Checked 23 October 2026. Format, rules and dates read on UAT-UK’s pages on 23 October 2026 for 2027 entry; January booking opening re-read on 24 October 2026 (delayed from 26 October, now expected 28 October). Re-check UAT-UK’s TMUA and Key Dates pages before you book.
The TMUA lasts 2 hours 30 minutes on computer at a Pearson VUE test centre: Paper 1 and Paper 2, each 20 multiple-choice questions in 75 minutes, with no calculator and no break between the papers. You work on an erasable notebook with a pen, wrong answers lose nothing, and you get one overall score from 1.0 to 9.0. The next sitting is 4–8 January 2027, with booking expected to open at 3pm GMT on Wednesday 28 October 2026 (UAT-UK delayed it from 26 October). This guide sets out the format from UAT-UK’s pages, the test-centre rules that catch people out, and what UAT-UK’s own timing data says about finishing. ProSyllabus is an independent study site, not affiliated with UAT-UK or any university. UAT-UK’s pages and documents were read on 23 October 2026; the university pages and UAT-UK’s past-paper listing on 18 October 2026.
UAT-UK TMUA page and TMUA Technical Report 2025-26 (Table 18), read 23 October 2026.
The two papers
| Paper | What it tests (UAT-UK) | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Applications of Mathematical Knowledge | Your ability to apply your knowledge of mathematics in new situations | 20 multiple-choice | 75 minutes |
| Paper 2: Mathematical Reasoning | Your ability to deal with mathematical reasoning, and simple ideas from elementary logic | 20 multiple-choice | 75 minutes |
From UAT-UK’s TMUA page, read 23 October 2026. UAT-UK: the TMUA “is based on content typically covered within Higher Level GCSE mathematics courses or AS level mathematics.”
The rules in one table
| Rule | What UAT-UK says |
|---|---|
| Calculator or dictionary | Not allowed |
| Rough working | An erasable notebook and a pen at your desk; you can ask for new sheets. Your own materials are not allowed. |
| Wrong answers | You do not lose marks, “so it’s worth attempting all questions.” |
| Breaks | “There are no breaks between modules or papers of your test.” The clock does not stop if you leave the room, unless you have approved pause-the-clock breaks. |
| Order of questions | You need not answer in order: UAT-UK’s technical report says “the test has non-linear navigation”. Each paper is a separately timed section. |
| Arrival | You should arrive 30 minutes early. More than 15 minutes late and you may be refused entry and forfeit the fee |
| ID | The standard rule: one original, unexpired, government-issued photo ID with a signature (an expired passport is accepted with its renewal paperwork if it is your only form of photographic ID; UK candidates without ID can apply for an exemption). The name must exactly match your booking |
| Personal items | Left in a locker: bags, phones, watches, wallets, notes. No food or drink (including water) without prior approval. Only permitted comfort aids and items approved as access arrangements go in. |
| Sittings | Once per admissions cycle. Most Oxford and Cambridge applicants must sit in October |
From UAT-UK’s TMUA page, Test Day page, FAQs and TMUA Technical Report 2025-26, read 23 October 2026.
There is no scheduled break between Paper 1 and Paper 2. UAT-UK’s test-day rules say there are no breaks between the papers of a test; unless you are approved for pause-the-clock breaks, the test cannot be paused and you lose time when out of the room. Practise both papers back to back: 150 minutes of mathematics without a pause.
How candidates actually use the time
UAT-UK’s 2025-26 technical report analysed test time for 15,481 candidates, after leaving out 610 whose time ran past 2:30:04 and who it assumed had a time-based access arrangement:
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Time limit | 2:30:00 |
| Median time used | 2:29:37 |
| Mean time used | 2:27:01 |
| Share of all candidates using between 2:15:00 and 2:30:04 | 91% |
| Candidates with unreached questions, Paper 1 / Paper 2 | 322 / 135 (of 16,091) |
| Candidates with at least one answer in 10 seconds or less (or not shown) | 2,517 (16%), down from 3,227 (23%) the cycle before |
From UAT-UK’s TMUA Technical Report 2025-26, section 5.2 and Table 18, read 23 October 2026.
UAT-UK TMUA Technical Report 2025-26, Table 18 (2:29:37 and 2:27:01 converted to minutes, our arithmetic).
