Sidney Sussex, Trinity Hall

Assessment date

Thursday 23 November 2023

Assessment format

History Admissions Assessment (HAA):

  • Essay/text response element (60 minutes)

Specimen and example papers

PDF icon HAA Specimen Paper 1
PDF icon HAA Specimen Paper 2
PDF icon HAA Specimen Paper 3

College specific Assessment

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

Murray Edwards (plus additional assessment, see above), St Edmund's, Wolfson

Assessment format

Details will be provided by the relevant College.

History of Art

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

All Colleges

Assessment date

Tuesday 28 November 2023

Assessment format

Structured comparison of images (60 minutes)

Specimen and example papers

PDF icon History of Art Admissions Assessment Specification

Human, Social and Political Sciences (HSPS)

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

Hughes Hall, King's, Murray Edwards, Newnham, Peterhouse, St Edmund's, Wolfson

Assessment format

Details will be provided by the relevant College.

Linguistics

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

All Colleges

Assessment date

Friday 24 November 2023

Assessment format

Three data questions (60 minutes)

Changes to assessment format

For 2023, the format of the Linguistics Admissions Assessment has changed. It no longer contains an essay question. This has been replaced by a third data question.

Specimen and example papers

PDF icon Linguistics Admissions Assessment Specification

PDF icon Linguistics Admissions Assessment Past Paper 1
PDF icon Linguistics Admissions Assessment Past Paper 1 Answer Key and Marking Criteria
PDF icon Linguistics Admissions Assessment Past Paper 2

Mathematics

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

Churchill, King’s, Magdalene, St Edmund’s

Assessment format

Details will be provided by the relevant College

Modern and Medieval Languages (MML)

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

All Colleges

Assessment date

Tuesday 28 November 2023

Assessment format

  • Discursive response in Foreign Language (40 minutes)
  • Discursive response in English (20 minutes)

Specimen and example papers

PDF icon Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment Specification
PDF icon 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).

Music

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

Clare, Girton, Homerton, Jesus, Magdalene, Murray Edwards, Newnham, Peterhouse, Queens’, Robinson, Selwyn, St Edmund’s, St John’s, Trinity and Trinity Hall.

Assessment format

Colleges will assess aptitude, knowledge base and potential through tasks at the time of interview.

Philosophy

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

All Colleges

Assessment date

Monday 27 November 2023

Assessment format

  • Multiple choice logic problems (20 minutes)
  • Essay (40 minutes)

Specimen and example papers

PDF icon Philosophy Admissions Assessment Specification

MS Word icon Philosophy Sample Paper
MS Word icon Philosophy Answer Key

Please note the Philosophy Assessment Specification, Sample Paper and Answer Key were updated in October 2023.

Psychological and Behavioural Sciences

Colleges that ask you to take an assessment

Gonville & Caius, Homerton, Hughes Hall, Murray Edwards, Newnham, Selwyn, Wolfson

Assessment format

Details will be provided by the relevant College.