Study in the UK

If you are one of the many international students looking to obtain a degree from a UK university, you may be interested to know that you can sit your exams locally, with the British Council.

Whether you are required to sit University admissions tests, distance learning course exams or re-sits while away from your University campus, we can organise these for you. 

Admissions tests

Admissions tests are used by the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, LSE and others to select applicants for certain courses. The tests are usually held once a year as part of the application process:

  • British Council is no longer delivering Cambridge Admissions Testing examinations. Candidates are advised to check with their chosen institution which admissions tests they require: Cambridge admission tests and Oxford admission tests.
  • Cambridge Admissions Testing Service: STEP (Sixth Term Examination Paper) Mathematics is a well-established mathematics examination designed to test candidates on questions that are similar in style to undergraduate mathematics. The test consists of up to two 3-hour paper-based examinations: STEP II and STEP III. Candidates are usually required to sit either one or two of the examinations, depending on the requirements of the universities they have applied to. Tests are usually held in the middle of June. British Council in Bulgaria accepts registrations by the end of April. Please see the registration form at the end of this page for further details. 
  • LSE Undergraduate Admissions Assessment (UGAA) is a three-hour paper comprising of English comprehension exercises, essay questions and mathematical problems. No specific preparation is required. The Undergraduate Admissions Office sends invitations to applicants between mid-December and early February. The test itself is usually held in early March. If you want to sit the test at the British Council, instead of travelling to the LSE, please email us so we can send you relevant contact information to give to LSE in their online questionnaire form. We will confirm the test arrangements to you by email a week before the test date and will inform you of the local fee you should pay. 

Distance learning exams

We organise exams on behalf of many universities every year. Here are some examples of those we regularly work with:

  • University of London International Programmes
  • Open university
  • Heriot-Watt university (Edinburgh Business School Distance Learning)
  • Warwick university (MBA distance learning)
  • The University of Manchester (Manchester Business School Worldwide)

If you have already started your studies, please contact your university to find out about their procedure for organising exams in other locations. If you have not applied yet, but you are interested in learning more about these universities, you should visit their websites for further information. 

Resits and other off-campus exams

If you cannot travel to the UK for personal/medical reasons or you have re-sits during your summer holiday, you can ask your institution for permission to sit your exams with the British Council. Your university or college will provide us with your examination timetable and we will then contact you to confirm the arrangements.

See also

External links