Can you pass the world’s toughest entrance exam?

If you thought your IB or IELTS exams were hard, try taking what’s known as the world’s toughest exam, i.e. Oxford University’s All Souls College entrance exam. 

The goal is a seven-year fellowship that covers accommodation, allowance and more. Only postgraduate students can apply to take the exam which takes place each autumn and become elected as Examination Fellows of All Souls College. 

According to the college, two from a field of 150 or more candidates are typically elected every year, though there have been years when three or one are elected, or sometimes even none. The fellowship has been won by the likes of the founder of the discipline intellectual history Sir Isaiah Berlin and former UK Secretary of State for Education and Science Keith Joseph. 

As of July 2025, there have only been 85 Fellows of All Souls, three Honorary Fellows, 22 Visiting Fellows and 31 Emeritus (i.e. retired academic) Fellows, whose continuing research the College actively supports. Mind you, the college has been around since 1438. 

What kind of questions does All Souls College ask?

Why is the All Souls College entrance exam so hard? Well, the world’s toughest exam got its reputation from setting a one-word essay question, where you would have to write — coherently for three hours — on words such as “miracles,” “innocence,” or “water.” (This has been scrapped after administrators found it has “not proved so useful.”) 

Other questions aren’t any easier. Here are some real examples: 

• “Every act you have ever performed since the day you were born was performed because you wanted something” [Andrew Carnegie]. Do you agree?
• Why is a leather jacket more acceptable than a fur coat?
• Why does the UN tolerate so many bad regimes?
• Does the moral character of an orgy change when the participants wear Nazi uniforms?
• Isn’t global warming preferable to global cooling? 

Oxford’s All Souls College is behind what’s known as the world’s toughest exam, which sets questions such as, “Isn’t global warming preferable to global cooling?” “Are leather coats preferable to fur coats.” Source: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP

What does the All Souls exam involve?  

Papers  

All Souls College’s entrance exam consists of four papers. Each last for three hours. Two are in your chosen specialist subject (the same subject must be selected for both Specialist Papers). The subjects include:  

• Classical studies 
• Law 
• History 
• English literature 
• Economics 
• Politics 
• Philosophy 

The other two papers are General Papers and ask questions on a broad range of subjects. An example would be: “Are modern politicians merely managers?”. 

The English Literature specialist paper can be on any literature in English while a section of the English Literature II paper will be an obligatory practical criticism question. The other section of the second literature paper will allow candidates to expand on foreign literature.  

The classical studies papers require candidates to show technical mastery of language or archaeological material covering literature, history, archaeology, or philosophy. If you nail the written papers, you’ll then be invited to an oral exam on the last Saturday of October. 

Some past examples can be found here for classical studies, English literature and philosophy. 

Viva  

Candidates who are shortlisted through the papers will be invited to a viva (or viva voce, meaning “with the living voice” in Latin) in the presence of the Fellows of the College.  

This is a 25-minute oral session where you’ll be questioned on your written work. This means you need to summarise your content in a clear and concise way. It’s like defending your thesis in front of a committee.  

After, the Fellowship Election will take place where usually two scholars are selected.  

How are the All Souls exams graded? 

Given how broad the line of questioning is in the All Souls fellowship examinations, you might be wondering what the assessment criteria is like. Well, it has less to do with whether you’re right or wrong, but how you argue your point. The rubric comprises four elements:  

• Engagement
  • Incisiveness of engagement with the question  
  • Range of issues addressed within or across essays 
  • Depth and sophistication of comprehension of issues and implications of the question 
  • Directness of answer to the question 
• Argument 
  • Coherence of argument  
  • Analytical clarity and power  
  • Intellectual penetration  
  • Originality and/or independence of thought
• Information  
  • Relevance of the deployment of information  
  • Knowledge of original sources  
  • Range, depth, and detail of evidence cited 
  • Accuracy of information 
• Organisation & Presentation 
  • Clarity and coherence of structure 
  • Clarity, fluency, and elegance of prose  
  • Correctness of grammar, spelling and punctuation  
  • Note: These criteria will be interpreted in the light of the University’s policies and individual assessments regarding candidates with specific learning difficulties, e.g. dyslexia.
• Potential  
  • Potential for future intellectual development  

The way you approach the Specialist Papers would be different from the General Papers. In the General Papers, you should write for an educated, but non-specialist, readership.

All Souls College was planned, built, and endowed in the 1430s by Henry Chichele, long-serving Archbishop of Canterbury. Source: All Souls College website

Who can apply for the world’s toughest exam? 

All Souls College welcomes applications from candidates of diverse backgrounds. Academic merit in the examination is the sole criterion for assessing candidates. 

You are eligible to apply for the 2025 Examination Fellowship if: 

1. you have a degree (or by Oct. 1, 2025 will have a degree) from the University of Oxford; or have registered (or by Oct. 1, 2025 will have registered) for a higher degree at the University of Oxford; and 

1. you have completed or are studying for a degree in the Humanities or Social Sciences; and 

1. you have completed all the examinations necessary for a first BA or equivalent degree at the University of Oxford or elsewhere; and, 

1. normally, you have successfully completed your first degree not more than seven terms before the relevant election (i.e. no earlier than Summer 2023 for the 2025 examinations).  

What’s the deadline? 

It varies each year but is usually around the end of September. By then, you need to have complete the online application form. 

What’s the purpose of All Souls College?   

By now, you might wonder what the point of this challenging exam is. What’s in it for the Examination Fellows, since it’s not for a degree but rather for a fellowship? Aside from brownie points and funding, and what do they do?  

Unsurprisingly, most Examination Fellows follow an academic career. These fellows get seven years of research in ideal conditions, in regular contact with leading scholars in their field, and free from many of the pressures which can afflict graduate students.  

That said, some fellows also pursue careers outside academia in law, finance, journalism, the arts, the Civil Service, and so on. Those who do not choose to do full-time academic work would receive a smaller stipend or salary (after the first two years). Those working outside academia, though, would still have to maintain active academic interests in more of a part-time fashion. 

Fellows are expected to play an active part in All Souls College life, like dining in the college at least 28 times each term to foster fruitful interactions.  

What are some of the other toughest exams out there? 

Getting into All Souls is definitely challenging, but only a select portion of scholars will ever get to take it. Around the world, though, there are many other challenging examinations, many of which are taken by the masses.    

There’s the Gaokao in China, India’s UPSC Civil Services Exam and Joint Entrance Examination-Advanced, and the Malaysian Higher School Certificate (also known as the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia or STPM). These pre-university examinations are all challenging in their own right and often come with immense pressure on students who hope to be accepted into their dream colleges.  

You can read about other tough examinations across the world here. 

In 2025, All Souls College hopefuls will be taking their examinations starting Sept. 23. All the best to these brave scholars!  

Disclaimer: This article was last updated on Sept.12, 2025.