HAT FAQs

HAT FAQs

Answers to your HAT questions below.

WHAT IS THE HAT?

The History Aptitude Test (HAT) is a 60-minute examination designed to rank applicants to History courses at the University of Oxford, as part of the admissions process.

WHO NEEDS TO SIT THE HAT exam?

The HAT test is a mandatory part of the application process for everyone applying to Oxford for the following subjects:

• History

• History (Ancient and Modern)

• History and Economics

• History and English

• History and Modern Languages

• History and Politics

HOW IS THE HAT STRUCTURED?

The HAT has a very simple structure: one source, one question. The source will be a documentary source from a period or region that most candidates will be unfamiliar with. They are deliberately chosen such that the majority of syllabuses won’t cover the material in question. To help you understand the source, it will be accompanied by some notes explaining its provenance (when was it written or created, where, and by whom.) There will then be one general question inviting you to consider what the source can tell us about the culture that produced it.

CAN I CHOOSE WHICH QUESTIONS I ANSWER IN THE HAT?

No, there is just one question that all candidates answer.

HOW IS MY SCORE IN THE HAT TEST USED?

Oxford University uses the HAT as a standardised format for assessing and benchmarking their applicants. The exam rewards problem solving rather than historical knowledge, so that students are not advantaged by having studied the period in school.

Oxford University uses students’ marks in the HAT to make decisions about which applicants they should invite to interview. Oxford invites around 70% of applicants to interview for the single honours History course. The HAT is used as an important piece of evidence when shortlisting, and for deciding between interviewed candidates. It is especially important for applicants to joint schools which require another test (MLAT, ELAT, or TSA) to demonstrate aptitude on both sides of the course.

WHAT IS A GOOD HAT SCORE?

Previously the HAT was marked out of 40 with marks over 33 making it into the top band of applicants. The HAT is now marked out of 90 with various criteria being weighted more heavily than others: historical insight, comprehension, and the use of evidence are all relatively more important than prose style and presentation. The mean score in 2020 was 56 and the mode was 60. The highest mark was 87.

Since the HAT test is used as an assessment tool among a wider context of factors, such as your academic grades and teacher reference, there is no fixed pass mark or automatic threshold. However, ranking highly correlates heavily with being awarded an offer.

Before interview, your HAT score and your contextualised GCSE scores count equally for deciding who to invite to interview. After interview, your HAT score still makes up 30% of the overall mark for your application alongside the interview itself, your GCSEs, and your written work. This shows how important it is to ace the HAT.

DO I NEED TO KNOW A LEVEL HISTORY?

There is no set syllabus for the HAT exam. It is designed in such a way that all candidates have an equal chance of showing their historical skill. Of course, plenty of practice will make any candidate better equipped to tackle the challenging sources that you can expect to encounter in the HAT test. If you do happen to recognise the source, or know a bit about the period in question, you should avoid bringing in your own knowledge. Stay tightly focused on the text in front of you and remember that candidates who know nothing about the period may well do better by staying close to the source and using their skills of analysis. The best thing to do is practise, practise, practise!