Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing (formerly the Admissions Testing Service) provided
admissions tests for a range of university level courses and assessments in thinking skills and behavioural styles. It is part of
Cambridge Assessment, a not-for-profit department of the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. It stopped delivering admissions tests at the end of 2023 and was disbanded in 2024.
History
2001 - The
Thinking Skills Assessment
The Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) is a generic admissions test, which is used as part of the admissions process for entry to some undergraduate courses at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, Hanoi University of Science and Te ...
(TSA) was introduced for entry to a range of undergraduate courses at the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
.
2003 -
BioMedical Admissions Test
The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) was an aptitude test used as part of the admissions process for Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Dentistry in some British universities, universities in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Spain, Malaysia, Thai ...
(BMAT) introduced
2004 - a dedicated unit was formally set up within
Cambridge Assessment, with responsibility for developing and administering admissions tests. The Thinking Skills Admissions Testing (TSAT) unit was responsible for administering the
Thinking Skills Assessment
The Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) is a generic admissions test, which is used as part of the admissions process for entry to some undergraduate courses at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, Hanoi University of Science and Te ...
(TSA) and the first
BioMedical Admissions Test
The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) was an aptitude test used as part of the admissions process for Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Dentistry in some British universities, universities in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Spain, Malaysia, Thai ...
(BMAT).
2004 - interest in fair admissions to higher education was fuelled by a UK government funded review - "the Schwartz Report". This led to a collaboration between TSAT and the
Australian Council for Educational Research
The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), established in 1930, is an independent educational research organisation based in Camberwell, Victoria (Melbourne) and with offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Cyberjaya, Dubai, Jakarta, London ...
(ACER) and the development of uniTEST. uniTEST explored if a single test could be used for admission to a broad range of courses and higher education institutions. uniTEST was introduced by some Australian universities, but there was relatively little demand in the UK.
2006 - the
English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT) was introduced in the 2007–08 undergraduate admissions cycle for the Faculty of English at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
.
2007 - In 2007, the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
introduces TSA as part of its admissions process for Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)
2008 -
University College London
University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
(UCL) introduces TSA as part of its admissions process for European and International Social and Political Studies (EISPS)
2011 onwards - administering the University of Oxford tests – starting with the
History Aptitude Test (HAT) and the Physics Aptitude Test (PAT)
2016 onwards - assisting with the development and delivery of the University of Cambridge pre-interview assessments.
2011 - unit name changed from "Thinking Skills Admissions Testing" to "the Admissions Testing Service"
2017 - name changed to Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing in January 2017, making clear it is part of
Cambridge Assessment, a not-for-profit department of the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
.
2021 - Cambridge Assessment merged with another non-teaching department of the same university,
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...
.
2022 -
University College London
University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
(UCL) withdraws from using TSA and replaces it with an internal Thinking Skills Test (TST)
2023 - Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing announces it will withdraw from running any admissions tests at the end of the year.
2024 - Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing closes down its website and ''Support Site'' and ceases all operations.
Research
Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing conducted a broad programme of research to ensure the fairness and validity of its admissions tests for university admissions. It purpose is to gather evidence to demonstrate that the admissions tests make a useful contribution to the admissions process.
Admissions tests
BioMedical Admissions Test
The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) was an aptitude test used as part of the admissions process for Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Dentistry in some British universities, universities in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Spain, Malaysia, Thai ...
(BMAT)
BMAT is used by universities in the UK and overseas for entry to Medicine, Biomedical Science and Dentistry courses.
International Medical Admissions Test (IMAT)
IMAT is used by a number of Italian universities for entry to English language-taught Medicine, Surgery and related degree courses. The test was developed in conjunction with the
Italian Ministry of Education. It is currently taken in September for admission in October.
English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT)
ELAT is used for entry to
English Literature
English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...
courses at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
and the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
. It is taken in late October/early November for admission the following October.
Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP)
STEP is used for entry to
Mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
courses at the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
and the
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...
. It is used by the University of Cambridge as the basis for conditional offers, and is taken in June for admission in October. Other UK universities may take STEP results into account when making offers for their Mathematics courses.
Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA)
The
Test of Mathematics for University Admission is a test of mathematical thinking and reasoning. It is assessed through two 75 minute multiple-choice papers. It is taken in November, and is used as the basis for conditional offers.
Durham University
Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...
,
Lancaster University
Lancaster University (officially The University of Lancaster) is a collegiate public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several new univer ...
, the
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...
,
the University of Sheffield and
the University of Southampton encourage applicants to their Mathematics courses to take the test.
Other admissions tests delivered on behalf of universities
The University of Cambridge
Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing delivers pre-interview assessments for the following
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
courses:
* Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic (ASNCAA)
* Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMESAA)
* Economics (ECAA)
* Engineering (ENGAA)
* Geography (GAA)
* History (HAA)
* Human, Social, and Political Sciences (HSPSAA)
*
Natural Sciences (NSAA)
* Psychological and Behavioural Sciences (PBSAA).
The University of Oxford
Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing administers the following admissions tests for the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
:
* Classics Admissions Test (CAT)
* History Aptitude Test (HAT)
* Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT) (
Imperial College London
Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...
also uses MAT for its undergraduate degree courses in Mathematics)
* Modern Languages Admissions Tests (MLAT)
* Oriental Languages Aptitude Test (OLAT)
* Philosophy Test
* Physics Aptitude Test (PAT).
Thinking Skills Assessment
The Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) is a generic admissions test, which is used as part of the admissions process for entry to some undergraduate courses at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, Hanoi University of Science and Te ...
(TSA)
TSA is used for entry to a wide range of undergraduate university courses, including: Economics and Management, Engineering, Land Economy, Human Sciences, Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), Psychology and Philosophy. It assesses whether applicants have the critical thinking and problem-solving skills which universities consider to be essential for success in higher education. In the UK, it is used by the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
,
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
and
University College London
University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
(UCL). It is also used by
Stockholm School of Economics,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
and
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP),
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
.
The TSA exam is scored on a scale from 0 to 100 using the "
Rasch Model
The Rasch model, named after Georg Rasch, is a psychometric model for analyzing categorical data, such as answers to questions on a reading assessment or questionnaire responses, as a function of the trade-off between the respondent's abilities, ...
".
Behavioural styles assessment
Cambridge Personal Styles Questionnaire (CPSQ) assess behavioural styles - how people approach tasks and interact with others. This includes thinking and learning, motivation, self-management, resilience and interpersonal values and attitudes. It is used in healthcare education and employment and in higher education and schools. The assessment was developed over four years of research and trialling with general and vocational higher education (including medicine, nursing and healthcare institutions).
See also
*
BioMedical Admissions Test
The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) was an aptitude test used as part of the admissions process for Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Dentistry in some British universities, universities in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Spain, Malaysia, Thai ...
(BMAT)
*
International Medical Admissions Test (IMAT)
*
English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT)
*
Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP)
*
Thinking Skills Assessment
The Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) is a generic admissions test, which is used as part of the admissions process for entry to some undergraduate courses at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, Hanoi University of Science and Te ...
(TSA)
*
Cambridge Assessment
*
Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Cambridge University Press and Assessment is a non-school institution of the University of Cambridge. It was formed under Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II's approval in August 2021 by the merge between Cambridge University Press and Cambridge As ...
References
External links
*{{Official website, name=Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing
Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Student assessment and evaluation
Admissions Testing
Organizations established in 2011
2011 establishments in England