How Is the ESAT Scored?

2 min readAugust 2026esatscoring

ESAT scoring is straightforward once you see that it is modular. You are not given one overall mark. Each module you sit is scored on its own, and understanding that shapes how you should think about your results.

A separate score for each module

Every module you take is scored from 1.0 (low) to 9.0 (high), to one decimal place. If you sit Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics, you receive three separate scores, one per module. There is no average, no total and no single ESAT grade. A university looks at your scores in the specific modules it asked for, so a strong Physics score does not offset a weaker Mathematics 2 score in the way an average might.

From raw marks to a scaled score

Within a module you answer 27 multiple-choice questions, each worth one mark, with nothing deducted for a wrong answer. Those raw marks are then converted to the 1.0 to 9.0 scale rather than reported as a percentage. Scaling of this kind adjusts for how difficult a particular version of a module was, so a given scaled score reflects the same standard regardless of which sitting you took. The practical consequence is that there is no fixed raw mark to aim for, and the scaled score is what universities actually see.

No pass mark

UAT-UK does not set a pass mark for the ESAT and does not publish grade boundaries. The test exists to spread out a strong field of applicants, not to sort them into pass and fail. Because of that, you should be sceptical of any specific threshold quoted online, such as a claim that a particular module score is a cut-off. Those numbers are not published by UAT-UK or confirmed by the universities. For a grounded sense of what a strong result looks like, see what is a good ESAT score.

When results arrive

Results for the October 2026 sitting are released on 16 November 2026, and results for the January 2027 sitting on 8 February 2027. Your scores are shared with the universities you have applied to as part of your application. You can confirm the current dates on the UAT-UK deadlines page.

What this means for your revision

Because each module stands alone, weakness in one cannot be hidden behind strength in another. That is an argument for spreading your preparation evenly across all the modules your course requires, rather than pouring time into your favourite subject. For how to structure that, see how to prepare for the ESAT.

Official ESAT resources

Scoring is defined by UAT-UK, which sets and runs the ESAT. Its pages are the authoritative source, and the tools on esat.fyi are supplementary to them.

Frequently asked questions

What scale is the ESAT scored on?

Each module you sit is scored on its own from 1.0 (low) to 9.0 (high), reported to one decimal place. There is no single combined ESAT score.

Is there a pass mark for the ESAT?

No. UAT-UK does not set a pass mark or publish grade boundaries. Universities read your module scores as part of a wider assessment.

Does the ESAT have negative marking?

No. Your score is based only on the number of correct answers, so a wrong answer never costs more than a blank. You should attempt every question.

When do ESAT results come out?

For the October 2026 sitting, results are released on 16 November 2026. For the January 2027 sitting, they follow on 8 February 2027.