PAT and ESAT Prep (physics tests)
Hey guys, hope everyone's doing well
Im in year 12 and i want to apply to Oxford and imperial to study physics. Here are my queries:
Ive heard the PAT format is changing. Where can i find practice questions in the new online multiple choice format? They havent released any papers yet, and i was hoping to be familiar with the sort of stuff that could pop up.
How can i prep for these tests? Im trying my best to do isaac physics, but i feel a little discouraged as the questions at c2 and even some c1 are pretty challenging to me. Does anyone have advice on how to get better, and what resources to use and make the most out of?
And obviously, any advice or anything you want to share that could help me out would be MUCH appreciated.
Thanks guys!
Im in year 12 and i want to apply to Oxford and imperial to study physics. Here are my queries:
Ive heard the PAT format is changing. Where can i find practice questions in the new online multiple choice format? They havent released any papers yet, and i was hoping to be familiar with the sort of stuff that could pop up.
How can i prep for these tests? Im trying my best to do isaac physics, but i feel a little discouraged as the questions at c2 and even some c1 are pretty challenging to me. Does anyone have advice on how to get better, and what resources to use and make the most out of?
And obviously, any advice or anything you want to share that could help me out would be MUCH appreciated.
Thanks guys!
Reply 1
20
If you go on Amazon books and search on 'Oxford PAT Test' etc, you will find books like "The Ultimate Oxford PAT Collection". These are an excellent resource - full of examples/solutions, tips and hints, and practice papers. Your school may have copies, or ask at your local public library, or look on Ebay etc for cheaper 2nd hand copies - you don't need 'this year's edition', any within the last few years will be fine.
Reply 2
is759
OP
7
Thank you! Ill have a look, do you have any suggestions of books that helped you out or thag you really like in particular?
Reply 3
I did PAT this year, don't feel too pressured to pay for resources if you don't want to or anything, you can definitely prep well for PAT without those sorts of resources even if they may be pretty useful. This video is pretty useful for getting an idea of how to prep https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH3vLSGjUKs. In terms of new format, oxford has a practice test which is a decent indicator of the difficulty of the actual exam, although the real thing is a bit harder. Because of the new MCQ format, it becomes more important to have good time management throughout the exam so practicing with ENGAA/NSAA papers can be useful, along with TMUA, and this would also be good for ESAT prep. The most similar questions to the real PAT are just the few MCQs in the past papers imo. For physics problem solving, you kinda just have to keep motivated and keep trying until you eventually get better, for some extrinsic motivation you can try to participate in the isaac physics senior physics challenge, which gets you a residential to cambridge if you solve a ton of isaac physics questions across the year. Another good resource is bpho past papers which have a lot of interesting physics problems in them, although the solutions are a bit mid. Best of luck with your efforts!
Reply 4
is759
OP
7
Thank you so much for the advice, the video seems super useful! I'll have a look at some of the past papers you suggested. may i ask how you found the pat? Also, good luck for your own application this year, wishing you all the best 
Reply 5
Original post
by is759Thank you so much for the advice, the video seems super useful! I'll have a look at some of the past papers you suggested. may i ask how you found the pat? Also, good luck for your own application this year, wishing you all the best
Thanks for the wishes! I found the pat this year to be easier than the past papers, mostly because the longer answer questions have been removed, which imo were the most difficult part. Time management is also important and I did pretty good on that, except when I went back to check my answers and then did some stuff wrong lol. Pretty hopeful to get a good score but we'll see anyways. I think my paper was also relatively easy compared to other people's experiences so I may have just got a bit lucky asw
Reply 6
is759
OP
7
That sounds great! All the best
Reply 7
Original post
by dqrknessThanks for the wishes! I found the pat this year to be easier than the past papers, mostly because the longer answer questions have been removed, which imo were the most difficult part. Time management is also important and I did pretty good on that, except when I went back to check my answers and then did some stuff wrong lol. Pretty hopeful to get a good score but we'll see anyways. I think my paper was also relatively easy compared to other people's experiences so I may have just got a bit lucky asw
How did it go?
Also, I found some questions online regarding the PAT that I wanted to ask
1.
Were the questions roughly the same difficulty as the MCQ questions in past papers? I am wondering if they have been easier in the past or not.
2.
Did the questions get harder as the test went on? Like were questions 30-40 much harder than 1-10?
3.
