Attention ELAT, HAT, MML, PPE, STEP and TSA Candidates!

The UCAS website says this about Admissions tests:

Additional admissions tests

Some universities and colleges require applicants applying for certain subjects to sit additional admissions tests as part of the admissions process. An up-to-date list of tests can be found here.

You should enter details for any admissions tests you have already taken with results and for any admissions tests you still need to take. All your choices of university or college will see the information you have entered for your qualifications. Only certain universities and colleges require specific admissions tests for particular courses so when you provide details for an admissions test, you give some indication of the institutions to which you have applied and the type of courses. The universities and colleges will not, however, have the details of any of the other institutions or courses you have entered in the choices section of your application.

Now.. the courses I mentioned in the title are only required for entry to Oxford or Cambridge.. therefore, if you put one of these tests onto your UCAS form, your other universities will have some idea of where you're applying to (as UCAS admit, above).

I wondered if this was fair.. I mean, I don't know if universities would reject an application because they know you're applying somewhere else - but it worried me, because even though I'm applying to Oxford, I would equally like to go to Durham, so the last thing I want is for Durham to guess I'm applying to Oxford, and think I'm not that interested in Durham, as a result.

Sooo.. I called UCAS. And they said "It shouldn't make a difference to whether you get offered a place or not, but if it worries you, just enter your admissions test details on your OAF/CAF, and not on the UCAS".

I'm sure they're right, and that it won't make a difference if you put it on your UCAS or not.. but I'm just putting the information out there in case anyone else is worried about it :smile:

Reply 1

Laevis

13

Very well spotted, actually ;yes; I hadn't even read that bit on UCAS :s-smilie:

I don't know if there's any truth in the theory that Oxbridge candidates don't get offers from other top Universities, there are countless threads on it though. It would be unfair seeing as only one in four that apply to Oxbridge actually get a place.

Speaking of unfair, the administration team at the centre i registered to take the ELAT with messed up and didn't register me before last friday (the first deadline) and i now have to pay £75 to take the exam!

Reply 2

*pitseleh*

OP

20

I have to admit.. I didn't actually spot it :smile:

Someone else deserves that kudos.. though I've forgotten who, haha! I just rang UCAS about it, is all. But yes - I totally agree, there will be 75% of Oxford applicants still in need of a place, so it would be harsh if it were true that other universities take a dislike to people applying to Oxbridge.

That's very unfair about the £75 - you'd think they'd waive the fee, seeing as it's the first year for the ELAT (I think, anyway) and so people are bound to make a mess of the administration. I'm a bit worried about mine actually - I'm sitting it in a school I've never been to before, and although they've assured me I'm entered, there's a small matter of entry details which they promised to send me in the post, and still haven't. I don't like to keep emailing them to nag about it, though!

Reply 3

Laevis

13

I wish i had entered myself at my old sixth form (on a gap year at the moment) but i decided instead to do it at one of the test centres, and now i'm paying the pretty hefty price. Still though, that's not important. It's only money. Really.

Reply 4

*pitseleh*

OP

20

Mm.. I'm working this year, and also studying at my old sixth form, and although they're brilliant about most things, they didn't seem too sure what was going on with the ELAT test, so I figured I'd better just enter myself at an open centre and then I've only got myself to rely on.. sort of.

But yes - it's only money.. if it gets you a place at Oxford, you'll never think twice about it again :smile:

Good luck, anyway!

Reply 5

Laevis

13

Thank you very much :smile:

And the same to you :yy:

Reply 6

jebediah

Where is this on the UCAS form? I'm a bit confused... Taking the TSA for Economics at Cambridge.

Reply 7

tigrrmilk

11

When I entered English at Oxford as one of my choices on UCAS, it just said that I was required to take the 'institution's own test', and I couldn't see anywhere to add it on my ucas form, so I didn't. It's not like the LNAT where the results will be available to other universities, so I don't think that we have to put it on. Well, I haven't, anyway.

Reply 8

*pitseleh*

OP

20

jebediah

Where is this on the UCAS form? I'm a bit confused... Taking the TSA for Economics at Cambridge.

The bit I quoted is from the UCAS main page, where it says "Education", and then there's a heading "Advice on Entering Qualifications", or some variation on that.

