MLAT (Modern Languages Admissions Test)
What is the MLAT?
If you are applying for one of the following courses you will be required to sit the MLAT as part of the admissions process:
- European and Middle Eastern Languages
- Classics and Modern Languages
- English and Modern Languages
- History and Modern Languages
- Modern Languages
- Modern Languages and Linguistics
- Philosophy and Modern Languages.
The Modern Languages Admissions Test is a computer-based test which consists of 10 sections. Which sections you take depends on the course you are applying for.
There are eight individual sections for each of the following languages:
- Czech
- French
- German
- Italian
- Modern Greek
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Spanish
The other two sections are:
- the Language Aptitude Test (LAT), for those applying for Russian on its own or as a beginner, and courses with Polish;
- the Philosophy test, for those applying for Philosophy and Modern Languages.
The Philosophy section lasts 60 minutes while each other section is 30 minutes. Language sections now comprise 20 multiple choice questions, and 10 English-translation questions.
This Oxford admissions test is now computer-based, and you will need to take this at an authorised test centre. Registration to book your test will be open from Thursday 15 August 2024 and will close on Friday 4 October 2024.
All applicants taking this test are invited to practise by taking a sample test online in advance of their test day. Please note that while the content and structure of this test has changed slightly, all existing online resources and past papers are still valuable preparation for you and we strongly recommend you exploring these.
Please note that there is no longer a Linguistics test section.
Candidates will need to take a maximum of two sections. You can find out which elements you need to sit using the tables on this page.
How do I register?
Candidates can register for the MLAT between Thursday 15 August and Friday 4 October 2024. Further details on the registration process will be communicated at the earliest opportunity.
Please note that if you are normally eligible for particular access arrangements for public examinations such as GCSEs and A-levels you will also be eligible for these arrangements for your Oxford admissions test(s). You should expect to be able to produce evidence of this need when you register for your test. If you need to speak to your school about whether or not you are eligible for an access arrangement or producing evidence we strongly recommend that you do this before the end of term.
Test preparation and practice materials
Please do explore the test preparation and practice materials available here.
In 2024, the Modern Languages Admissions Test (MLAT) is an online test consisting of 10 sections. Which sections you take depends on the course you are applying for. Candidates will need to take a maximum of two sections. You can find out which elements you need to sit using the tables on this page.
There are eight individual sections for each of the following languages: Czech, French, German, Italian, Modern Greek, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
The other two sections are: the Language Aptitude Test (LAT) and the Philosophy test. The LAT is for those applying for Russian on its own (in addition to taking the Russian language section) as well as for candidates for courses with Beginner's Russian or Polish. The Philosophy section lasts 60 minutes, while each other section is 30 minutes. Scroll further down for additional guidance on the LAT and Philosophy sections of the MLAT.
The MLAT practice test allows you to familiarise yourself with the new online test platform and format for 2025-entry. Please note that as this is for practice only, you will not be able to submit your practice test for a score or feedback. Solutions for this test will also be available here soon.
Please note although the Philosophy (PhilAT) practice test is accessed via a separate link below, in your actual test, the Philosophy test (taken by applicants for Philosophy and Modern Languages) will be located as a section within the MLAT.
Although the test platform has changed, the content of MLAT is similar to in previous years so working through past papers still provides valuable preparation and should help you to feel confident on test day.
Past papers and additional guidance and resources
Please note that there is no longer a Linguistics test section in the MLAT. Candidates applying for courses including Linguistics should ignore this section of the 2019 and earlier past papers.
- MLAT paper 2022
- MLAT paper 2021
- MLAT paper 2020
- MLAT paper 2019
- MLAT paper 2018
- MLAT paper 2017
- MLAT paper 2016
- MLAT paper 2015
- MLAT paper 2014
- MLAT paper 2013
- MLAT paper 2012
- MLAT paper 2011
The University does not endorse, or allow use of, its tests that are protected by copyright for commercial use.
MLAT and LAT solutions
The following are solutions to some recent MLAT papers and some older versions of the Language Aptitude Test, which you can use to mark your own answers, or ask your teacher to refer to them.
- MLAT solutions 2022
- MLAT solutions 2021
- MLAT solutions 2020
- MLAT solutions 2019
- MLAT solutions 2018
- MLAT solutions 2017
- MLAT solutions 2016
The University does not endorse, or allow use of, its tests that are protected by copyright for commercial use.
Language Aptitude Test
If you are applying for our Russian course or a course with Beginner's Russian or Polish, you will need to take the Language Aptitude Test (LAT). This section of the MLAT takes 30 minutes and is designed to assess your aptitude for taking up a new language.
The test involves an imaginary language (a new one is invented for the test each year), and invites you to identify and apply the patterns and rules which govern this language.
At the start of the test you may be given some information about the imaginary language, such as the importance of word order. You will be provided with a number of sample sentences written in the language, alongside their translations into English, which illustrate the vocabulary and grammar of this imaginary language. Your task is then to translate a couple of further sentences from the imaginary language into English, and then a couple more sentences from English back into the imaginary language.
After you have completed these tasks with the first set of sentences, you will be asked to do similar tasks with other sets of sentences of increasing complexity (for example, you may need to shift from present to past tense, or establish differences between positive and negative statements).
Tutors will not be expecting a perfect score, but are interested to see how you respond to an unfamiliar set of vocabulary and grammatical rules, whether you can spot patterns, and whether you can apply the rules which you have deduced from the ways the imaginary language seems to work.
Because the imaginary language and its rules differ each year, we recommend that you have a go at one or two of the sample tests available online, simply to practise completing the exercise (understanding the nature of the tasks, getting used to the timing etc.). None of the specific grammatical knowledge you gain from understanding one imaginary language will help you with the next one!
What are we looking for?
We are assessing your attentiveness to the ways languages work: to the ways grammatical concepts shape words; to the different patterns you can discern in a language, even if you are not familiar with it; to the distinction between different parts of speech (nouns or verbs, for example) and how these parts of speech interrelate; and to the features that can identify differences between elements in various sentences. You should pay close attention to variations in spelling, to the functions of each word within a particular sentence, and to the ways each word conveys meaning with its different component parts.
The Philosophy Test (PhilAT)
The 60-minute Philosophy Test is designed to test a candidate's philosophical reasoning skills. There is no expectation that you will have undertaken any formal study of philosophy, and it is not a test of philosophical knowledge.
You will normally be asked to undertake a comprehension exercise and write a short essay or answer a structured question. Tutors are looking for the use of precise and careful reasoning to answer the question asked, and particularly answers which anticipate and are able to answer objections to the reasoning given. You should avoid stating an opinion without evidence or argument to support it.
The following information, written by an Oxford tutor, outlines the different types of questions you will come across in the test and discusses ways to approach them.
- Guidance for Section A comprehension-style questions
- Guidance for Section B logic-style questions
- Guidance for Section B half-hour essay questions
Answers to past papers:
The University does not endorse, or allow use of, its tests that are protected by copyright for commercial use.
When do I take the test?
Candidates will take the MLAT at Pearson VUE test centres on 22 October 2024.