Were the questions weighted fairly, or were there a couple meant to eat up a lot of time that weren't worth much? And also what kinda marks did they take up? The minimum and maximum maybe?
Reply 8
Original post
by Heisenberg'sGPSHow did it go?
Also, I found some questions online regarding the PAT that I wanted to ask
Also, I found some questions online regarding the PAT that I wanted to ask
1.
Were the questions roughly the same difficulty as the MCQ questions in past papers? I am wondering if they have been easier in the past or not.
2.
Did the questions get harder as the test went on? Like were questions 30-40 much harder than 1-10?
3.
Were the questions weighted fairly, or were there a couple meant to eat up a lot of time that weren't worth much? And also what kinda marks did they take up? The minimum and maximum maybe?
1) yeah I'd say so, probably a bit more difficult cuz they need to try to make up for the lack of the longer questions, but in general a lot of the Q's were of similar difficulty or even the exact same style as ppqs, only a few were on the harder end but still not as difficult as the worst ones on pat past papers
2) the questions did get harder imo, as I went through the test I flagged qs which I didn't do and I think that I flagged more near to the end of the paper than the start, I wouldn't say they were much harder but maybe required a bit more thought, entire paper was doable imo (apart from getting pressured and making stupid mistakes)
3) I think that mark weighting was fair asw, I'd say it was a maximum of 4 (maybe 5) marks for a q and a minimum of 2 marks, I think the time taken is also pretty similar to the marks allocated, so higher mark questions should take longer but there may be some shorter ones which are a bit confusing to understand so those could take longer too
Take all of that with a grain of salt lol, my memory isn't the best, especially about tests!
(edited 4 weeks ago)
Reply 9
Original post
by dqrknessI got shortlisted for interview for physics (and have done all three interviews as well) so hopefully that means my pat score was good enough to have a competitive application!
1) yeah I'd say so, probably a bit more difficult cuz they need to try to make up for the lack of the longer questions, but in general a lot of the Q's were of similar difficulty or even the exact same style as ppqs, only a few were on the harder end but still not as difficult as the worst ones on pat past papers
2) the questions did get harder imo, as I went through the test I flagged qs which I didn't do and I think that I flagged more near to the end of the paper than the start, I wouldn't say they were much harder but maybe required a bit more thought, entire paper was doable imo (apart from getting pressured and making stupid mistakes)
3) I think that mark weighting was fair asw, I'd say it was a maximum of 4 (maybe 5) marks for a q and a minimum of 2 marks, I think the time taken is also pretty similar to the marks allocated, so higher mark questions should take longer but there may be some shorter ones which are a bit confusing to understand so those could take longer too
Take all of that with a grain of salt lol, my memory isn't the best, especially about tests!
1) yeah I'd say so, probably a bit more difficult cuz they need to try to make up for the lack of the longer questions, but in general a lot of the Q's were of similar difficulty or even the exact same style as ppqs, only a few were on the harder end but still not as difficult as the worst ones on pat past papers
2) the questions did get harder imo, as I went through the test I flagged qs which I didn't do and I think that I flagged more near to the end of the paper than the start, I wouldn't say they were much harder but maybe required a bit more thought, entire paper was doable imo (apart from getting pressured and making stupid mistakes)
3) I think that mark weighting was fair asw, I'd say it was a maximum of 4 (maybe 5) marks for a q and a minimum of 2 marks, I think the time taken is also pretty similar to the marks allocated, so higher mark questions should take longer but there may be some shorter ones which are a bit confusing to understand so those could take longer too
Take all of that with a grain of salt lol, my memory isn't the best, especially about tests!
I also forget tests as soon as I walk out of the exam hall too haha so this much help itself is amazing!
A couple more questions I've been itching to ask lol:
Did you end up doing all of the past papers for Bpho, Esat, Engaa, Nsaa, Tmua and/or would you recommend this?
Also, what kind of questions on Isaac Physics should I be aiming to solve? I've tried some Challenge Level 3 A Level ones and while some are doable, others are incredibly difficult to grasp of a method to answer.... I did also look at the (I think 2006) the first paper for the PAT and I found that it wasn't too difficult except for some mistakes on the last question on the Physics part, and since I want to save the rest for this summer, do you know how similar the difficulty level is in the real deal?
Again, thank you soooo much for your help! I'm new here and this is the first post I've been in, and this has been so useful already to help me prepare! :>
Reply 10
Original post
by Heisenberg'sGPSWow that's great!! When d'you find out if you get an offer? All the best for then!!
