Independent Teacher
After confirming that the university and course you apply for require you to sit the TMUA test and start to prepare for TMUA, you must be wondering how to plan your preparation time and which preparation method is more effective. Here, this blog will help you with the questions.
Firstly, learning the basic information about the TMUA test is important, which may include:
Secondly, download the latest preparation resources from the TMUA official page, including:
What’s more, you need to know that since 2024, TMUA has changed the test organizer and changed to an online computer-based test, and some contents of the test specification have been revised. Therefore, it is necessary for you to know the latest exam policies to avoid misunderstanding of the test format, scoring method and test scope, so as to improve the efficiency when you prepare for TMUA test.
For more information and further understanding about the TMUA test, please refer to the blog “TMUA Test: A Comprehensive Guide”.
For the scope of knowledge, the TMUA specification covers most knowledge in A Level maths and a lot of knowledge on GCSE/IGCSE level maths (equivalent to domestic junior high school maths). On the other hand, there is no worry for students not studying A Level Maths because the TMUA specification does not go beyond the knowledge of AP Calculus, IB SL Maths, or other equivalent high school maths. However, this does not mean that achieving an A*, AP 5 or IB 7 is enough to get a high TMUA score. You should realise that the scope of knowledge (breadth) and the difficulty (depth) of the test are two different things.
No. However, if you take preparing for the interview into consideration, I highly recommend that you study Further Maths in advance if time permits.
A small amount of knowledge are not covered. The knowledge tested in STEP pure maths and MAT can cover most of the content of TMUA paper 1. The knowledge that are not covered include three-dimensional graphics, statistics, etc. In addition, the proof method and logical reasoning focused on by TMUA paper 2 are quite different from those two exams.
Yes. In recent years, the difficulty of the TMUA test has been increasing. Not only are the questions more and more like maths competition questions, but also the conventional knowledge and methods of maths competitions such as number theory, combinatorics, and recursion are more likely to be tested. Therefore, students with experience in maths competitions will have an advantage when taking TMUA. For students who have not learned the knowledge and methods for maths competitions, it is recommended to supplement the content when preparing for TMUA test.
The TMUA test comprehensively tests students’ mathematical literacy and question-solving skills. Students who achieve high scores in TMUA must have excellent abilities in mathematical calculation, mathematical reasoning, and flexible adaptability.
The TMUA test does not allow calculators, and students need to finish a large amount of calculations, which may equal the math calculation requirements for Gaokao or even the middle-level high school math competition. Generally speaking, students from the domestic curriculum system can basically meet the requirements of the TMUA test. In contrast, many students under A Level, AP and IB curriculum systems cannot meet the requirements, affecting their problem-solving speed. Therefore, these students often need specialised training in calculation skills and speed.
Most students do not undergo systematic training in logical reasoning and are unfamiliar with common mathematical proof methods. Therefore, they basically rely on intuition when solving TMUA questions and can be easily stuck when the questions have complicated conditions and logic. To easily deal with TMUA questions, students need to strengthen their mathematical reasoning ability, which usually includes but is not limited to:
When solving TMUA multiple-choice questions, you must choose the correct answer quickly. Sometimes, you don’t have to calculate every question completely. Flexible use of multiple-choice answering techniques can often achieve twice the result with half the effort and save a lot of time. We can’t expect that all the questions in the test are familiar. When encountering a question type you have never seen before, the ability to adapt flexibly can help you effectively improve your TMUA score.
Setting a reasonable goal is the first step towards success. It is recommended to follow the steps:
Most courses that require TMUA scores, such as Cambridge and LSE, do not have actual TMUA score lines. Only the University of Warwick explicitly requires a score of 6.5 or above. Some courses at Imperial College will require TMUA scores for the first time in 2024, and there are no requirements or explanations for TMUA scores. Generally speaking, the admission requirements for TMUA scores mainly depend on the intensity of competition among applicants. According to what I have seen over the years, the requirements for TMUA scores for relevant courses in various universities are as follows: Cambridge computer science courses ＞ LSE maths and economic related courses ＞ Cambridge economics courses ＞ Imperial College computing and finance related courses ＞ Warwick maths courses.
Considering that most students have yet to learn all mathematics knowledge before they prepare for TMUA test, the assessment test is more about diagnosing the problems in the current mathematics learning process and making a preliminary assessment of their mathematics ability. It is recommended to:
View the score lines of TMUA tests in previous years through the link below and check which grade you achieved on the assessment test. It is important to remember that your assessment test scores do not indicate the scores you can achieve when taking the real TMUA test. By working hard to prepare for TMUA test, you will be able to achieve a better score than the assessment test.
After taking the assessment test, you may have a rough idea about the TMUA test’s difficulty and your current mathematics level. At this time, you may also have a preliminary evaluation of how many scores you will achieve in the future.
