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Magdalene College Cambridge

Admissions Assessments

Applicants to Cambridge for most subjects are required to sit University-wide written admissions assessments as part of the admissions process.

Depending on the subject for which you are applying, these will either be before shortlisting for interview (a ‘pre-registration required’ assessment) or after you have been shortlisted for interview (a 'Cambridge College-registered' assessment). The table below outlines which subjects require which sort of assessment.

For pre-registration required assessments, it is essential that you register at an assessment centre near you by the relevant date. More details about each type of assessment can be found below.

 

Pre-registration required Assessments: what you need to know

It is essential that applicants for subjects that have assessments with pre-registration required register themselves to sit their assessment at an authorised testing centre by the relevant deadline. This process is separate from and additional to the submission of your application.

Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Engineering, Natural Sciences or Veterinary Medicine

3 June: Applications open for bursary vouchers and access arrangements for the ESAT 

1 August: Registration for the ESAT opens

29 August: Deadline to apply for access arrangements for the ESAT

16 September: Deadline to register for the ESAT. This is also the deadline to apply for a bursary voucher for this test.

15 or 16 October: Take the ESAT admissions test on these dates

Computer Science or Economics

3 June: Applications open for bursary vouchers and access arrangements for the TMUA 

1 August: Registration for the TMUA opens

29 August: Deadline to apply for access arrangements for the TMUA

16 September: Deadline to register for the TMUA. This is also the deadline to apply for a bursary voucher for this test.

16 or 17 October: Take the TMUA admissions test on these dates

Law

1 August: Registration opens for LNAT admission test 

15 September: Deadline to register for the LNAT admission test 

15 October: Take the LNAT admission test by this date

Medicine

18 June: Booking for the UCAT admission test opens

8 July: UCAT admission testing starts

15 September: Deadline to apply for access arrangements for the UCAT admission test

19 September: Deadline to register for the UCAT admission test 

26 September: Take the UCAT admission test

 

Full details about tests and assessments can be found here 

 

Cambridge College-registered Assessments: what you need to know

** To be confirmed for 2025 entry **

If you are applying for a subject with a Cambridge College-registered assessment, you will only need to sit the assessment if you are invited for interview, and you will not need to register separately for it. If you are invited for an interview, then arrangements  for your assessment will be made for you automatically by the College and the details provided to you along with your interview invitation. 

Please see here for details of the Cambridge College registered assessments.

 

 

Pre-registration required Assessments (all colleges)

Cambridge College-registered Assessments (all colleges) tbc

 

Cambridge College-registered Assessments

In common with some other colleges, applicants to Magdalene for the following subjects will be required to take a Cambridge College registered assessment. Details of the assessment can be found on the individual subject pages. 

 

Applicants for AMES do not sit an assessment unless they are applying to study a European language, in which case they sit the relevant MML assessment.

Applicants for History and Modern Languages will sit the relevant MML assessment.

c Applicants for Music do not sit a written assessment. Instead, at the time of their interview, candidates will be asked to take a simple harmony or composition test, a short analysis test (based on an unseen piece of music), ear tests (a mistake-spotting exercise, dictation of melodies, chords and a chorale) and some elementary keyboard harmony. 

Applicants for History and History and Politics will sit the History assessment.