The TMUA, actually explained
Question types, scoring, timing and strategy for the Test of Mathematics for University Admission — written by the team that builds our practice bank, free to read.
TMUA score conversion: what your raw mark out of 40 is actually worth
There is no TMUA conversion table, no grade boundaries and no official calculator, in any year. Here is what UAT-UK do publish, what your raw mark out of 40 is genuinely worth, and why every conversion table you will find online describes a scoring system that no longer exists.
Read the guideStart hereTMUA 2026/27: everything you need to know
The Test of Mathematics for University Admission, in full: what it is, who has to sit it, how the 1.0 to 9.0 score works, what it costs, and how to prepare. Verified against UAT-UK.
Read the guideDates & RegistrationTMUA dates, registration and booking for 2027 entry
The October window is 12 to 16 October 2026 and booking closes 28 September 2026. Registering and booking a seat are two separate steps, and the gap between them is where most people come unstuck.
Read the guideSpecificationTMUA specification 2026/27: every topic you need
The full content specification for assessment in October 2026 and January 2027, as a page rather than a PDF - with how often each topic has actually come up across every official paper.
Read the guidePaper 1TMUA Paper 1: applications of mathematical knowledge
Twenty questions in 75 minutes, which is 3 minutes 45 seconds each. The median candidate uses 2 hours 29 minutes of the 2 hours 30 available, so the clock is not a background worry. It is the exam.
Read the guidePaper 2TMUA Paper 2: mathematical reasoning, logic and proof
Paper 2 asks for everything Paper 1 asks for, and adds Section 2 on top. About 38% of it tests reasoning that no A-level maths course formally teaches, which is exactly why it is the best place to spend your preparation.
Read the guideUniversitiesWhich universities require the TMUA for 2027 entry
Seven institutions: Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, LSE, Warwick, Durham and UCL. The requirement attaches to named courses rather than to universities, so the only question that matters is whether your exact UCAS code is on the list below.
Read the guideScoringWhat is a good TMUA score?
The mean for 2026 entry was 4.28 and the median 4.1. So anything above about 4.3 beats the average candidate, 5.3 puts you in the top quarter, and 6.7 in the top tenth. What counts as good, though, depends on the course rather than the test.
Read the guideCambridgeCambridge TMUA: courses, STEP, and what a competitive score looks like
Three courses need it: Computer Science, Economics and Mathematics. Mathematics is new for 2027, and it needs the TMUA and STEP, not one instead of the other. If you are applying at the 15 October deadline you must sit in the October window.
Read the guideImperialImperial TMUA: 19 courses, and the score data Imperial publishes
Imperial is the largest single user of the TMUA, with 19 compulsory courses. It is also the only university that publishes what its applicants actually scored, broken down by department and by outcome. Here is that data, and what it can and cannot tell you.
Read the guideLSELSE TMUA: compulsory for two courses, recommended for nine
Two LSE degrees require the TMUA. Nine more "recommend" it, which is the least useful word in admissions. This page answers what recommended actually means at LSE, using LSE figures rather than guesswork.
Read the guideWarwickWarwick TMUA: courses, exemptions, and what the 5.0 figure really says
Warwick has the most moving parts of any TMUA university: sixteen courses across four subject groups, four different requirements, an exemption for contextual-offer applicants, and the only published score figure in the landscape. Find which of the four you are, and the rest follows.
Read the guideDurham & UCLDurham and UCL TMUA requirements for 2027 entry
Two universities on one page, because both requirements are narrow. Durham has the clearest published mechanic in the whole landscape: a high enough score earns an offer one grade lower. For 2026 entry that figure was 5.0, and Durham has confirmed the mechanic for 2027 without yet publishing a number. UCL needs the TMUA for two Economics degrees and nothing else, because UCL Computer Science uses a different test entirely.
Read the guide