ESAT Tutor & Tuition — Online

Every ESAT tutor is vetted by

Alex Fraley — Mathematician & Theoretical Physicist

Cambridge Part III Mathematics — Distinction MPhys Theoretical Physics — Top of Class PhD Candidate — Theoretical Particle Physics

The ESAT’s most-required modules are maths and physics, and those are the two subjects Alex has built his career in: a Distinction in Part III of the Mathematical Tripos at Cambridge, a prize-winning MPhys in Theoretical Physics from the University of Manchester, where he graduated top of his class, and a PhD in theoretical particle physics now under way. He has tutored entrance-exam candidates personally for years, including for the Oxford physics tests now folded into the ESAT, and he vets every tutor who teaches it.

Read Alex's Story

Why the ESAT Matters More Than It Looks

A two-hour multiple-choice test now stands between most physics and engineering applicants and an offer.

One Test, Four Universities

Cambridge, Imperial, Oxford and UCL all use the ESAT for engineering, physics, natural sciences and veterinary medicine courses. It replaced Cambridge’s ENGAA and NSAA and Oxford’s Physics Aptitude Test (PAT), so anyone who prepared for those older tests is now preparing for this one. For Oxford applicants, October 2026 is the first ESAT sitting — and Oxford’s Department of Physics notes that its syllabus and difficulty differ from the PAT’s.

At Oxford Physics, It Decides the Interview

Oxford’s Department of Physics shortlists for interview mainly on ESAT score, read alongside contextual data, and interviews roughly two and a half candidates per place. Knowledge of the ESAT syllabus is then assumed in the interview itself. See our Oxbridge interview preparation for what comes next.

Speed Without a Calculator

Every module is 27 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes — under 90 seconds a question — with no calculator allowed in any of them. The content is familiar from school; the pace and the unfamiliar framing are what separate candidates.

Ideas Combined, Not Recalled

A typical ESAT question combines two or three ideas at once — energy conservation with Hooke’s law, circuit rules with power. UAT-UK’s own specification says some questions “require more creative thinking and the application of principles in less familiar contexts.”

Which Modules Your Course Needs

Everyone sits Mathematics 1. Most courses add two more — and for physics and engineering, the pair is usually fixed.

ESAT modules for selected physics and engineering courses, 2027 entry
University	Course(s)	Modules
Cambridge	Engineering	Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics
Cambridge	Natural Sciences	Mathematics 1 + any two of Mathematics 2, Physics, Chemistry, Biology
Imperial	Physics; Aeronautics; Civil, Electrical & Electronic and Mechanical Engineering	Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics
Oxford	Physics; Physics and Philosophy; Engineering Science	Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics
UCL	Electronic & Electrical Engineering	Mathematics 1 + any two of Mathematics 2, Physics, Chemistry, Biology

We tutor Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics. We are maths and physics specialists and say so plainly: we do not tutor the Chemistry or Biology modules. On the courses above with a free choice, Mathematics 2 and Physics are both options. You cannot change your modules after booking, so check every course on your list before you book — our full ESAT guide has the wider course table, how the test is scored, and the official sources.

How Our ESAT Tutoring Works

1-to-1, online, and built around the modules you are actually sitting.

Your ESAT tutor steers a curated pathway all the way to test day — keeping a clear picture of your progress, so the teaching always follows where you actually are.

Maths and Physics, One Tutor

The same tutor covers Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics, so the maths you sharpen for one module is put straight to work in the physics of another — rather than splitting the test between two people who never compare notes.

Worked From the Official Specification

UAT-UK publishes the ESAT specification and practice materials free (our guide summarises the specification module by module). Your tutor uses them to find exactly which assumed topics you have not met yet or have forgotten, and teaches those first — then builds the speed the 40-minute modules demand.

Timed Like the Real Thing

A module you understand can still cost marks on pace. Lessons build towards full 27-question, 40-minute conditions, and your tutor works on the choices that save time: when to estimate, when to eliminate options, when to move on.

Live, Online, Flexible

Lessons run live on Google Meet with an interactive whiteboard, 60 minutes by default, weekly or more often as the test approaches. No contracts — lessons continue week by week for as long as they help.

ESAT Dates for 2027 Entry

Two sittings, and which one you can use depends on where you are applying.

