GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS


A-Level – An A-Level is an advanced level qualification that is subject-based. A-Level is also referred to as the General Certificate of Education (GCE) and also works as a qualification for leaving school that is offered by UK based educational bodies. The educational authorities of British Crown dependencies also award students the A-Level when they complete their secondary and pre-university education.


BMAT (Biomedical Aptitude Test) - BMAT is an established test of admission that is used globally by leading universities. The BMAT test is given so that students with the right skills and success aptitude are selected for courses that are challenging within the dental, biomedical and challenging medical course. BMAT tests skills that include problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, application of scientific knowledge, and data analysis.


COPA (Cambridge Online Preliminary Application) - COPA is an application that allows individuals to collect useful data that may not have been part of UCAS applications. With the COPA application, one would make arrangements for their overseas interviews and any engaged organ trials. When completing COPA applications, they should be in addition to the UCAS applications. In the case of Cambridge University, the COPA applications must be received together with the UCAS one for an application to be valid.


Erasmus (European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) - Erasmus is a program that works as a students’ exchange in the European Union that was developed in 1987. The Erasmus program works with other independent but registered ones and they are incorporated into the Socrates II program. The Erasmus program combines schemes for education, training and youth and sports.


GAMSAT (Graduate Medical School Admissions Test) - GAMSAT refers to a test that assists in the selection of students for graduate entry medicine. The test was developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research and also selects students for the dentistry and health science programs.


GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) - GCSE is known as an academic qualification that is taken by students in the Wales, England and Northern Ireland countries. The qualifications for GCSE are based on particular subjects and they stand alone but within a suite of qualifications. GCSE needs qualifications that must be accepted as records of achievements by sixteen years. The GCSE examinations are taken within a period of three or two academic years.


HAT (History Aptitude Test) - HAT is known as a standardized test that acts as part of the Oxford University admission process. The HAT is only relevant for undergraduates that are making applications to read history or any subject that relates to history. An example of HAT tests includes the situations of students who intend to study subjects like English with History. The test is undertaken in a two hour period and other universities are increasingly showing interest of having them done like Oxford does.


HIS (Immigration Healthcare Surcharge) - HIS is a service that focuses on dealing with the problems of medical tourism that involve the NHS in England. For someone to qualify the NHS free care they have to be ordinary residents of the UK and a number of vulnerable groups are excluded from the free healthcare. The service is given under extensive guidance and all NHS organizations should follow the rules especially when checking eligibility.


IELTS (International English Language Testing System) - IELTS is a test that is of an international standardization of the proficiency in the English language. IELTS is compulsory for non-native language speakers of English and is jointly managed by the Cambridge English Language Assessment, British Council, and IDP: IELTS Australia. Since its establishment in 1989, IELTS has been accepted by many academic institutions including United States, Australian, Canadian, British, and New Zealand.


LNAT (National Admissions Test for Law) - LNAT refers to an aptitude test of admissions in the United Kingdom. LNAT was adopted in 2004 by law programs in eight UK-based universities as a requirement of admission for all people making applications from home. The test is often undertaken in two sections that take 135 minutes long to be completed. When having the LNAT test, an individual is often allotted forty minutes to complete the required essay and a subsequent ninety-five minutes to answer the multiple choice questions that are forty-two in number. Both the essay and questions aim at testing the reading comprehension and skills of logical reasoning.


MAT (Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT) - MAT is an A-Level exam that is undertaken by mathematics students. Any student who wants to study mathematics at the University at the University of Oxford must undertake the MAT test either in their schools or any local centers of testing. Once a student is interested in the test, they must register with their test centers through the Admissions Testing Service Website and have their tests via the Entries Extranet.


MLAT (Modern Languages Admissions Tests) - MLAT is an entry for particular undergraduate courses that focus on linguistics, modern languages and related joint schools. The only known institution that uses the test is the Oxford University and most of the UK candidates are requested to take the test particularly when interested in full-time education. The tests can be undertaken at the students’ colleges and schools for students whereas individuals that don’t attend schools can find a center of test and have their examinations.


MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) - The MOOC is an online course that operates with aims of achieving unlimited open access and participation by use of the web. MOOCs provide problem sets, readings, traditional course materials, and interactive user forums. The MOOC provisions work with an aim of supporting community interactions among students, teaching assistants and their professors.


NHS (National Health Service) - NHS refers to public health services in the UK including England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland among other nations. NHS was founded and works with principles of comprehensive services, universality, and freeness at the point of delivery. The health service systems operate independently and are politically accountable to their respective governments.


NSAA (Natural Science Admissions Assessment) - NSAA is an assessment that acts as a preparation course for all students who are seeking expert guidance on natural science course. NSAA is given based on the area of test and students undertaking their different A-Levels are given two and a half hours every Sunday to engage in the tests. In the NSAA examination, the Mathematics section is compulsory.


OLAT (Oriental Languages Admissions Test) - The OLAT is defined as a test that is paper-based and is designed to assist is an assessment of the ability of candidates in analyzing how languages work. The test is taken in thirty minutes for University of Oxford students and its joint schools and does not depend on students’ knowledge of any language.


Oxbridge - Oxbridge refers to the portmanteau of Cambridge and Oxford. Oxbridge mixes the two universities because they are the oldest, most prestigious and most highly ranked universities within the educational facilities of the UK. The term “Oxbridge” focuses on defining the two universities collectively against other British universities based on their characteristics and superiority of intellectual and social statuses.


PAT (Physics Aptitude Test) - PAT is an aptitude test that is mandatory for everyone who makes applications to study Physics and Philosophy of Physics at the University of Oxford. The test has no exceptions because every intending student has to go through it. In the past, PAT was given in multiple choice but it is recently more exposed and students must indicate their work and how they reach their answers.


PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) - PPE refers to an interdisciplinary degree that is both undergraduate and postgraduate. PPE combines study from three disciplines that include economics, politics, and philosophy. PPE was first offered at the University of Oxford as a degree course in the 1920s and it has produced notable graduates including the Nobel Peace Prize winner; Christopher Hitchens.


SAQ (Supplementary Application Questionnaire) - SAQ is an application that is submitted by undergraduate applicants of the University of Cambridge once they have submitted their UCAS applications. SAQ is made available to ensure that the university has complete and consistent data about the engaged applicants. SAQ is also important to assist in collecting information that may not be part of the UCAS applications.


SELT (Secure English Language Test) - SELT is a test that is approved by the UK visas and immigration for leaves. The test is approved for purposes of visa and individuals planning to undergo it have to visit the Trinity College London. Two major types of SELT that are available for candidates include the graded examinations in spoken English and Integrated Skills in English.


TB (Tuberculosis) - Tuberculosis is known as a disease that is infectious and is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is known to affect the lungs but can also cause harm to other parts of the human body depending on the region that is affected. Tuberculosis is majorly spread through the air in coughs, spits, sneezes, and speaks.


TEF (Teaching Excellence Framework) - TEF is known as a system that assists in the assessment of the quality of teaching within England-based universities. The TEF system is also found in some universities within the Scotland and Wales countries. The TEF framework was introduced with intentions of providing a resource for students so that they can judge the teaching quality in universities and be part of increasing teaching excellence importance.


TSA (Thinking Skills Assessment) - TSA is an assessment that measures personal ability in critical thinking and skills that relate to problem-solving. The skills examined by TSA are presumed to be essential for success in every part of higher education. The University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and the UCL is known to be the best and oldest institutions that offer the TSA assessments.


UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) - UCAS is an organization that is based in the UK with a major role in operating all procedures of application in British universities. The organization operates as an independent charity that is funded by the fees charged to applicants and engaged universities. All services provided by UCAS come in online application portals search tools and directed advice.


UKCAT (UK Clinical Aptitude Test) - UKCAT is known as a test that is applied in the process of selection by the consortium of UK University Medical and Dental Schools. UKCAT is run by the UKCAT consortium and gives tests that are designed to offer information about candidates and their cognitive abilities. The tests take place using four reasoning tests that include the professional behaviour situational judgment test testing attitudes.