Admissions Test Preparation
What the ESAT specification actually says
The five ESAT modules list 270 examinable sub-topics between them: Mathematics 1 has 76, Mathematics 2 has 39, Physics 32, Chemistry 89 and Biology 34.
Not sure where to start? 4 places to go
Start with your question
Why visitors arrive: Checking exactly what the ESAT can examine, module by module
Your question: Which sub-topics does the ESAT specification list for each module?
You may also be asking
- Which modules do I sit for my course?
- Where can I practise questions written against these sub-topics?
- Which formulas and shortcuts do I need from memory?
Where to go next
- ESAT overview hub: Modules, dates, scoring and the free practice material
- Practice sets listed by specification sub-topic: Each practice set lists the specification sub-topic every question was written against
- ESAT Essentials: What to recall on sight, and the pacing arithmetic
- The ESAT Move Register: A book of shortcuts for the ESAT, with a preview of its pages
Preparation advice for the ESAT is often written from impression rather than from the document. The tables below are counted directly from Appendix 1 of the UAT-UK ESAT Content Specification for assessment in October 2026 and January 2027, which lists every assessable sub-topic. Counting the sub-topics under each heading gives a defensible estimate of where the marks actually sit.
Each module is 27 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, separately timed, with no calculator. Every module assumes the content of Mathematics 1; Mathematics 2 assumes the M topics and the MM topics.
All five modules, counted
| Module | Code | Topic headings | Sub-topics | Assumes as well |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics 1 | M | 7 | 76 | None. It is the module everything else assumes. |
| Mathematics 2 | MM | 8 | 39 | Mathematics 1 |
| Physics | P | 7 | 32 | Mathematics 1 |
| Chemistry | C | 17 | 89 | Mathematics 1 |
| Biology | B | 11 | 34 | Mathematics 1 |
The asymmetry is the point. Chemistry lists 89 sub-topics and Physics lists 32, so the same 27 questions are drawn from a syllabus almost three times wider in one module than the other. That does not make Chemistry harder, but it does mean a Physics candidate can reasonably expect to have met everything, and a Chemistry candidate cannot.
Mathematics 1: 76 sub-topics
| Code | Topic | Sub-topics | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | Units | 2 | 2.6% |
| M2 | Number | 14 | 18.4% |
| M3 | Ratio and proportion | 11 | 14.5% |
| M4 | Algebra | 19 | 25.0% |
| M5 | Geometry | 19 | 25.0% |
| M6 | Statistics | 4 | 5.3% |
| M7 | Probability | 7 | 9.2% |
Statistics is 5.3% of Mathematics 1. Four sub-topics: charts and tables (M6.1), histograms and cumulative frequency (M6.2), averages and spread (M6.3), and scatter graphs and correlation (M6.4). On a 27-question module that is roughly one or two questions. Probability adds a further seven sub-topics, so the two together account for about one question in seven.
Mathematics 2: 39 sub-topics
| Code | Topic | Sub-topics | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| MM1 | Algebra and functions | 7 | 17.9% |
| MM2 | Sequences and series | 4 | 10.3% |
| MM3 | Coordinate geometry in the (x, y)-plane | 3 | 7.7% |
| MM4 | Trigonometry | 6 | 15.4% |
| MM5 | Exponentials and logarithms | 3 | 7.7% |
| MM6 | Differentiation | 3 | 7.7% |
| MM7 | Integration | 6 | 15.4% |
| MM8 | Graphs of functions | 7 | 17.9% |
Mathematics 2 contains no statistics and no probability at all. Searching the MM topic list returns nothing for statistics, probability, standard deviation, variance, sampling, expectation, random variables or correlation. If you are sitting Mathematics 2, none of that material is examinable, which is worth knowing before you spend revision time on it.
Physics: 32 sub-topics
| Code | Topic | Sub-topics | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | Electricity | 2 | 6.2% |
| P2 | Magnetism | 5 | 15.6% |
| P3 | Mechanics | 7 | 21.9% |
| P4 | Thermal physics | 4 | 12.5% |
| P5 | Matter | 5 | 15.6% |
| P6 | Waves | 5 | 15.6% |
| P7 | Radioactivity | 4 | 12.5% |
Mechanics is the largest heading at 7 of 32 sub-topics, 22% of the module, and Electricity the smallest at 2. Physics is the narrowest of the three sciences, which is the strongest argument for choosing it over Chemistry or Biology where the choice is genuinely open: it is the science module where covering the whole specification before the sitting is realistic.
