Oxbridge Season · 2027 Entry
Oxbridge admissions tutoring by Oxford and Cambridge graduates
Tao Education prepares students for Oxford and Cambridge with one-to-one online tutoring from Oxbridge graduates who studied the same subject. There's a package for each stage, the personal statement (£400), admissions tests (£800) and interviews (£480), or all three with weekly lessons through the term (£2,400).
The facts
- Deadline
- 15 October. It's the same date for every Oxford and Cambridge course.
- The test
- October, and your child books it themselves by 28 September. Medicine is the UCAT, sat by 24 September.
- Interviews
- December. Oxford's are online, Cambridge's often in person. Offers come in January.
- Typical offer
- A*A*A or A*AA at A-level, 39 to 42 points in the IB.
What's changed this year
Oxford scrapped its own tests in 2026, so the MAT, PAT and TSA are gone. Oxford applicants now sit the same October tests as Cambridge applicants: the TMUA for maths, computer science and economics, the ESAT for physics, engineering and the sciences, and a new one called TARA for PPE, economics and psychology. Medicine is still the UCAT.
The good news is one sitting now covers Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Warwick, UCL and LSE. The catch is that your child books it, not the school, and booking closes at 6pm on 28 September. We've seen strong applicants lose a whole year to that date, so we check every student's booking ourselves.
How we'd plan the autumn
September is for a first draft of the statement and one timed past paper a week, which your tutor marks and goes through with you. In October the test comes first, in the week of the 12th, and the application goes in by the 15th. December is interviews, and we keep tutor time free so a mock is never more than a day away. Offers come in January.
Honestly, predicted grades just get you read. The test and the interview decide everything else. Oxford interviews around 10,000 of its 23,000 applicants and picks them mostly on the test, so that October paper matters more than anything else on the form.
What's changed this year
Oxford scrapped its own tests in 2026, so the MAT, PAT and TSA are gone. Oxford applicants now sit the same October tests as Cambridge applicants: the TMUA for maths, computer science and economics, the ESAT for physics, engineering and the sciences, and a new one called TARA for PPE, economics and psychology. Medicine is still the UCAT.
The good news is one sitting now covers Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Warwick, UCL and LSE. The catch is that your child books it, not the school, and booking closes at 6pm on 28 September. We've seen strong applicants lose a whole year to that date, so we check every student's booking ourselves.
How we'd plan the autumn
September is for a first draft of the statement and one timed past paper a week, which your tutor marks and goes through with you. In October the test comes first, in the week of the 12th, and the application goes in by the 15th. December is interviews, and we keep tutor time free so a mock is never more than a day away. Offers come in January.
Honestly, predicted grades just get you read. The test and the interview decide everything else. Oxford interviews around 10,000 of its 23,000 applicants and picks them mostly on the test, so that October paper matters more than anything else on the form.
The packages
By 15 October
Personal Statement
5 hours · one-to-one
£400
£500We read every draft line by line, tell you honestly what works and what doesn't, and redraft with you until it's ready to send.
Choose your tutor →September – October
Admissions Test Preparation
10 hours · one-to-one
£800
£1,000Past-paper prep for the TMUA, ESAT, UCAT and STEP. Your tutor marks each paper and talks through every mistake with you.
Choose your tutor →December
Interview Preparation
6 hours · one-to-one
£480
£600Full mock interviews with a tutor who sat the real thing in your subject, and written feedback after every session.
Choose your tutor →Flagship · September – December
Full Oxbridge Preparation
30 hours · statement, tests, interviews & subject tuition
£2,400
£3,000All three stages plus weekly subject lessons through the term. One tutor team stays with you from the first draft to the final interview.
Choose your tutor →
Booking for the ESAT and TMUA closes 28 September; the UCAT is sat by 24 September; STEP follows in June. Hours fit around school, and you can mix the stages however suits — just ask.
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Questions
- Is A*AA enough to apply?
- Yes. Oxford's standard offer for most science courses is A*AA, and AAA for most arts. Cambridge asks A*A*A for most sciences and A*AA for most arts. Predictions get you read, then the test and interview take over. If the gap looks too wide, we'll say so on the call.
- Which test does my child sit?
- It goes by course, not university. Maths, computer science and economics sit the TMUA. Physics, engineering and the sciences sit the ESAT. Oxford PPE, economics and management, psychology and human sciences sit TARA. Medicine sits the UCAT. We'll confirm it on the free call so nobody books the wrong one.
- Do they need work experience?
- For sciences and maths, no. Reading beyond the syllabus and problems they've actually tried count for far more. For medicine, yes. Both universities want to see time in a health or care setting, and they'll ask what your child learned from it.
- Oxford or Cambridge?
- You can only apply to one, so choose by course. Cambridge Natural Sciences lets you keep three sciences going; Oxford Physics is one subject from day one. Oxford interviews online, Cambridge sometimes in person. College choice matters less than most families think, and an open application is perfectly fine.
- What happens on the free call?
- Twenty minutes with one of us. We'll ask about the course, the predicted grades, which test applies and whether it's booked, then tell you honestly what's realistic in the time left and who we'd match your child with. No obligation.
Is A*AA enough to apply?
Yes. Oxford's standard offer for most science courses is A*AA, and AAA for most arts. Cambridge asks A*A*A for most sciences and A*AA for most arts. Predictions get you read, then the test and interview take over. If the gap looks too wide, we'll say so on the call.
Which test does my child sit?
It goes by course, not university. Maths, computer science and economics sit the TMUA. Physics, engineering and the sciences sit the ESAT. Oxford PPE, economics and management, psychology and human sciences sit TARA. Medicine sits the UCAT. We'll confirm it on the free call so nobody books the wrong one.
Do they need work experience?
For sciences and maths, no. Reading beyond the syllabus and problems they've actually tried count for far more. For medicine, yes. Both universities want to see time in a health or care setting, and they'll ask what your child learned from it.
Oxford or Cambridge?
You can only apply to one, so choose by course. Cambridge Natural Sciences lets you keep three sciences going; Oxford Physics is one subject from day one. Oxford interviews online, Cambridge sometimes in person. College choice matters less than most families think, and an open application is perfectly fine.
What happens on the free call?
Twenty minutes with one of us. We'll ask about the course, the predicted grades, which test applies and whether it's booked, then tell you honestly what's realistic in the time left and who we'd match your child with. No obligation.
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