The report reads this as a test that “might be speeded” for some candidates, and adds that the items are designed to increase progressively in difficulty through each section. In plain terms: most candidates use nearly all the time, questions are designed to get harder as each section goes on, and 16% of candidates gave at least one answer in ten seconds or less or had a question they never reached. The report says a candidate answering in under 10 seconds was likely guessing; reading the two together as a timing problem is ours.
A timing plan for 75 minutes (our suggestion)
| Pass | What to do |
|---|---|
| First pass, about 45 minutes | Work through all 20 in order. Answer what you can in about 2 minutes each; note the number of anything that stalls on your sheet and move on. |
| Second pass, about 25 minutes | Return to the questions you noted, hardest last. Non-linear navigation lets you go back to them. |
| Last 5 minutes | Make sure every question has an answer. There is no penalty for a wrong one, and a blank scores nothing. |
Our plan, not UAT-UK’s. It leaves the later, harder questions for when the easier marks are banked.
What changed when the TMUA moved to computer
| Feature | Paper-based (to 2023) | Computer-based (from October 2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Not covered by UAT-UK’s current pages; the 2019 Explanation of Results was published by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing | UAT-UK, delivered at Pearson VUE test centres |
| Content and question style | Two papers of multiple-choice questions | UAT-UK: “both the content specification and question style are unchanged” |
| Score | 1–9 (the 2019 explanation gives 0 to candidates who answered no items); it says the scale was designed so that approximately one third of candidates would score above 6.5 | One overall 1.0–9.0 score; October median fixed at 4.5 and 90th percentile at 7.0 (technical reports) |
| Versions of the test | Paper 1 and Paper 2 each year (2016–2023 in UAT-UK’s archive) | Several versions per window, equated; UAT-UK’s past-paper archive still ends at 2023 |
| Practice material | 18 papers with worked answers, 2016–2023 plus specimen | Specimen and sample tests on the Pearson site, which give no score |
From UAT-UK’s TMUA Preparation Materials page, Test Results page and technical reports, and Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing’s Explanation of Results (2019), read 23 October 2026.
So the old papers still teach the content and the question style (our TMUA past papers guide links all 18), but their scoring does not carry over. How today’s score is made is in how TMUA scoring works since 2024.
January 2027 dates and booking
| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Booking opens | 28 October 2026, 3pm GMT (expected; UAT-UK delayed it from 26 October) |
| Access arrangements requested by | 7 December 2026, 6pm GMT |
| Bursary requested by | 14 December 2026, 6pm GMT |
| Booking closes | 21 December 2026, 6pm GMT |
| Test window | 4–8 January 2027 (China, Hong Kong and Macau: TMUA on 8 January only) |
| Results in your UAT-UK account | 8 February 2027 |
From UAT-UK’s Key Dates page for 2027 entry, read 23 October 2026 (the January booking opening is from the 24 October 2026 reading). The January sitting is not for most Oxford and Cambridge applicants; UAT-UK’s exceptions are mature applicants to a Cambridge mature college with a January deadline and applicants to an Oxford Foundation Year programme with a January deadline.
UAT-UK warns that a bursary request can take up to five working days to review and an access arrangement up to ten, and both must be in place before you book. The test costs £78 in the UK and Republic of Ireland and £133 elsewhere.
Access arrangements are not rare. In the 2025-26 cycle 675 TMUA candidates had one, around 4% of all candidates, according to UAT-UK’s technical report; the most common were extra time (423 candidates), extra time with pause-the-clock breaks (177), pause-the-clock (64) and a separate room (59). If your school gives you extra time in public exams, ask for its letter early: UAT-UK needs it stating your usual way of working and the amount of extra time.
Practise in the real format
The habit that matters most is two 75-minute papers back to back, without a calculator, on rough paper you can wipe. Our TMUA practice tests give you two full mocks in that format, Paper 1 and Paper 2 each, timed at 75 minutes with the working for every answer. Start with the five free questions. Here is one:
Free question · Coordinate geometry and tangents · original, TMUA style
The line y = 2x + c is a tangent to the curve y = x² + 3. What is the value of c?
- A 2
- B 3
- C 4
- D 6
- E 8
Show the worked solution
- Where the line meets the curve: x² + 3 = 2x + c, so x² − 2x + (3 − c) = 0.
- A tangent touches at exactly one point, so this quadratic has one repeated root: the discriminant is zero.
