ESAT test Imperial College

[Cottonclothes]

DC has to take this exam for engineering. Has anyone got experience of it; how difficult it is and how it impacts the application? How could DC practice for it.

@Cottonclothes It's 5 months since I posted this and it turns out I was right because my son has now received a Civ Eng offer from Imperial. In the ESAT he got average physics results and below average maths results.

However, as he wrote Imperial off as a bad job 5 months ago, and has since had very positive offer-holder day experiences elsewhere, I'm not sure he will accept it. Let's see.

Someone I know has been turned down by Imperial for Physics with Theoretical Physics. Absolutely stunning academic record but average ESAT.

Fantastic news @drarma ! But same here and also for another of DS’s friends. One has an Imperial offer and is likely to turn it down. DS is still waiting and has 3 other offers at fantastic places and has fallen in love with Bath where I can drop him off and not have to worry about him for 5 years.

I’m sure there is method in the Imperial mindset but they could be losing great young minds who have been shown that they are more wanted at other institutions.

I was at Imperial in research for 6 years. First in quantum field theory and then in mathematical finance. Theoretical physics is the most mathematically demanding of all subjects at Imperial by far. Civil engineering is the least. So it makes sense an average ESAT will not cut it in theoretical physics but will for civil engineering.

The mathematical content difference could not be more different. You can become a good civil engineer knowing not much more than A level maths. But theoretical physics is the exact opposite.

@Fairplay123 What do you think of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial (that doesn't require ESAT)?

I'm afraid I don't know much about it. But it's a very wide area. I'm general if they don't require the ESAT that's a sign that is relatively less challenging in areas that require it.