About TMUA 2024
“What is TMUA?”, “How do I revise for TMUA?”, “How do I get a 9 in TMUA?” are maybe a few questions you have asked yourself since finding out you need TMUA for your university offer. This page collates together many invaluable resources for TMUA, some of which I’ve created, others of which I’ve come across during my own preparation, in order to be a valuable tool during your own TMUA revision and preparation.
TMUA Frequently Asked Questions
As of 2024, TMUA will be provided by Pearson VUE, instead of Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing.
You will now sit the TMUA exam at your local Pearson VUE test centre and you must register in advance to sit the test.
The test is now computer based but the content assessed remains unchanged.
To register for TMUA 2024 you will need to visit the Pearson VUE website where you can do the following:
- Create an account
- Find your nearest test centre
- Book and pay for the test
Registrations open from 1st August and close on 16th September 2024.
The cost of the test is £75 if taken in the UK or Republic of Ireland and it is £130 if taken anywhere else.
You can apply for a bursary voucher depending on your eligibility (i.e those eligible for free school meals or in receipt of Pupil Premium payments, those whose parents are on income support or in receipt of child benefit and some other exemptions). More information on this is said to be published in Spring 2024.
TMUA, more formally known as the Test of Mathematics for University Admission, is a university admissions test designed to allow applicants to demonstrate the essential mathematical thinking and reasoning skills needed for a degree in Mathematics or Mathematics-related course.
TMUA is 2.5 hours long and consists of two papers which are taken consecutively.
The papers are:
- Paper 1: Applications of Mathematical Knowledge
- Paper 2: Mathematical Reasoning
Both papers are 75 minutes long and consist of 2o multiple choice questions.
Paper 1 focuses on assessing your ability to apply mathematical knowledge to new situations and Paper 2 focuses on assessing your mathematical reasoning and your ability to deal with simple ideas from elementary logic.
Your score on the test is based on your overall performance on both papers (i.e how many correct answers you give) and it is given on a scale 1.0 to 9.0.
The test uses mathematics you will have already learned in your school studies up to the point of taking the test.
For more information, see the TMUA 2021 test specification.
There is no pass or fail for TMUA and so you should just aim to do your best.
A typical offer for Mathematics at Durham University is obtaining 6.5 overall.
See the following document to see some examples of Universities and their relevant courses which use TMUA.
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 TMUA, along with several effective approaches which will help you do well in TMUA. These allowed me to achieve 8.4 overall in TMUA, with a 9.0 in the first paper. Read the article here.
No calculators or dictionaries are allowed.
All you should need is:
- some black or blue pens
- pencils (for sketches or rough work)
- a ruler
- a rubber.