Make your application
impossible to ignore.
Universities look for more than grades. They want evidence of curiosity, independent learning, communication and impact. Explore free and trusted resources to prepare for interviews, admissions tests, personal statements and portfolio reviews.
Go beyond the syllabus
Admissions tutors notice students who explore their subject outside school. A short course, book or project can be the difference.
Practise the tests that matter
TMUA, MAT, LNAT, BMAT, SAT, ACT — familiarise yourself with the format and timing before the real exam.
Show who you are
Interviews, personal statements and portfolios are about evidence and reflection, not just confidence.
37 resources shown
Admissions tests
Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing
Official past papers, specimen papers, syllabus notes and worked solutions for the Test of Mathematics for University Admission.
Self-paced
Admissions tests
Oxford Department of Computer Science
Archived Mathematics Admissions Test papers with mark schemes and video walkthroughs.
Self-paced
Admissions tests
College Board / Khan Academy
Full-length practice tests, personalised study plan and thousands of practice questions linked to College Board accounts.
6–10 weeks typical
Admissions tests
ACT Inc.
Official ACT prep guides, practice questions and full-length tests.
Self-paced
Admissions tests
Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing
Past papers, specification guides and preparation resources for medicine and natural sciences admissions tests.
Self-paced
Admissions tests
LNAT Consortium
Sample essays, past essay questions and test-day guidance for the Law National Aptitude Test.
Self-paced
Interview prep
Oxford & Cambridge Admissions Offices
Recorded mock interviews, advice from admissions tutors and explanations of what interviewers are really looking for.
2–3 hours
Interview prep
Medical Schools Council
Official guidance on multiple mini interviews (MMIs), panel interviews and what medical schools assess.
Self-paced
Interview prep
IvyWise / Khan Academy
Articles and videos on how US alumni interviews work and how to prepare thoughtful questions.
Self-paced
Personal statement
UCAS
Official guidance on structure, content and tone for the UK undergraduate personal statement.
Self-paced
Personal statement
The Common Application
Current essay prompts, word-limit guidance and examples of successful personal essays.
Self-paced
Personal statement
University of California, Irvine (Coursera)
Four-course specialisation covering grammar, essay writing, research papers and advanced academic communication.
4–6 months
English language
British Council / IDP / Cambridge
Free practice tests, sample questions, videos and tips for all four IELTS papers.
Self-paced
English language
ETS
Free practice questions, full practice tests, interactive lessons and scoring guides.
Self-paced
English language
Duolingo
Free practice test, sample questions and a guide to the adaptive test format.
Self-paced
STEM & coding
Khan Academy
Free courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, computer science and economics with exercises and videos.
Self-paced
STEM & coding
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Full MIT undergraduate course materials including lecture notes, problem sets and exams for STEM and humanities.
Self-paced
STEM & coding
Harvard University (edX)
Harvard's famous intro CS course covering algorithms, data structures, web development and more.
12 weeks
STEM & coding
freeCodeCamp
Hands-on Python and data-analysis curriculum with projects, notebooks and certification.
Self-paced
STEM & coding
Brilliant.org
Interactive lessons in mathematics, physics, computer science, logic and quantitative reasoning.
Self-paced
Business & finance
Yale University (Coursera)
Yale's introductory finance course covering valuation, capital markets and financial decision-making.
6 weeks
Business & finance
Harvard Business School Online
Case-based course on using data to make business decisions, including spreadsheets and predictive analytics.
8 weeks
Business & finance
Financial Times
Free access to FT articles, quizzes and classroom resources for schools and students.
Ongoing
Business & finance
Young Enterprise
Set up and run a real student company over an academic year with mentor support.
Academic year
Medicine & health
Medical Schools Council
Guidance on what medical schools expect from work experience and how to reflect on it in your application.
Self-paced
Medicine & health
FutureLearn / universities
Short courses on anatomy, public health, medical ethics and global health from universities worldwide.
2–6 weeks
Medicine & health
St John Ambulance
Volunteer as a first aider at public events and gain accredited first-aid qualifications.
Ongoing
Law & humanities
University of Edinburgh (Coursera)
Introductory course on epistemology, ethics, political philosophy and metaphysics.
5 weeks
Law & humanities
London School of Economics
Academic blog posts on politics, economics, law, sociology and international relations written by LSE researchers.
Ongoing
Law & humanities
School / local debating circuits
Public-speaking, debating and mooting competitions run by the English-Speaking Union and similar organisations.
Ongoing
Creative portfolio
Adobe
Tutorials for Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro and After Effects.
Self-paced
Creative portfolio
UCAS
UCAS guidance on selecting, photographing and presenting work for art and design applications.
Self-paced
Creative portfolio
GitHub
Free guides on version control, repositories and publishing projects that admissions tutors can review.
Self-paced
Leadership & impact
DofE
Volunteering, physical, skills and expedition sections leading to Bronze, Silver or Gold awards.
6–18 months
Leadership & impact
UNICEF
Global platform for young people to publish articles, campaigns and opinions on social issues.
Ongoing
Leadership & impact
TED-Ed
Programme to help students develop, record and share TED-style talks on ideas they care about.
Programme-based
Leadership & impact
World Scholars Cup
Global academic competition combining debate, collaborative writing, quizzes and challenges.
Annual programme