I also forget tests as soon as I walk out of the exam hall too haha so this much help itself is amazing!
A couple more questions I've been itching to ask lol:
Did you end up doing all of the past papers for Bpho, Esat, Engaa, Nsaa, Tmua and/or would you recommend this?
Also, what kind of questions on Isaac Physics should I be aiming to solve? I've tried some Challenge Level 3 A Level ones and while some are doable, others are incredibly difficult to grasp of a method to answer.... I did also look at the (I think 2006) the first paper for the PAT and I found that it wasn't too difficult except for some mistakes on the last question on the Physics part, and since I want to save the rest for this summer, do you know how similar the difficulty level is in the real deal?
Again, thank you soooo much for your help! I'm new here and this is the first post I've been in, and this has been so useful already to help me prepare! :>
I also forget tests as soon as I walk out of the exam hall too haha so this much help itself is amazing!
A couple more questions I've been itching to ask lol:
Did you end up doing all of the past papers for Bpho, Esat, Engaa, Nsaa, Tmua and/or would you recommend this?
Also, what kind of questions on Isaac Physics should I be aiming to solve? I've tried some Challenge Level 3 A Level ones and while some are doable, others are incredibly difficult to grasp of a method to answer.... I did also look at the (I think 2006) the first paper for the PAT and I found that it wasn't too difficult except for some mistakes on the last question on the Physics part, and since I want to save the rest for this summer, do you know how similar the difficulty level is in the real deal?
Again, thank you soooo much for your help! I'm new here and this is the first post I've been in, and this has been so useful already to help me prepare! :>
Decisions come out on January 13th, so send a message then to remind me and I'll lyk how it goes!
I did ESAT and PAT in October so a lot of my prep for ESAT was transferrable to the PAT. For ESAT, I did all the ENGAA Section 1 Papers, TMUA Paper 1 and ECAA (which is kinda extra). For PAT specifically, I did the preparing for the PAT course during the summer (it was kinda useful to start prep but not 100% necessary), almost all the PAT past papers, a few NSAA Paper 2s and some BPhO R1.
In terms of which are good for PAT, obviously the past papers themselves are a great source of similar, if not harder difficulty questions (and there's no loss by doing harder questions lol). The papers definitely get progressively harder so don't get demotivated if your scores decrease by a bit, the real thing is easier. In terms of other good sources, I think TMUA paper 1 is decent because the PAT does have quite a bit of maths. NSAA Paper 2 and BPhO are good as well, all of these are slightly harder than the PAT. ENGAA Paper 1s are good for getting faster but not 100% necessary for PAT imo, I think they're slightly less difficult than the actual PAT (in terms of Q's themselves, not time pressure which makes them infinitely worse), I didn't find time pressure in PAT to be too bad anyway but it's better to be fast.
In terms of Isaac Physics, c3 is definitely harder than the stuff on the PAT, those would probably be better for interview prep! Same with BPhO, I used them more for interview prep than the PAT itself. The easier Q's on BPhO and Isaac Physics are more similar to PAT.
You're welcome for the help, best of luck with any prep you start doing!
Reply 11
Original post
by dqrknessDecisions come out on January 13th, so send a message then to remind me and I'll lyk how it goes!
I did ESAT and PAT in October so a lot of my prep for ESAT was transferrable to the PAT. For ESAT, I did all the ENGAA Section 1 Papers, TMUA Paper 1 and ECAA (which is kinda extra). For PAT specifically, I did the preparing for the PAT course during the summer (it was kinda useful to start prep but not 100% necessary), almost all the PAT past papers, a few NSAA Paper 2s and some BPhO R1.
In terms of which are good for PAT, obviously the past papers themselves are a great source of similar, if not harder difficulty questions (and there's no loss by doing harder questions lol). The papers definitely get progressively harder so don't get demotivated if your scores decrease by a bit, the real thing is easier. In terms of other good sources, I think TMUA paper 1 is decent because the PAT does have quite a bit of maths. NSAA Paper 2 and BPhO are good as well, all of these are slightly harder than the PAT. ENGAA Paper 1s are good for getting faster but not 100% necessary for PAT imo, I think they're slightly less difficult than the actual PAT (in terms of Q's themselves, not time pressure which makes them infinitely worse), I didn't find time pressure in PAT to be too bad anyway but it's better to be fast.