Chemistry: 89 sub-topics
| Code | Topic | Sub-topics | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | Atomic structure | 6 | 6.7% |
| C2 | The Periodic Table | 5 | 5.6% |
| C3 | Chemical reactions, formulae and equations | 5 | 5.6% |
| C4 | Quantitative chemistry | 11 | 12.4% |
| C5 | Oxidation, reduction and redox | 6 | 6.7% |
| C6 | Chemical bonding, structure and properties | 7 | 7.9% |
| C7 | Group chemistry | 3 | 3.4% |
| C8 | Separation techniques | 4 | 4.5% |
| C9 | Acids, bases and salts | 3 | 3.4% |
| C10 | Rates of reaction | 6 | 6.7% |
| C11 | Energetics | 5 | 5.6% |
| C12 | Electrolysis | 6 | 6.7% |
| C13 | Carbon and organic chemistry | 6 | 6.7% |
| C14 | Metals | 5 | 5.6% |
| C15 | Kinetic and particle theory | 2 | 2.2% |
| C16 | Chemical tests | 5 | 5.6% |
| C17 | Air and water | 4 | 4.5% |
Quantitative chemistry is the largest single heading at 11 of 89 sub-topics, and it is also the most calculation heavy, which matters in a module sat without a calculator. Chemistry is the widest module in the test by some distance: 89 sub-topics across 17 headings, against 32 across 7 for Physics. Preparation that tries to cover it evenly will run out of time before it runs out of syllabus.
Biology: 34 sub-topics
| Code | Topic | Sub-topics | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 | Cells | 3 | 8.8% |
| B2 | Movement across membranes | 1 | 2.9% |
| B3 | Cell division and sex determination | 4 | 11.8% |
| B4 | Inheritance | 3 | 8.8% |
| B5 | DNA | 4 | 11.8% |
| B6 | Gene technologies | 3 | 8.8% |
| B7 | Variation | 2 | 5.9% |
| B8 | Enzymes | 4 | 11.8% |
| B9 | Animal physiology | 5 | 14.7% |
| B10 | Ecosystems | 3 | 8.8% |
| B11 | Plant physiology | 2 | 5.9% |
Animal physiology is the largest heading at 5 of 34. Biology is nearly as narrow as Physics on paper, but it behaves differently in the test: in the official papers UAT-UK points candidates at, Biology questions are the longest to read and the most likely to be built around a figure. Practising it by reciting content rather than by working through data will not prepare you for that.
Questions written against a named sub-topic state the specification code they come from, so you can see at a glance what is examinable. A small number are labelled “beyond the specification”, kept for breadth and for interview preparation, and marked so they are never mistaken for exam content. Always check the current specification yourself before you rely on any summary, including this one.
Return to the ESAT overview, or practise against these sub-topics in the practice sets.
Where to go from here
Everything on this page is free and stays free. These are the things worth doing next.
- Take the 15-question ESAT diagnostic - Twenty minutes, scored instantly, with a worked solution for every question you miss
- Follow the dated preparation plan - Every ESAT page on this site, sequenced backwards from the October sitting
- How every question on this site is checked - What is verified by hand, what is machine-checked, and how a mistake is reported and fixed
- Sitting another admissions test as well? - TMUA, PAT, MAT and STEP each have their own preparation page and free practice
- Join the ESAT preparation list - One email a week from June to October, and nothing else
- See what can actually be checked about this tutor - What is published, counted from the pages themselves, and the credentials behind it
- Enquire about one-to-one preparation - For candidates who want the gap closed rather than mapped
- Free sample pack for schools - Ten questions in every module with mark schemes and a syllabus reference, ready to sit as a timed mock
- A book of shortcuts for the ESAT - The ESAT Move Register: eleven moves shown on worked examples, with a preview of its pages
One-to-one places are limited and taken by application, not by the hour. This site is independent of UAT-UK, which administers the ESAT, and of every university that uses it; nothing here is endorsed by them, and the official specification and past papers remain the final word.