Arts-Humanities Admissions Assessment (AHAA) Guide

How to register for the AHAA

WHEN IS THE AHAA IN 2023?

The AHAA will be sat by students who have been invited to interview by a Cambridge college. There is no specific date published for the test, and colleges will reach out to shortlisted applicants via email to inform them of the test date and arrangements when thy are invited to interview.

WHEN IS THE DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION?

If you are invited to take the AHAA, all the information you require to attend and sit the test will be included in an email from the college you have applied to; there is no need to worry about finding information or make arrangements beforehand!

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO TAKE THE AHAA?

The AHAA is free of charge for shortlisted applicants.

Tips from a Successful Cambridge Humanities Student

HOW CAN I PREPARE FOR THE AHAA?

1. Practice Regularly: Consistent practice is the key to success. Work through sample questions and past papers to improve your critical reading, writing, and analytical skills.

    

2. Enhance Your Reading: The AHAA relies heavily on your ability to interpret and understand complex texts. Engage with a wide range of literature, academic articles, and philosophical texts to expand your reading comprehension.
3. Develop Writing Skills: Refine your essay writing abilities by practising different types of essays and seeking feedback from teachers or mentors.
4. Time Management: During preparation, practice answering questions within the allocated time limits. Time management is crucial to completing all sections of the AHAA effectively. The University website keeps past papers available so that applicants can test themselves in timed conditions. If you’ve worked your way through these, we at Oxbridge Applications keep a bespoke bank of true-to-reality mock tests available for purchase in our admissions resource hub.
5. Stay Informed: Keep yourself updated with the latest news and developments in your chosen field. This will not only enhance your essay writing but also prepare you for potential interview questions. On our blog we endeavour to keep potential applicants up to date on everything admissions-test, so be sure to check in there for more news.
6. Ask expert advice: Request feedback on your practice essays and responses from teachers, mentors, or peers. Constructive criticism will help you identify areas for improvement and refine your approach. Previous Cambridge Arts and Humanities graduates, such as our mentors here at Oxbridge Applications, are also a great source of knowledge to draw on, as they can give you an accurate picture of what it means to perform like a successful Cambridge applicants!

AHAA PREPARATION MATERIALS

In addition to official AHAA past and specimen papers on the Cambridge Website, we at Oxbridge Applications have written a series of additional mock papers. Our students have 33% more questions to practise with. Our mock AHAA papers can be found here and are included with our admissions test tuition. All of our AHAA tutors are highly-trained Cambridge graduates who can share their personally insights of having sat the test. You can contact our Oxbridge-graduate Consultants on +44 (0) 20 7499 2394 or email [email protected] to discuss which of our test training would suit you best. We also have an online testing portal for students who want to sit the exam in timed, test conditions.

WHAT IS THE BEST STUD GUIDE FOR THE AHAA? 

At Oxbridge Applications, we pride ourselves in providing up-to-date advice and unrivalled expertise. As well as collating information from publicly available sources, we also conduct our own research into the application process; for example, by surveying the thousands of students we support each year. Speak to an Oxbridge Applications expert today for advice on your specific situation!

How to Pass the AHAA?

The best advice we can offer to succeed the AHAA exam is to begin exam preparation early and practise often.

Most students who don’t make it through the interview stages and feel their AHAA results let them down tell us that they didn’t spend enough time familiarising themselves with the type of questions that can arise. They typically say that they were caught off guard by a particular question and it put their timings off for the rest of the test.

START EARLY

Since no specific subject knowledge is required for the AHAA, challenge yourself to begin working through past papers and familiarising yourself with the questions as soon as possible.

REFLECTION

Reflect on your personal strengths and weaknesses. No two students should have the same revision strategy for the AHAA, since you all have varying abilities. Try to identify which part of the syllabus you find easiest or whether you often lose marks on either the multiple-choice section or the longer questions. Then tailor your strategy accordingly!

DON'T RESTRICT YOUR PRACTICE MATERIALS

Don’t restrict your practice materials: Once you have tried all of the real past papers, and have moved on to additional materials like our bespoke AHAA papers, you should then look wider at similar materials. For example, take a look at History or Classics papers for different A-Level exam boards or for the IB to obtain diverse materials of study.

COLLABORATION 

Work with a friend or teacher to discuss questions and identify your own personal revision goals. Working with others can be a huge motivation and keep you on track in the weeks and months leading up to the test. We have specialist AHAA tutors who can work with you one-to-one to refine your test technique.