In terms of Isaac Physics, c3 is definitely harder than the stuff on the PAT, those would probably be better for interview prep! Same with BPhO, I used them more for interview prep than the PAT itself. The easier Q's on BPhO and Isaac Physics are more similar to PAT.
You're welcome for the help, best of luck with any prep you start doing!
I did ESAT and PAT in October so a lot of my prep for ESAT was transferrable to the PAT. For ESAT, I did all the ENGAA Section 1 Papers, TMUA Paper 1 and ECAA (which is kinda extra). For PAT specifically, I did the preparing for the PAT course during the summer (it was kinda useful to start prep but not 100% necessary), almost all the PAT past papers, a few NSAA Paper 2s and some BPhO R1.
In terms of which are good for PAT, obviously the past papers themselves are a great source of similar, if not harder difficulty questions (and there's no loss by doing harder questions lol). The papers definitely get progressively harder so don't get demotivated if your scores decrease by a bit, the real thing is easier. In terms of other good sources, I think TMUA paper 1 is decent because the PAT does have quite a bit of maths. NSAA Paper 2 and BPhO are good as well, all of these are slightly harder than the PAT. ENGAA Paper 1s are good for getting faster but not 100% necessary for PAT imo, I think they're slightly less difficult than the actual PAT (in terms of Q's themselves, not time pressure which makes them infinitely worse), I didn't find time pressure in PAT to be too bad anyway but it's better to be fast.
In terms of Isaac Physics, c3 is definitely harder than the stuff on the PAT, those would probably be better for interview prep! Same with BPhO, I used them more for interview prep than the PAT itself. The easier Q's on BPhO and Isaac Physics are more similar to PAT.
You're welcome for the help, best of luck with any prep you start doing!
This is great advice thank you so much!! One more little question - do you know of any websites or YouTube channels who I can learn the content that I want to learn to try and prepare more in advance for the PAT? I've seen some circular motion, springs, pulleys (learnt but a little confused about sometimes) and etc for? Especially for the natural world topic - there can be curveballs from what I've seen! And do you know of/recommend any tutors?
And of course, the reason Im sending this email so late (I didn't want to forget), HOW DID IT GO?? IM HOPING EVERYTHING WENT WELL!!
Reply 12
Original post
by Heisenberg'sGPSThis is great advice thank you so much!! One more little question - do you know of any websites or YouTube channels who I can learn the content that I want to learn to try and prepare more in advance for the PAT? I've seen some circular motion, springs, pulleys (learnt but a little confused about sometimes) and etc for? Especially for the natural world topic - there can be curveballs from what I've seen! And do you know of/recommend any tutors?
And of course, the reason Im sending this email so late (I didn't want to forget), HOW DID IT GO?? IM HOPING EVERYTHING WENT WELL!!
And of course, the reason Im sending this email so late (I didn't want to forget), HOW DID IT GO?? IM HOPING EVERYTHING WENT WELL!!
Didn't go so well unfortunately, got rejected. I think it was probably interview rather than PAT score so I can offer some advice regardless (although I don't have any college feedback/PAT score back yet).
For learning content, any A level physics textbook should be good. I think I watched Z-Physics a bit, but I do think just the book is fine, along with questions ofc to consolidate. For natural world, this video was pretty useful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUEDTRvyRHg. I think I also searched up and learnt the different types of solar and lunar eclipse, which you should be able to find online. The pulleys questions are very weird, don't worry too much if you don't understand them, I didn't see anything of the sort when I sat the PAT. I don't really think you need a tutor for PAT either, you can definitely do well enough through using free online resources and putting in a lot of effort (which is the most important part).
Reply 13
14
How does the PAT compare to BPhO round 0?
Reply 14
Original post
by Muu9How does the PAT compare to BPhO round 0?
Easier than BPhO R0 imo, the time pressure is less and the questions were easier, PAT does have more content to learn though.
Reply 15
Original post
by Heisenberg'sGPSThis is great advice thank you so much!! One more little question - do you know of any websites or YouTube channels who I can learn the content that I want to learn to try and prepare more in advance for the PAT? I've seen some circular motion, springs, pulleys (learnt but a little confused about sometimes) and etc for? Especially for the natural world topic - there can be curveballs from what I've seen! And do you know of/recommend any tutors?
And of course, the reason Im sending this email so late (I didn't want to forget), HOW DID IT GO?? IM HOPING EVERYTHING WENT WELL!!