But I still recommend you to have a further understanding of the difficulty of the TMUA test and the changing trend of test difficulty in recent years before setting your goals. For more information, I will write a blog later and publish it simultaneously on the official account and official website.
How many TMUA scores are needed to meet the admission requirements? As mentioned above, except for the University of Warwick, other universities have not released the TMUA score lines. However, many students and parents still ask me to estimate the admission scores every year. I can only combine the admission cases of previous years and the analysis of TMUA scores over the years to give a set of TMUA score lines suitable for Chinese students:
Around 7.2
There are four points to emphasize regarding the above score lines:
As a teacher, I hope every student can get a score of 7.5 or even above 8.0 on the test and then be admitted to a G5 university. But this is obviously unrealistic – only about 2% of students can get a score of 8.0 or above each year, and about 15% of students can get a score of 7.5 or above. Therefore, it is recommended to set a reasonable goal for TMUA based on your actual situation, math level, and the time and energy you can spend on preparing for TMUA test after understanding the distribution pattern of TMUA scores.
When you prepare for TMUA test, excessively high goals will increase your frustration. In serious cases, students may doubt themselves and give up halfway. Such cases are not rare among students I have taught in previous years. Reasonable goals can increase your fighting spirit and allow you to continuously make improvements in preparation until you finally achieve the goals.
There are no more than three ways to prepare for the test: systematic training, question practice , and mock exams. The usage scenarios and expected effects of these three methods are analyzed below.
This method is usually based on the requirements of the TMUA specification and systematically comprehends each knowledge block in a reasonable order. This method takes the longest time, but it is also the most basic and effective method when students prepare for TMUA test and is suitable for those with enough time and reasonable planning.
The question practice training method is to prepare for TMUA test by practicing past papers and questions. The advantages of this method are obvious: quick familiarity with the test and saving preparation time. However, the results of using this method vary from person to person.
Several types of scenarios and expected effects using this method are as follows:
Undoubtedly, the mock exams are most suitable when there are 3-4 weeks before the test. It is generally recommended to arrange one mock exam every 1-2 weeks, and three exams in total. The mock exam must strictly simulate the actual exam scenario. Refrain from blindly pursuing high scores in the mock exam, and the main purpose is to find knowledge loopholes and adjust your mentality before the test. What’s more, use the online computer-based system for mock exams if conditions permit.
When planning the preparation for the TMUA test, I will flexibly use a combination of the above methods according to the student’s preparation time:
By this point, many students may still be confused – why can’t they prepare for TMUA test by only practicing the TMUA questions? It’s normal to have this question due to a lack of understanding of the TMUA test. In fact, there are many reasons, but I only need to point out one of them to convince you – there are only 8 sets of TMUA past papers, and each set has 40 multiple-choice questions, a total of 320 questions; at the speed of finishing one past paper every 2.5 hours to 3 hours, you can finish it in 2 days at the fastest.
Therefore, you may wonder where to find more practice questions for TMUA preparation after realizing this problem. Finding a professional teacher can effectively solve your questions – you can click the link below to learn about the “TMUA Standard Course” (or “TMUA Question Practice”) written by me, which contains more than 1,100 exercise questions and multiple sets of simulation questions (all with complete solutions), and is equipped with an online answering system.
Generally speaking, the longer the preparation time is and the more thorough the preparation is, the higher the TMUA scores will be. The preparation time varies from person to person and is related to whether the student has experience in STEP preparation, mathematics competitions, and the curriculum system they have learned.
If the STEP exam can reach grade 2 or above, it is generally recommended to start practicing TMUA past questions and exercise questions by classification around August.
If AMC can be promoted to AIME, or SMC to BMO 1, it is generally recommended to start preparing for TMUA test around July.
It is generally recommended to start the preparation no later than June, and a large amount of targeted training is needed.
The AP and IB mathematics syllabus differs from the TMUA specification, but the difference is not significant. A small amount of unlearned knowledge can be made up in a relatively short time. However, AP and IB mathematics focus on the students’ understanding and application of mathematical knowledge, while TMUA focuses on the ability of mathematical logical reasoning and calculation skills. It is generally recommended to start preparing for TMUA immediately after the AP and IB exams or final exams, that is, at the end of May or early June.
As a senior Oxbridge admission test preparation professor, I would like to emphasize that there are no shortcuts in preparing for the TMUA test. In addition to long-term planning and scientific and efficient preparation strategies, getting a high score also requires persistence and hard work.
Still need more TMUA preparation resources? In addition to the “TMUA Standard Courses” and “TMUA Question Practice” written and developed by me, our blog “TMUA Preparation Resources Recommendations and Usage Suggestions” (soon to be released) will also give a detailed introduction.