- Discriminant: (−2)² − 4 × 1 × (3 − c) = 4 − 12 + 4c = 0, so c = 2.
- Check: with c = 2 the equation is (x − 1)² = 0, touching at (1, 4), where the curve’s gradient 2x is 2, equal to the line’s.
Answer: A, 2.
An original ProSyllabus question, not a UAT-UK question. It is one of the five free questions at the top of our TMUA practice tests; try all five free.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the TMUA?
2 hours 30 minutes: Paper 1 and Paper 2, each 75 minutes, with no break between them.
How many questions are in the TMUA?
40 multiple-choice questions, 20 in each paper.
Is the TMUA on paper or on computer?
On computer at a Pearson VUE test centre since October 2024. You get an erasable notebook and a pen for rough work.
Can I use a calculator in the TMUA?
No. UAT-UK does not allow a calculator or a dictionary.
Is there a break between TMUA Paper 1 and Paper 2?
No. UAT-UK says there are no breaks between the papers of a test, and time out of the room is lost unless you have approved pause-the-clock breaks.
Can I go back to earlier questions?
Yes: UAT-UK’s technical report says the test has non-linear navigation, so candidates can move about as they choose. Each paper is a separately timed section of 75 minutes.
Is there negative marking in the TMUA?
No. You do not lose marks for wrong answers, so answer every question.
When is the next TMUA?
4–8 January 2027. UAT-UK delayed booking from 26 October for system maintenance and expects it to open at 3pm GMT on Wednesday 28 October 2026; it closes 21 December 2026 at 6pm GMT; results arrive on 8 February 2027.
How much does the TMUA cost?
£78 for candidates in the UK and Republic of Ireland and £133 elsewhere. UK candidates in financial need can apply for a bursary before booking.
Sources
- official — UAT-UK: TMUA (format, fees, sittings), read 23 Oct 2026
- official — UAT-UK: Test Day (test centre procedures and rules), read 23 Oct 2026
- official — UAT-UK: FAQs, read 23 Oct 2026
- official — UAT-UK: Key Dates for 2027 entry, read 23 Oct 2026
- official — UAT-UK: TMUA Technical Report 2025-26 (scaling, Table 2-4, reliability, test timing)
- official — UAT-UK: TMUA Preparation Materials (past papers, worked answers, answer keys), read 18 Oct 2026
- official — UAT-UK: Test Results (how the tests are scored), read 23 Oct 2026
- official — Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing: TMUA Explanation of Results 2019 (“approximately one third of candidates will achieve overall scores higher than 6.5”, archived copy)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
Sit full TMUA papers against the clock: 2 mocks, 4 questions free
80 original questions in full papers of 20 questions in 75 minutes, the real format, with no calculator. Every answer comes with its working. Start with the 4-question free sample in the quiz player.
- 84questions
- 4timed parts
- 300minutes in all
- 84answers explained
Every answer comes with step-by-step working. The real TMUA is two papers of 20 multiple-choice questions, 75 minutes each.
Double-checked questions Real exam pattern Free sample · 4 questions
Try before you buy free, no payment
Full tests 4 tests
One payment unlocks all 4 tests
- 2 full mocks: Paper 1 and Paper 2, 20 questions each
- 75 minutes per paper, no calculator
- Logic and proof for Paper 2
- Step-by-step working for every answer
- Score by paper and by topic
₹899·no subscription
Every test: instant score, answer review and a breakdown of topics to work on
Mock 1 · Paper 1: Applications of Mathematical Knowledge
Included in the full set
Mock 1 · Paper 2: Mathematical Reasoning
Included in the full set
Mock 2 · Paper 1: Applications of Mathematical Knowledge
Included in the full set
Mock 2 · Paper 2: Mathematical Reasoning
Included in the full set
- 2 full mocks: Paper 1 and Paper 2, 20 questions in 75 minutes each
- Paper 2 logic and proof: necessary and sufficient, contrapositives, errors in proofs
- A timed run for each paper, no calculator, no marks lost for a wrong answer
- Your score for each paper and each topic, so you see where the marks go
- Step-by-step working for every answer, including the slip behind each wrong option
Independent practice material. Not written or endorsed by UAT-UK, Cambridge University Press & Assessment or any university. These are original questions written to the TMUA content specification, not past-paper items.
