ESAT Preparation Group: January 2027
Small-group online preparation for ESAT Mathematics, with a strong focus on speed, non-calculator fluency, efficient methods and accurate decision-making under time pressure.
Maximum 6 Students60 Minutes Weekly£40 per Student per 60-Minute SessionHomework and Pre-Course Diagnostic Included
Check your test sitting: Most Cambridge and Oxford applicants must take the October sitting, with limited exceptions for eligible January-deadline courses. Confirm your dates and eligibility in the official UAT-UK guidance.
Preparing for the October sitting?
New group enrolment is focused on January 2027. For last-minute October support, see individual ESAT lessons (£90 per 60-minute lesson).
Why ESAT Preparation Is Different
The challenge is not simply knowing the maths
Many individual ESAT Mathematics questions are not especially difficult when taken in isolation. With plenty of time, and particularly with access to a calculator, a well-prepared student may be able to solve a very high proportion of them.
The difficulty is doing this quickly, accurately and without a calculator. With roughly 90 seconds available per question, a method that takes two minutes is often not good enough even if it eventually produces the correct answer.
These sessions are therefore not designed to teach a new mathematics syllabus. Students are expected to arrive with the prerequisite knowledge required for the test. The emphasis is on becoming much faster and more efficient with that knowledge: recognising the quickest route, avoiding unnecessary algebra, using mental and non-calculator techniques effectively, and knowing when to move on.
The aim is to turn methods students can already do into methods they can execute reliably under ESAT time pressure.
How the ESAT Sessions Work
Speed Techniques
We practise faster approaches to recurring tasks such as simultaneous equations, factorisation, fractions, percentages, exact values and algebraic manipulation.
Timed Questions
Students attempt short sets under realistic pressure so that speed, accuracy and decision-making are trained together.
Efficient Review
For each question we look beyond whether the answer was right: what should have been recognised, what could have been done mentally, which steps were unnecessary and when it would have been better to move on.
Before the Course
Before the first lesson, students complete the shared TMUA & ESAT diagnostic and a short ESAT questionnaire.
ESAT: Pre-Course Questionnaire
Example ESAT Resources
I use targeted resources alongside timed ESAT questions, particularly to develop the non-calculator fluency and speed the test demands. The precise material used depends on the diagnostic, the questionnaire and the difficulties that emerge during lessons.
ESAT Formulae and Calculator-Free Practice
Enquire
January 2027 groups are now forming. Please indicate which days and times could suit you, including your time zone. Group times will be arranged according to student availability.
Group Details
£40 per student per 60-minute session
Maximum 6 students
Targeted homework included
Pre-course diagnostic and questionnaire
Supporting resources provided where useful
January 2027 Groups Now Forming
Group times will be arranged according to student availability. Please indicate which days and times would suit you when enquiring.