English Literature Admission Test ELAT History Aptitude Test HAT
English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT)
ELAT is a paper-based test lasting 90 minutes. Candidates are given six poems or passages from drama and/or prose (fiction or non-fiction), and are asked to carry out this single task: Select two or three of the passages (a) to (f) and compare and contrast them in any ways that seem interesting to you, paying particular attention to distinctive features of structure, language and style. In your introduction, indicate briefly what you intend to explore or illustrate through close reading of your chosen passages.
There will be some sort of link between the six passages, which will be explained in the introduction. Answer sheets will be provided to candidates.
History Aptitude Test (HAT)
The HAT is a paper-based test. It is a 2-hour.
This test is subject-specific admissions test for applicants to the University of Oxford’s undergraduate degree courses in History and its joint schools
The test has two elements: a series of questions, including a short essay, based on a short piece of historical writing; a single question, based on a primary source. The duration of the test is two hours. Candidates are advised to spend about 40 minutes on reading the texts, thinking about them and planning their answers. The rest of the time they should spend on writing. Guidance is given about the form and length of each answer. A specimen test paper, and examples of candidate answers, will be made available. HAT papers from 2005 onwards have one less question than the specimen paper and the 2004 paper, to allow candidates more reading and thinking time. Question One (70–75 minutes, including reading, thinking and planning time)
This section comprises three questions and is worth 60/100 marks:
1. Definition exercise: Understanding and defining terms drawn from the text. Relates to: careful and critical reading; precision in the handling of concepts; precision, clarity and facility of writing. (10/100 marks)
2. Explanation exercise: Analysing and explaining terms drawn from the text. Relates to: careful and critical reading; analytical approach; precision in the handling of concepts; precision, clarity and facility of writing. (20/100 marks)
3. Essay exercise: Applying a concept/hypothesis from the text to a historical situation; writing cogently at length. Relates to: analytical approach; coherent argument; precision in the handling of concepts and selection of evidence; relevance to the question; historical imagination; originality; precision, clarity and facility of writing. (30/100 marks)
Question Two (45–50 minutes, including reading, thinking and planning time)
This section comprises one question and is worth 40/100 marks:
4. Interpretation exercise. Interpretative response to primary source. Relates to: careful and critical reading; historical imagination; originality; precision, clarity and facility of writing.