TMUA preparation guide

TMUA vs MAT: After the Switch

From 2026, the University of Oxford uses the TMUA for admissions to Mathematics and Computer Science degrees, and the MAT no longer takes place. If your search for Oxford maths prep keeps surfacing MAT guides, this page puts the two tests side by side: how their formats and scoring differ, which universities now use the TMUA, what your old MAT materials are still good for, and how to pace your TMUA preparation from here.

Practise 28 TMUA papers (2 free)Full TMUA guide

Papers: 28
Questions: 827
Free to try: 2

TMUA vs MAT at a Glance

Status: Oxford uses the TMUA from 2026; the MAT (2007 to 2025) no longer runs
Format: MAT (final form): 2.5 h, 27 questions incl. 2 long problems; TMUA: 2 h 30 min, two 20-question MC papers
Scoring: MAT out of 100, no pass mark; TMUA single 1.0 to 9.0 score, median anchored at 4.5
Next step: Book the October 2026 window (12 to 16 Oct); booking closes 28 Sep 2026

Compiled from official Oxford, UAT-UK, Cambridge and Imperial pages. FrontierVue is an independent prep platform with no affiliation to or endorsement from these bodies.

In short

Oxford uses the TMUA from 2026. The MAT ran from 2007 to 2025, with its final sitting on 22 and 23 October 2025.
The formats differ sharply: in its final form the MAT was 2.5 hours with 27 questions including 2 typed, hand-marked 15-mark problems; the TMUA is 2 hours 30 minutes of pure multiple choice, two papers of 20 questions at 75 minutes each.
Scoring lives on two different scales: the MAT was marked out of 100 with no pass mark; the TMUA reports a single 1.0 to 9.0 score with the median anchored at 4.5 and no penalty for wrong answers. Do not convert one into the other.
Old MAT materials are not wasted: the multiple-choice questions work as timed drills, the 15-mark problems train multi-step reasoning, and Oxford's published statistics calibrate your sense of difficulty.
One hard deadline matters: Oxford and Cambridge applicants are expected to sit the October window, and booking for October 2026 closes at 18:00 UK time on 28 September 2026.

What Happened: MAT Out, TMUA In

If your searches still surface MAT guides, you are looking at a closed chapter. The Mathematical Institute's own page now carries a notice to 2026 applicants: from 2026 Oxford uses the TMUA, the MAT does not take place, and every applicant for Mathematics, Computer Science or a joint honours course sits the TMUA instead. The MAT itself lived a full life cycle, from paper booklets to computer-based delivery under three successive administrators, before its final sitting in October 2025.

In the words of Oxford's Mathematical Institute: "From 2026, Oxford will use the TMUA. The MAT will not take place, and all applicants for Mathematics or Computer Science (including joint honours courses) will take the TMUA instead."

01Paper

CAAT era (to 2022)

Entered through Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing's centre network, on paper, choosing 5 of 7 questions by degree; the 2022 sitting fell on 2 November.

02Transition

TCS (2023)

Run by Tata Consultancy Services, with questions on screen and answers in paper booklets; sat on 19 October. A technical failure led Oxford to run the extra Test 2023b for affected candidates.

03On screen

Pearson VUE (2024 to 2025)

All 27 questions compulsory, long answers typed; registration was free in 2024. The final sitting ran on 22 and 23 October 2025, with results issued in January 2026.

04Current

TMUA (from 2026)

Oxford now uses the UAT-UK-run TMUA, with October and January sittings each year; Oxford and Cambridge applicants are expected to take the October window.

Side by Side: Format and Scoring

Both tests run about two and a half hours with calculators banned throughout, but their skeletons could hardly differ more. The MAT mixed multiple choice with long written problems, hand-marked in Oxford with partial credit; the TMUA is two papers of pure multiple choice, machine-scored with no penalty for wrong answers and equated across papers with a Rasch model. The table compares against the MAT's final computer-based format.