ESAT key dates, 2027 entry cycle (UAT-UK)
	October 2026 sitting	January 2027 sitting
Booking closes	28 September 2026, 6pm	21 December 2026, 6pm
Test window	12–16 October 2026	4–8 January 2027
Results to candidates	16 November 2026	8 February 2027
Cambridge & Oxford applicants	Required	Only mature-college (Cambridge) and Astrophoria Foundation Year (Oxford) applicants
Imperial & UCL applicants	Either sitting	Either sitting

You can sit the ESAT only once in an admissions cycle, so the sitting you choose is the one that counts. If you have missed the October booking deadline and none of your ESAT courses is at Cambridge or Oxford, the January sitting is still open to you — and it leaves a full term to prepare. Most students begin six to twelve months before the test. If you are sitting this October, book your test before the deadline first; a focused run of timed practice on your three modules in the weeks before 12 October is still well worth having.

Why Families Choose Us for the ESAT

Specialists in exactly the two subjects the test is built from.

Tutors From Target Universities

Our team includes students and graduates from Imperial, Cambridge, UCL and Warwick — three of them ESAT universities. They know what these admissions tests reward, and every one of them is personally selected by our founder.

Taught by the Founder, by Request

Alex still takes on the occasional entrance-exam student directly — if you’d like to ask, get in touch. Otherwise you’ll be matched with the tutor whose background fits your target course best.

Proven Results

Our students have gone on to study mathematics, physics and engineering at Cambridge, Imperial and other leading universities. ESAT preparation runs naturally alongside A-Level Physics and A-Level Maths lessons with the same tutor.

Sitting the TMUA as well, or instead? Our entrance-exam tutoring covers the TMUA and STEP alongside the ESAT.

ESAT Tutoring — Common Questions

How much does ESAT tutoring cost?

Entrance and admissions-test preparation, the ESAT included, is charged at our Advanced rate of £105 per hour, reflecting the university-level depth these exams demand. Full platform access, instantly marked practice and Q&A support between lessons are all included, with no contracts. See full pricing details.

Which ESAT modules do you tutor?

Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics. We are maths and physics specialists, so we do not tutor the Chemistry or Biology modules. Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics is the fixed module set for most engineering and physics courses that use the ESAT, including Engineering at Cambridge and Physics and Engineering Science at Oxford.

When should I start preparing for the ESAT?

Most students begin six to twelve months before the test, usually during Year 12 or early in Year 13. For the 2027 entry cycle the October sitting runs 12–16 October 2026 and the January sitting 4–8 January 2027. If you are closer to test day than that, a focused block of lessons on the modules you are actually sitting is still worth it.

Can I sit the ESAT in January instead of October?

Only if none of your ESAT courses is at Cambridge or Oxford. Applicants to Cambridge or Oxford must sit in October, except mature applicants to a Cambridge mature college with a January deadline and applicants to Oxford’s Astrophoria Foundation Year. Applicants to the other ESAT universities, Imperial and UCL, can choose either sitting, and you can only sit the ESAT once in an admissions cycle.

Is a calculator allowed in the ESAT?

No. Calculators and dictionaries are not allowed in any module, so fast, accurate mental and written arithmetic is part of what we practise. Our guide explains what non-calculator means in the specification.

Can ESAT preparation run alongside A-Level Physics and Maths lessons?

Yes, with the same tutor. The ESAT Physics module sits close to GCSE and early A-Level physics content and Mathematics 2 runs into early A-Level maths, so the A-Level and the admissions test reinforce each other, and your tutor moves lesson focus between them as the test date approaches.

£105 / hour

ESAT preparation is charged at our Advanced rate, reflecting the university-level depth and preparation admissions tests demand. Full platform access included.

See Full Pricing Details

“Alex was very knowledgeable beyond the course… he helped me prepare for my MAT admissions exam.”

Joshua Keedy

“…pushing him beyond the limits of his school learning and so helping to fulfil his interest in both maths and physics.”

Caroline Davies

“Alex has been tutoring my daughter remotely for A Level physics… he has excellent knowledge and is able to teach her in a way she understands.”

Kelley Gibbons

ESAT Tutoring from Specialist Maths & Physics Tutors