The HAT provides an even fairer and more effective means of differentiating between the large numbers of well-qualified candidates who apply to us. We know that the test raises lots of questions for candidates and teachers, and we aim to address some of these below. We monitor the HAT very closely, and we welcome feedback and comment. If you have any questions about matters not covered here, or any comments, please send them to The Admissions Co-ordinator, Faculty of History, George St., Oxford OX1 2RL, or email schools.liaison@history.ox.ac.uk

Why has Oxford introduced this test?

Candidates for Oxford are very well-qualified and, partly as a consequence, we have long felt the need for some additional information beyond that contained in the UCAS form in order to help us differentiate between them appropriately. This is one reason why we interview candidates, and it is also why, during the last decade, we have asked candidates to send in examples of writing produced in the normal course of their work at school or college. However, we have become increasingly concerned about the usefulness of our written work requirement, and we have been exploring alternative ways of measuring candidates’ ability and potential as historians. The HAT is the result. Here are some of the reasons why we think it is more helpful to us, than the procedures it has replaced:

• The HAT is a standard test, usable by all different kinds of candidates, including those not at school or college in the UK, or not in education at all. The written work sent in by candidates has become increasingly varied in form, which makes it much harder to use it to for comparative purposes.
• The HAT is sat under exam conditions that will be the same for all candidates. Candidates’ written work has been produced under various conditions and with varying amounts of help. For this reason too, it has become difficult for us to use it in our selection.
• The HAT tests candidates against a range of criteria necessary for the study of History in a demanding academic course. These criteria are generic ones, and they are published on our web-site and in our literature but they may be different from some of those tested by national qualifications. Candidates’ written work is produced to meet criteria set down for the national secondary education system of this country and others. We need to judge candidates according to criteria that directly assess their aptitude for higher education in our subject.
• As far as possible, the HAT does not require, or reward, special preparation. Candidates’ written work does reflect their abilities, but it also reflects to some extent the preparation offered them by their schools and colleges.

It is extremely important to us that our test should be fair to all candidates, and we monitor it carefully to ensure we are satisfied that it is a good and just test of historical ability and potential.

How does the test fit into our procedures?

The HAT will be sat by all candidates at the beginning of November, at the same time as the national tests in Physics, Engineering, Law and Medicine. When it has been marked, the test results will be used alongside other measures, such as details of qualifications, school and college reports and other information presented on the UCAS form and Oxford form, to help us reach a decision about which candidates to interview. In 2010 we invited around 63% of candidates to attend for interview in December. All candidates will be asked to submit, by 10 November, a single homework essay of A2 standard. The essay will not be used in making decisions on which candidates to invite for interview. However for candidates who are invited to attend for interview it will be assessed, so that we have a means of comparing each candidate’s test performance with other indicators of his/her reading and writing abilities. This double assessment will help us to measure the validity of the test; it will also enable us to form a more rounded impression of each candidate than the test alone would allow. The submitted homework essay will be used as material for discussion in the interview. The HAT will not be discussed in the interview, but – together with school qualifications, interview performance, UCAS/Oxford forms and written work – it will count towards the final and overall assessment of each candidate.

Will the test advantage some candidates over others?

The HAT is intended as a test of skills and potentialities that most candidates should already have or be developing: that is, it aims to test attributes that they possess innately and/or ones that they develop and improve in the normal course of their education. We recognise that some schools and colleges may seek to prepare their candidates for tests like this, but we have tried to take steps to minimise the role that preparation can play in determining candidates’ performance:

• The test is text-based and does not require more than a small amount of historical knowledge. There will be no need to revise for it.
• The extracts set are intended to be challenging to all candidates and should not advantage those who have studied particular periods or themes. We will not choose works that candidates are likely to have encountered in their work at school or college.
• Candidates are given a lot of time to read and think. It will not be necessary for them to practise writing quickly. The extracts will seem difficult or strange at first, and some candidates may find this more disconcerting than others, but they will all have time to read each text closely and several times over. Some vocabulary used may be challenging to some students, but we shall take care to ensure that its meaning is explained where it cannot be deduced from the context.
• The test will be laid out in a form similar to AS level. It will be comparable to the Advanced Extension Award in terms of difficulty.
• Candidates or schools can find out how they scored in the HAT by applying in writing to their college, or by calling the Faculty Office (01865 615020 or 615044), or by emailing to schools.liaison@history.ox.ac.uk from January onwards.

Is this just an Oxford test?

We hope that the test will be one that other universities will want to use in selection for History courses. We are in active discussion with other universities and we would very much like to work towards a common test, but we have taken the decision to go ahead at present by ourselves for the reasons set out above. It may take a little time to find agreement with our colleagues: where subjects like Law and Medicine benefit from a degree of co-ordination by professional bodies, History is taught differently in different universities and, as everyone knows, historians like nothing more than debating with each other.

How is the HAT marked?

If application levels remain comparable to those of recent years, we can expect to receive upwards of 1600 test-papers. These are marked anonymously by an experienced panel at History Faculty. To ensure parity of marking, detailed guidelines on how to assess each question will be distributed. The scripts will be double-marked.

How is the test monitored?

We have consulted a considerable number of teachers from a variety of schools and colleges about the HAT, and we shall continue to do so. The comments we have received have been very important in shaping our thinking, and we invite feedback from schools and candidates in the future. We are well used to monitoring our admissions procedures and regularly collect data on applications and acceptances, broken down by sex and school-type (while the monitoring of ethnicity, nationality and region is carried out by the Admissions Office). Over the last few years, with the introduction of an admissions database, we have been able to collect data on the performance of different kinds of candidates in different elements of the admissions process. Over the next few years, we shall be paying particularly close attention to two things:

• the profile of applicants: we need to be sure that our procedures, the test among them, do not discourage any candidates with the necessary ability and potential from applying to us.
• the relationship between the test performances of candidates and other data – their examination qualifications, in all cases, and their performance in other elements of the admissions process in the case of candidates called to interview.

The test results of candidates who come to Oxford will be retained and compared with their subsequent academic performance as a means of measuring its predictive validity. We have found that the HAT provides a robust measure of ability and potential, but we continue to test that belief and make appropriate adjustments if it emerges that it is disadvantageous to any category of candidates.

How do you take account of special needs?

There will be a box on the HAT cover sheet through which candidates can indicate any factors that could have influenced their performance, so that this can be taken into account. Disabled candidates are invited to contact the Admissions Office if they think that their disability might affect their capacity to sit the test; for instance, candidates who are registered dyslexic or dyspraxic will be allowed up to an extra thirty minutes.

Isn’t this just one more obstacle to widening participation at Oxford?

No, we are adamant that this must not be the case. We reiterate the point that we think the test is a better way of comparing candidates’ reading and writing abilities than our former procedures. We are well aware that many students and teachers feel there is already too much testing in schools, but we also face an increasing need for effective and equal means of differentiating between comparably qualified candidates. Some teachers have suggested that a short test like the HAT is a less time-consuming and uncertain procedure for their pupils than submitting items of written work – and even that it might encourage more young people to try out for Oxford. The HAT costs nothing to take, and provides an opportunity to test out the kinds of skills and practices required of university students.

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