	MAT (2024 to 2025 format)	TMUA (current)
Length	2.5 hours, one sitting	2 hours 30 minutes, two back-to-back 75-minute papers
Questions	27 questions: 25 multiple choice (worth 2, 3 or 4 marks) plus 2 long 15-mark problems, answered by typing	20 multiple-choice questions per paper, nothing written out
Structure	From 2024, no optional questions: everyone answered the same 27 (previously chosen by degree)	Paper 1 tests applications of mathematical knowledge; Paper 2 tests mathematical reasoning
Marking	Long problems hand-marked in Oxford to a common scheme, with partial credit	Machine-scored; correct answers earn marks, wrong answers cost nothing
Score scale	Out of 100, with no pass mark	A single 1.0 to 9.0 score to one decimal place; no pass mark and no score appeals
Sittings	One autumn sitting per year	October and January each year; Oxbridge applicants are expected to take October
Delivery	Oxford's own test, marked in Oxford; delivered through Pearson VUE centres from 2024	Run by UAT-UK, delivered at roughly 5500 Pearson VUE centres worldwide
Calculators	Banned, along with formula sheets and dictionaries	Banned, along with dictionaries

The MAT column describes the final 2024 to 2025 format; in the paper era candidates chose 5 of 7 questions, with Q1 made of 10 parts at 4 marks each.

1.0 to 9.0

TMUA score scale, one decimal place

4.5

Median anchor of the October cohort

7.0

Roughly 10% of candidates score above this

Never convert scores across systems. UAT-UK itself states that the scaling was revised for 2024/25 and that "scores should not be compared directly with TMUA scores from earlier years", so even TMUA-to-TMUA comparisons across eras are out. MAT percentages likewise mean something only inside the MAT's own scale; do not turn them into TMUA targets.

Who Uses the TMUA Now

In the MAT years, the score travelled beyond Oxford to Imperial and Warwick, with Bath and Durham taking it into consideration. Under UAT-UK, seven universities use the TMUA across mathematics, economics and computer science courses. The two changes that hit applicants hardest both land in the 2027 entry cycle: Oxford's wholesale switch, and Cambridge Mathematics requiring the TMUA for the first time as a pre-interview filter.

TMUA

Run by UAT-UK, used by 7 universities

OxfordFrom 2026, replacing the MAT

Mathematics
Computer Science
All joint honours courses

CambridgeThree routes

Mathematics: pre-interview filter from October 2026
Computer Science: since 2019 (at first as the CTMUA)
Economics: since 2022

ImperialUAT-UK co-founder

Computing
Economics, Finance and Data Science

Also on the listFor selected courses

Durham
LSE
Warwick
UCL

Tap a branch to unfold

Universities

Imperial, Cambridge, Durham, LSE, Oxford, Warwick, UCL

Oxford

Full switch from 2026

All Mathematics and Computer Science courses, joint honours included

Cambridge Maths

TMUA for all applicants

A pre-interview filter; historically 75%-80% of applicants were interviewed, and STEP remains an offer condition

The MAT-era map

Imperial and Warwick used the MAT too

Bath and Durham took MAT scores into consideration

Do Not Bin Your MAT Materials

Oxford's Mathematical Institute still hosts the full run of MAT past papers from 2007 to 2025, the year-by-year statistics, and official feedback documents from 2010 onwards. For a TMUA candidate this archive is far from dead weight; the trick is knowing what transfers into training and what is only context.

The multiple choice: use it as timed drills

The paper-era Q1 packed 10 parts at 4 marks each, answer-only with no method marks, and the 2024 to 2025 papers carried 25 multiple-choice questions. This is the closest thing in the MAT to the TMUA's rhythm, and it slices neatly into timed sets on the TMUA's 75-minutes-per-paper clock.

The 15-mark problems: train the reasoning, drop the write-up

MAT long problems demanded a full written argument and rewarded it step by step; the TMUA never asks you to write anything out. The multi-step reasoning underneath, though, is exactly what Paper 2 (mathematical reasoning) probes. Work the problems, check your logic, and skip the fair copy.

The official statistics: calibrate, do not convert

Oxford publishes three mean scores for every year from 2007 to 2025: all applicants, those interviewed, and those made offers. They are a fine gauge of difficulty and competition, but the MAT's 100-point scale and the TMUA's 1.0 to 9.0 are different instruments; resist the urge to map one onto the other.

