TMUA Prep Thread 2020
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Cryptokyo
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TMUA Preparation Thread 2020

What is the TMUA?

The TMUA is a pre-university application maths exam sat at the beginning of November. The exam is run by the Admissions Testing Service (ATS). Your score in the TMUA is personal to you and universities cannot see your score unless you release it to them via the online results system. Thus, it is a test that only advantages applicants rather than disadvantages them.
The test is comprised of two 75 minute non-calculator papers, each with 20 multiple choice questions. The questions are based on AS maths level content and thus no special preparation is required prior to sitting the exam. The official page for the TMUA, with practice materials, can be found here: http://www.admissionstestingservice....ity-admission/
Who uses the TMUA?

A list of universities that consider the TMUA in some capacity:
- The University of Bath
- Cardiff University
- Durham University
- Lancaster University
- London School of Economics and Political Science
- The University of Nottingham
- The University of Sheffield
- The University of Southampton
- The University of Warwick
Further details can be found on their respective websites as each university handles the test differently with respect to admissions. Some universities give lowered offers for sufficiently good performance on this test.
Key Dates

The key dates for the TMUA are as follows:
- 1st September: Registration opens
- 1st October: Registration deadline with standard fee
- 15th October: FINAL REGISTRATION DEADLINE (with higher fee)
- 4th November: TMUA exam
- 30th November: Results are released
Your schools exams office should be able to sort this for you.
Key Scores

Overall mark out of 40 required to achieve a 6.5 each year:
- 2016: 21 marks
- 2017: 24 marks
- 2018: 24 marks
How to Prepare

Practice is really the key to this test. There are a variety of ways which you can practice the sort of problems that could come up such as doing problems from the UKMT Intermediate and Senior Maths Challenges and the Kangaroo papers. The MAT may also offer some good practice with its multiple choice section. I would strongly advise looking through the notes on Logic and Proof on the "preparing for the test" section on the TMUA website as these topics can come up and are not really covered fully in the A-Level syllabus.
Who am I?

I'm a fourth year maths student at Durham who sat the test in its inaugural year (2016). I can mainly help with any maths questions regarding the test that you may have and I'll try my best to help with administrative woes. [[Also very happy to answer any questions about Durham/maths at uni

As a disclaimer, I'm not affiliated with the Admissions Testing Service in any way so I have no access to information other than that publicly available.
(Potentially) Useful Resources

Coming soon.. .

TMUA Specimen Paper
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
TMUA Practice Paper (formerly 2016 paper before readjustments to test)
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
TMUA 2017 Paper
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
TMUA 2018 Paper
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
TMUA 2019 Paper
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
Additional Questions
Last edited by Cryptokyo; 1 year ago
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username1732133
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(Original post by Cryptokyo)
TMUA Preparation Thread 2020
Hello! Welcome!
After a fair few people contacting me regarding the TMUA, I've decided to yet again make this years prep thread so last year's one can finally retire. Feel free to post any questions you may have and discuss the test with your peers.
What is the TMUA?
The TMUA is a pre-university application maths exam sat at the beginning of November. The exam is run by the Admissions Testing Service (ATS). Your score in the TMUA is personal to you and universities cannot see your score unless you release it to them via the online results system. Thus, it is a test that only advantages applicants rather than disadvantages them.
The test is comprised of two 75 minute non-calculator papers, each with 20 multiple choice questions. The questions are based on AS maths level content and thus no special preparation is required prior to sitting the exam. The official page for the TMUA, with practice materials, can be found here: http://www.admissionstestingservice....ity-admission/
Who uses the TMUA?
A list of universities that consider the TMUA in some capacity:
Further details can be found on their respective websites as each university handles the test differently with respect to admissions. Some universities give lowered offers for sufficiently good performance on this test.
Key Dates
The key dates for the TMUA are as follows:
Your schools exams office should be able to sort this for you.
Key Scores
Overall mark out of 40 required to achieve a 6.5 each year:
How to Prepare
Practice is really the key to this test. There are a variety of ways which you can practice the sort of problems that could come up such as doing problems from the UKMT Intermediate and Senior Maths Challenges and the Kangaroo papers. The MAT may also offer some good practice with its multiple choice section. I would strongly advise looking through the notes on Logic and Proof on the "preparing for the test" section on the TMUA website as these topics can come up and are not really covered fully in the A-Level syllabus.
Who am I?
I'm a fourth year maths student at Durham who sat the test in its inaugural year (2016). I can mainly help with any maths questions regarding the test that you may have and I'll try my best to help with administrative woes. [[Also very happy to answer any questions about Durham/maths at uni
]]
As a disclaimer, I'm not affiliated with the Admissions Testing Service in any way so I have no access to information other than that publicly available.
(Potentially) Useful Resources
Coming soon.. .
TMUA Preparation Thread 2020

