MAT, more formally known as the Maths Admissions Test is a university entrance exam sat by students in the fourth term of their A-Levels (or equivalent), applying for Oxford. It is designed to test the depth of mathematical understanding, rather than breadth.

It is also used by other universities such as Imperial College London and the University of Warwick.

The purpose of MAT is to help universities decide on which applicants to shortlist for interview. It is used alongside the details of your UCAS application and information about your school background.

The test lasts 2.5 hours and consists of 7 questions. All applicants must answer question 1 and then 4 questions from questions 2-7.

Question 1 consists of 10 parts, with each multiple choice. You gain marks solely from the correct answer, but you are encouraged to show any working in the space provided.

Questions 2-7 are longer questions and each is worth 15 marks. They are designed to be more involved and complex than the  multiple choice.  You are required to show your working for these questions and marks are available for partial answers.

The MAT syllabus is based on the first year of A Level Maths along with a few topics from the fourth term of A Level Maths which you should have covered by the time of the test.

Click here to see the topics assessed in MAT.

The score is the percentage of the paper answered correctly by an applicant.

On my MAT Papers and Worked Solutions Page, you can see the average score of Oxford applicants who:

• took MAT
• were shortlisted for interview
• were made offers.

These scores vary year by year depending on how the entire cohort found the test. The average score of applicants who were shortlisted for interview ranges from 54.2-75.2 and the average score of applicants who received an offer ranges from 60.6-81.7.

MAT is required by all students applying to the University of Oxford for Maths, Computer Science or joint honours in these subjects.

It is also used by Imperial College London and the University of Warwick.

Your MAT score can also be shared to Durham University and the University of Bath with your permission if you wish that university to take your MAT score into consideration.

Because this is such an important question, and one I’m asked very frequently by students I tutor, I have dedicated an entire page where I have written an article highlighting valuable tips and advice on how to revise for MAT, along with several effective approaches which will help you do well in MAT. Read the article here.

Another useful resource is the following video; a recorded workshop on MAT designed to introduce you to the style of questions.

You should bring a clear pencil case containing some black pens, pencils (for sketches or rough work), a ruler and a rubber.

There are no calculators, formula sheets or dictionaries allowed in the test. 

The following is a playlist of videos created by Oxford Mathematics Plus and Oxford Mathematics, going through the MAT papers in detail.