49.6

MAT 2025 mean, all applicants (out of 100)

66.7

MAT 2025 mean, interviewed candidates

74.0

MAT 2025 mean, offer holders

For the TMUA side of your training: FrontierVue carries 18 TMUA past papers (2015-2023, including 2 official specimens) and 10 original mocks, 971 questions in all, each with a full worked solution and Chinese translation; the two most recent past papers are free to try. Start from the TMUA past paper library and graft your MAT groundwork onto the new test.

Your 2026/27 TMUA Plan

For your calendar, the switch means exactly one thing: the slot you would have reserved for the MAT now belongs to the TMUA. Oxford and Cambridge applicants are expected to sit the October window, and booking closes on 28 September 2026, well before test day, so do not leave the seat until after your UCAS form is in.

2026 – 2027Timeline

Sep 26

Oct 26

Nov 26

Dec 26

Jan 27

October booking deadline

Hard deadline

Closes at 18:00 UK time on 28 September 2026; this is also the sitting Cambridge Mathematics requires.

TMUA October window

The Oxbridge sitting

In mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, TMUA seats run only on 15 and 16 October.

January booking deadline

Closes at 18:00 UK time on 21 December 2026.

TMUA January window

In mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, the January window offers a single date, 2027-01-08; Oxbridge applicants should not be waiting for this window.

Hard deadline Event WindowResults go automatically, via UCAS matching, to any university on your application that requires the test; you cannot choose which of them see your score.

Confirm your course requirements

Check every course on your list against its TMUA requirement, starting with the [Cambridge Mathematics](/exams/tmua/courses/cambridge-mathematics) and [Oxford Computer Science](/exams/tmua/courses/oxford-computer-science) pages.

02Deadline 28 Sep 2026

Book before 28 September

Book the October window before the deadline; fees are £78 at UK centres and £133 elsewhere. The [registration and dates guide](/exams/tmua/guides/registration-and-dates) walks through the process.

Rebuild your revision around the TMUA

Frame your revision on the [syllabus](/exams/tmua/guides/syllabus) and [scoring](/exams/tmua/guides/scoring) guides, folding your MAT materials in as described above.

Sit full timed papers

Run complete mocks from the [past paper library](/exams/tmua/past-papers) at 75 minutes per paper; the two most recent papers are free, and the goal is a locked-in rhythm before test day.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can I still take the MAT in 2026?

No. Oxford states plainly that "The MAT will not take place" and that it uses the TMUA from 2026. The final MAT ran on 22 and 23 October 2025, and all Mathematics and Computer Science applicants now sit the TMUA.

I spent months preparing for the MAT. Was it wasted?

No. Your MAT multiple-choice work converts straight into timed drills on the TMUA's 75-minutes-per-paper clock, and the multi-step reasoning built by the 15-mark problems is exactly what Paper 2 examines. The official papers and statistics from 2007 to 2025 remain public. What changes is the answering format: the TMUA is all multiple choice, so written presentation drops out of your training.

Can TMUA and MAT scores be converted into each other?

No. UAT-UK itself revised the scaling for 2024/25 and warns against comparing even TMUA scores across eras, let alone across tests. The current TMUA reports a single 1.0 to 9.0 score with the median anchored at 4.5 and roughly 10% of candidates above 7.0; there is no pass mark and no score appeal.

Beyond Oxford, who else asks for the TMUA?

Seven universities use it under UAT-UK: Imperial, Cambridge, Durham, LSE, Oxford, Warwick and UCL, for selected courses in mathematics, economics and computer science. Cambridge Mathematics requires the TMUA from the October 2026 sitting as a pre-interview filter, with STEP still standing as the offer condition, and Imperial uses it for Computing and for Economics, Finance and Data Science.

SOURCES

Official sources

MORE GUIDES

Other TMUA preparation guides

FrontierVUE is an independent practice platform. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by UAT-UK, Pearson, OCR, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, or any official admissions-test owner.

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Put it into practice

28 TMUA papers on FrontierVUE, including 10 Frontier Original mocks built to the current format, every question with a worked solution. The first 2 papers are free.

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