What is the TMUA?

The TMUA is a pre-university application maths exam sat at the beginning of November. The exam is run by the Admissions Testing Service (ATS). Your score in the TMUA is personal to you and universities cannot see your score unless you release it to them via the online results system. Thus, it is a test that only advantages applicants rather than disadvantages them.
The test is comprised of two 75 minute non-calculator papers, each with 20 multiple choice questions. The questions are based on AS maths level content and thus no special preparation is required prior to sitting the exam. The official page for the TMUA, with practice materials, can be found here: http://www.admissionstestingservice....ity-admission/
Who uses the TMUA?

A list of universities that consider the TMUA in some capacity:
- The University of Bath
- Cardiff University
- Durham University
- Lancaster University
- London School of Economics and Political Science
- The University of Nottingham
- The University of Sheffield
- The University of Southampton
- The University of Warwick
Further details can be found on their respective websites as each university handles the test differently with respect to admissions. Some universities give lowered offers for sufficiently good performance on this test.
Key Dates

The key dates for the TMUA are as follows:
- 1st September: Registration opens
- 1st October: Registration deadline with standard fee
- 15th October: FINAL REGISTRATION DEADLINE (with higher fee)
- 4th November: TMUA exam
- 30th November: Results are released
Your schools exams office should be able to sort this for you.
Key Scores

Overall mark out of 40 required to achieve a 6.5 each year:
- 2016: 21 marks
- 2017: 24 marks
- 2018: 24 marks
How to Prepare

Practice is really the key to this test. There are a variety of ways which you can practice the sort of problems that could come up such as doing problems from the UKMT Intermediate and Senior Maths Challenges and the Kangaroo papers. The MAT may also offer some good practice with its multiple choice section. I would strongly advise looking through the notes on Logic and Proof on the "preparing for the test" section on the TMUA website as these topics can come up and are not really covered fully in the A-Level syllabus.
Who am I?

I'm a fourth year maths student at Durham who sat the test in its inaugural year (2016). I can mainly help with any maths questions regarding the test that you may have and I'll try my best to help with administrative woes. [[Also very happy to answer any questions about Durham/maths at uni

As a disclaimer, I'm not affiliated with the Admissions Testing Service in any way so I have no access to information other than that publicly available.
(Potentially) Useful Resources

Coming soon.. .

