Question 1

Which universities require the TMUA?

Accepted Answer

The TMUA is used by Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College London, UCL, LSE, Warwick and Durham, mainly for Maths, Computer Science and Economics courses. Requirements vary by course, so always check your specific university and course page before you apply.

Question 2

What's a good TMUA score?

Accepted Answer

Scores run on a 1.0 to 9.0 scale, with no pass or fail. The average is around 4.0 to 5.0. As a rough guide, 6.5+ is competitive for Cambridge and Imperial typically looks for around 7.0+. You don't lose marks for wrong answers, so it's always worth attempting every question.

Question 3

Can I use a calculator?

Accepted Answer

No. The TMUA is a non-calculator test, and dictionaries aren't allowed either. Strong mental and written arithmetic is part of what it assesses, so it's worth practising without a calculator.

Question 4

Can I retake the TMUA?

Accepted Answer

No, you can only sit it once per admissions cycle. If you reapply to university in a later cycle, you take the test again then.

Question 5

How should I prepare, and how hard is it?

Accepted Answer

The content comes mostly from first-year A-Level Maths plus a few second-year topics, so it isn't about learning new material. It's about applying what you know to unfamiliar problems under time pressure. Most students start around six months out and focus on timed past-paper practice.

Question 6

How does tmua.fyi help me prepare?

Accepted Answer

You get 1000+ questions from past papers, predicted papers and our own original bank, sortable by topic so you can target your weakest areas. Timed mocks run in the same Pearson VUE interface you'll sit the real test in, marked instantly against the official scale.

Question 7

Is this vibe coded slop?

Accepted Answer

Unlike other sites, our past paper and mock questions are pulled from human authored PDFs and our generated questions are critically reviewed before release - so you can use our question bank with full confidence. If there's anything we're missing, get in touch to suggest a new feature :)

TMUA frequently asked questions

Frequently Asked Questions

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