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What the ESAT specification actually says
The five modules list 270 examinable sub-topics between them, and they are not spread evenly. Chemistry draws its 27 questions from a syllabus almost three times wider than Physics, and Mathematics 2 contains no statistics and no probability at all.
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Why count it rather than describe it
Preparation advice for this test is usually written from impression. The tables below are counted from the appendix of the specification that lists every assessable sub-topic, one by one. Counting them is not the same as knowing how many questions each heading gets, and nobody outside the exam board knows that, but it is a defensible estimate of where the marks sit, and it is better than a feeling.
Every module is 27 multiple choice questions in 40 minutes, separately timed, with no calculator. Every module assumes Mathematics 1, and Mathematics 2 assumes Mathematics 1 as well as its own topics.
All five modules, counted
| Module | Code | Headings | Sub-topics | Also assumes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics 1 | M | 7 | 76 | Nothing. It is the one everything else assumes. |
| Mathematics 2 | MM | 8 | 39 | Mathematics 1 |
| Physics | P | 7 | 32 | Mathematics 1 |
| Chemistry | C | 17 | 89 | Mathematics 1 |
| Biology | B | 11 | 34 | Mathematics 1 |
The asymmetry is the point. Chemistry lists 89 sub-topics and Physics lists 32, so the same 27 questions come from a syllabus almost three times wider in one than the other. That does not make Chemistry harder. It does mean a Physics candidate can reasonably expect to have met everything on the paper, and a Chemistry candidate cannot, which changes what revision is for.
Mathematics 1, 76 sub-topics under 7 headings
| Code | Topic | Sub-topics | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | Units | 2 | 2.6% |
| M2 | Number | 14 | 18.4% |
| M3 | Ratio and proportion | 11 | 14.5% |
| M4 | Algebra | 19 | 25.0% |
| M5 | Geometry | 19 | 25.0% |
| M6 | Statistics | 4 | 5.3% |
| M7 | Probability | 7 | 9.2% |
Algebra and Geometry have the most, 19 each, and together they are half the module. Statistics is 5.3%, four sub-topics, which on a 27 question paper is roughly one or two questions; probability adds seven more, so the two together are about one question in seven.
Mathematics 2, 39 sub-topics under 8 headings
| Code | Topic | Sub-topics | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| MM1 | Algebra and functions | 7 | 17.9% |
| MM2 | Sequences and series | 4 | 10.3% |
| MM3 | Coordinate geometry in the x, y plane | 3 | 7.7% |
| MM4 | Trigonometry | 6 | 15.4% |
| MM5 | Exponentials and logarithms | 3 | 7.7% |
| MM6 | Differentiation | 3 | 7.7% |
| MM7 | Integration | 6 | 15.4% |
| MM8 | Graphs of functions | 7 | 17.9% |
Mathematics 2 contains no statistics and no probability at all. Nothing in its topic list covers standard deviation, variance, sampling, expectation, random variables or correlation. If you are sitting Mathematics 2, none of that is examinable, which is worth knowing before you spend a weekend on it.
Physics, 32 sub-topics under 7 headings
| Code | Topic | Sub-topics | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | Electricity | 2 | 6.2% |
| P2 | Magnetism | 5 | 15.6% |
| P3 | Mechanics | 7 | 21.9% |
| P4 | Thermal physics | 4 | 12.5% |
| P5 | Matter | 5 | 15.6% |
| P6 | Waves | 5 | 15.6% |
| P7 | Radioactivity | 4 | 12.5% |
Mechanics is the largest heading at 7, and the treatment is GCSE level throughout, with no calculus. Physics is the narrowest syllabus of the five, which is why it rewards method practice more than content revision.
Chemistry, 89 sub-topics under 17 headings
| Code | Topic | Sub-topics | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | Atomic structure | 6 | 6.7% |
| C2 | The Periodic Table | 5 | 5.6% |
| C3 | Chemical reactions, formulae and equations | 5 | 5.6% |
| C4 | Quantitative chemistry | 11 | 12.4% |
| C5 | Oxidation, reduction and redox | 6 | 6.7% |
| C6 | Chemical bonding, structure and properties | 7 | 7.9% |
| C7 | Group chemistry | 3 | 3.4% |
| C8 | Separation techniques | 4 | 4.5% |
| C9 | Acids, bases and salts | 3 | 3.4% |
| C10 | Rates of reaction | 6 | 6.7% |
| C11 | Energetics | 5 | 5.6% |
| C12 | Electrolysis | 6 | 6.7% |
| C13 | Carbon and organic chemistry | 6 | 6.7% |
| C14 | Metals | 5 | 5.6% |
| C15 | Kinetic and particle theory | 2 | 2.2% |
| C16 | Chemical tests | 5 | 5.6% |
| C17 | Air and water | 4 | 4.5% |
Quantitative chemistry is the largest heading at 11, and no other heading reaches 8. That flatness is what makes Chemistry wide rather than deep: there is no small set of topics to concentrate on, and the honest strategy is coverage rather than depth.
Biology, 34 sub-topics under 11 headings
| Code | Topic | Sub-topics | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 | Cells | 3 | 8.8% |
| B2 | Movement across membranes | 1 | 2.9% |
| B3 | Cell division and sex determination | 4 | 11.8% |
| B4 | Inheritance | 3 | 8.8% |
| B5 | DNA | 4 | 11.8% |
| B6 | Gene technologies | 3 | 8.8% |
| B7 | Variation | 2 | 5.9% |
| B8 | Enzymes | 4 | 11.8% |
| B9 | Animal physiology | 5 | 14.7% |
| B10 | Ecosystems | 3 | 8.8% |
| B11 | Plant physiology | 2 | 5.9% |
Animal physiology is the largest at 5, and the whole module is the second narrowest after Physics. Movement across membranes is a single sub-topic and appears far more often than that suggests, because it underpins several of the others.
What to do with this
The counts tell you where to spend revision, not how to answer. If you are sitting Chemistry, plan for breadth and accept that something unfamiliar will appear. If you are sitting Physics, the content is finite and your marks will come from method and speed instead, which is what the methods pages are for.
The specification itself, the dates and the rules come from the organisation that sets the test and should be read there first. Mintnib is independent of it, and these counts are our reading of a published document, not an official statement about it.