I did have a look at where you were supposed to fill it in on the UCAS form, and (again) it's under "Education", and if you hit "Enter a Qualification", the bottom link takes you to a page with all the qualifications which aren't A-levels or GCSEs, and it's down there under A for Admissions Test.

tambourine

When I entered English at Oxford as one of my choices on UCAS, it just said that I was required to take the 'institution's own test', and I couldn't see anywhere to add it on my ucas form, so I didn't. It's not like the LNAT where the results will be available to other universities, so I don't think that we have to put it on. Well, I haven't, anyway.

Yeah, I haven't either, after speaking to UCAS. I don't want any other uni to know that I've sat the ELAT, because then it'll be obvious that one of my choices is Oxford.

Reply 9

tigrrmilk

11

I just rang up UCAS - to be honest, the guy didn't seem sure, and the ELAT isn't in their system like the LNAT or BMAT. He didn't seem to think that it was massively important - but, he said, for the sake of being thorough, I should add it under 'other qualifications' anyway, and leave it as pending.

I don't think it's really a matter of life or death, to be honest, and I doubt that anywhere will reject you for not putting it down and then later discovering that you took it, but I'll probably enter it anyway. Which is really annoying, as it means that I have to get the careers people to send my form back to me, sigh.

Reply 10

*pitseleh*

OP

20

Ah.. I spoke to a lady who spoke to her supervisor and came back and said it was okay to leave it off, so long as I made it clear on my Oxford form that I am entering the ELAT (which is easy enough, as there's a little ELAT tick-box on the OAF form anyway).

But no, I don't think it's a matter of life and death. It's just there have been a lot of threads by people panicking about universities guessing they'd applied to Oxford, so figured it would be kind to let them know they don't *have* to put the ELAT on their forms, that's all! :smile:

Reply 11

tigrrmilk

11

Oh, she said it was okay to leave it off?! Amazing! I was a bit worried about putting it on there to be honest, the man didn't sound very sure and I have made it clear that I'm taking it on the Oxford form.

I'm going to leave it off, then. It's not even that I think that other universities will reject me for it - I'm sure that they don't actually do that - it's just, well, I don't know? Why add it in when it's completely irrelevant to 4/5 of my choices, one of which I'd rather go to than Oxford (my top choice is Warwick :wink:

).

I'm going to give you some rep now, you've set my mind at rest, and I now don't need to bother with talking to the careers lady tomorrow.

Reply 12

ExRx123

17

Surely you don't need to put the TSA on there as Cambridge organise it?

Reply 13

*pitseleh*

OP

20

tambourine

Oh, she said it was okay to leave it off?! Amazing! I was a bit worried about putting it on there to be honest, the man didn't sound very sure and I have made it clear that I'm taking it on the Oxford form.

I'm going to leave it off, then. It's not even that I think that other universities will reject me for it - I'm sure that they don't actually do that - it's just, well, I don't know? Why add it in when it's completely irrelevant to 4/5 of my choices, one of which I'd rather go to than Oxford (my top choice is Warwick :wink:

).

I'm going to give you some rep now, you've set my mind at rest, and I now don't need to bother with talking to the careers lady tomorrow.

Aw, thanks :biggrin:

Yeah - it was the same worry for me.. I'd be delighted to get into any of my chosen universities, but I really, really like Durham so I don't want them (or any of the others) to think I'm not interested in them.

Glad to have helped!

Reply 14

*pitseleh*

OP

20

El Mariachi

Surely you don't need to put the TSA on there as Cambridge organise it?

There's an option to enter it on the UCAS form, and they mention it by name. It's the same for all the entry tests I mentioned: they're all for either Oxford or Cambridge...

Reply 15

maucej

Actually it's not true that these are only required for Cambridge or Oxford.

Warwick often ask for STEP.

Reply 16

*pitseleh*

OP

20

Yeah - my bad about the STEP (or rather UCAS' bad, as they imply STEP is only required by Cambridge) - but for the others, they're university-specific.

When you speak to UCAS about things like this be sure to take the full name (and ask them to spell it) of the person you speak to, when you spoke to them and roughly what they said. That way if there are any problems further down the line you've got a record of who said what and when (plus as soon as you start asking for names people on phonelines become a lot more accurate....)

Reply 18

*pitseleh*

OP

20

PQ

When you speak to UCAS about things like this be sure to take the full name (and ask them to spell it) of the person you speak to, when you spoke to them and roughly what they said. That way if there are any problems further down the line you've got a record of who said what and when (plus as soon as you start asking for names people on phonelines become a lot more accurate....)

Good advice :smile:

Attention ELAT, HAT, MML, PPE, STEP and TSA Candidates!

Related discussions

Articles for you