And of course, the reason Im sending this email so late (I didn't want to forget), HOW DID IT GO?? IM HOPING EVERYTHING WENT WELL!!
Well, Oxford is switching to ESAT now, so ignore the PAT advice ig and lock in for ESAT 😭 the PAT past paper mcqs are pretty useful for ESAT prep but any longer questions probably won't be
Reply 16
is759
OP
7
Yeah I'm not sure how I feel about this change 
(( have you started esat prep?
(( have you started esat prep?Reply 17
Original post
by dqrknessDidn't go so well unfortunately, got rejected. I think it was probably interview rather than PAT score so I can offer some advice regardless (although I don't have any college feedback/PAT score back yet).
For learning content, any A level physics textbook should be good. I think I watched Z-Physics a bit, but I do think just the book is fine, along with questions ofc to consolidate. For natural world, this video was pretty useful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUEDTRvyRHg. I think I also searched up and learnt the different types of solar and lunar eclipse, which you should be able to find online. The pulleys questions are very weird, don't worry too much if you don't understand them, I didn't see anything of the sort when I sat the PAT. I don't really think you need a tutor for PAT either, you can definitely do well enough through using free online resources and putting in a lot of effort (which is the most important part).
For learning content, any A level physics textbook should be good. I think I watched Z-Physics a bit, but I do think just the book is fine, along with questions ofc to consolidate. For natural world, this video was pretty useful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUEDTRvyRHg. I think I also searched up and learnt the different types of solar and lunar eclipse, which you should be able to find online. The pulleys questions are very weird, don't worry too much if you don't understand them, I didn't see anything of the sort when I sat the PAT. I don't really think you need a tutor for PAT either, you can definitely do well enough through using free online resources and putting in a lot of effort (which is the most important part).
Oh, it's okay, but you should still be proud of yourself man - you nearly made it and you did well on the PAT!! Interviews are always going to be a bit scary too and maybe if you don't like them so much you wouldn't have enjoyed the teaching style at Oxford... But in case you are kicking your shins, just take it easy :>
Yeah uh... the PAT changed lol... well I think ill watch some ZPhysics on ESAT prep to be honest but mainly going to focus on the spec now...
Reply 18
Original post
by dqrknessWell, Oxford is switching to ESAT now, so ignore the PAT advice ig and lock in for ESAT 😭 the PAT past paper mcqs are pretty useful for ESAT prep but any longer questions probably won't be
yeah I think ill use some MCQs for prep then but hopefully I should have enough materials lol
Reply 19
Original post
by is759Yeah I'm not sure how I feel about this change (( have you started esat prep?
(( have you started esat prep?me too if im being honest - its more time pressured but less difficult.... and I haven't started any specific prep yet no haha
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Exams Ninja for PAT Prep
- PAT and ESAT
- Oxford of Cambridge engineering
- Official Physics Applicants Thread 2025
- ESAT - help me debunk myths!
- admissions test help (pat and esat)
- Which entrance exam is relevant for preparing for ESAT)
- How relevant are the other entrance exams for preparing for ESAT.
- ESAT help
- ESAT Preparation
- ESAT Results
- University admission tests
- Physics at Imperial
- Oxford to switch to UAT-administered entrance exams, dropping MAT, PAT, TSA, etc
- ESAT information help
- How to revise for PAT
- Imperial Chemical Engineering offers
- Asking for ESAT tips for anyone that did it last year
- ESAT Preparation
- October esat prep blog
Latest
Trending
Last reply 1 month ago
Durham Natural Sciences or Imperial Chemistry w Molecular PhysicsLast reply 2 months ago
ESAT results for Imperial PhysicsLast reply 6 months ago
mistake picking the University of York over Warwick or Bath for Chemistry?Last reply 6 months ago
Applying for Physics vs Theoretical PhysicsLast reply 6 months ago
Physics degree without Further MathsLast reply 6 months ago
Well paying careers in chemistryLast reply 6 months ago
Natural Sciences without ChemistryLast reply 6 months ago
Future in Astrophysics and BSci vs MSci/MPhysLast reply 6 months ago
Cambridge vs imperial vs non-top US unisLast reply 7 months ago
I did not think my university choices throughLast reply 8 months ago
Year 12 Chemistry Work experienceLast reply 8 months ago
Is a chemistry degree worth it?Articles for you
How The Student Room is moderated
To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.