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twinkletoes_
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going through the specimen paper 1 and I cannot figure out how to do question 16. Can anyone help?
Also looking to apply to Cambridge CS, does anyone know what type of marks I should be getting as the course is extremely competitive.
Also looking to apply to Cambridge CS, does anyone know what type of marks I should be getting as the course is extremely competitive.
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mqb2766
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(Original post by twinkletoes_)
going through the specimen paper 1 and I cannot figure out how to do question 16. Can anyone help?
Also looking to apply to Cambridge CS, does anyone know what type of marks I should be getting as the course is extremely competitive.
going through the specimen paper 1 and I cannot figure out how to do question 16. Can anyone help?
Also looking to apply to Cambridge CS, does anyone know what type of marks I should be getting as the course is extremely competitive.
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twinkletoes_
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(Original post by mqb2766)
Is the solution q16 in the post above yours? If not, can you post the actual question?
Is the solution q16 in the post above yours? If not, can you post the actual question?
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mqb2766
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(Original post by twinkletoes_)
I have attached the question. It is in the solution linked above, however I'm confused as to what info they used to express 10 as a power of 2 and 20 as a power of 5
I have attached the question. It is in the solution linked above, however I'm confused as to what info they used to express 10 as a power of 2 and 20 as a power of 5
10^n = (2*5)^n = (2^n)*(5^n)
20^n = (5*2^2)^n = (2^{2n})*(5^n)
Is that enough to solve it? It's fairly obvious from the denominator that you want to use bases of 2 and 5 and then analyse the exponents of these.
Last edited by mqb2766; 1 year ago
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twinkletoes_
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(Original post by mqb2766)
It's just using prime factors, so
10^n = (2*5)^n = (2^n)*(5^n)
20^n = (5*2^2)^n = (2^{2n})*(5^n)
Is that enough to solve it? It's fairly obvious from the denominator that you want to use bases of 2 and 5 and then analyse the exponents of these.
It's just using prime factors, so
10^n = (2*5)^n = (2^n)*(5^n)
20^n = (5*2^2)^n = (2^{2n})*(5^n)
Is that enough to solve it? It's fairly obvious from the denominator that you want to use bases of 2 and 5 and then analyse the exponents of these.
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mqb2766
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(Original post by twinkletoes_)
I got to that part , however they showed 10^(c-2d) as 2^(c-2d+4c+2d) how were they able to get 5 as ^4c+2d
I got to that part , however they showed 10^(c-2d) as 2^(c-2d+4c+2d) how were they able to get 5 as ^4c+2d
2^(c-2d)
And the 20 gives
2^(2*(2c+d))
and you multiply the numbers.
Similar for the base 5 part? It's just the laws of exponents (gcse).
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Ahmedaxdm
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Can someone help me with 2018, paper 1, q19. How is it possible to make 2 triangles with different areas? The provided worked solutions first step of linking the areas makes no sense to me as it seems impossible
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username3477548
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Ahmedaxdm
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(Original post by Ahmedaxdm)
Can someone help me with 2018, paper 1, q19. How is it possible to make 2 triangles with different areas? The provided worked solutions first step of linking the areas makes no sense to me as it seems impossible
Can someone help me with 2018, paper 1, q19. How is it possible to make 2 triangles with different areas? The provided worked solutions first step of linking the areas makes no sense to me as it seems impossible
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username1732133
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(Original post by vix.xvi)
hi never heard of TMUA unitl now
is it only if u wanna study math at uni?
hi never heard of TMUA unitl now
is it only if u wanna study math at uni?
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username3477548
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(Original post by Plücker)
Mostly maths but also very mathematical courses such as computer science, physics and economics.
Mostly maths but also very mathematical courses such as computer science, physics and economics.
im not looking to do that kinda stuff at uni...but some sort of science i think... not sure yet
do u think its useful prep anyways if i practice it? or should i focus more on the actual entrance exams for the course that I'll choose... (:
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PhocMai
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(Original post by Ahmedaxdm)
Can someone help me with 2018, paper 1, q19. How is it possible to make 2 triangles with different areas? The provided worked solutions first step of linking the areas makes no sense to me as it seems impossible
Can someone help me with 2018, paper 1, q19. How is it possible to make 2 triangles with different areas? The provided worked solutions first step of linking the areas makes no sense to me as it seems impossible
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PhocMai
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(Original post by Cryptokyo)
TMUA Preparation Thread 2020
Hello! Welcome!
After a fair few people contacting me regarding the TMUA, I've decided to yet again make this years prep thread so last year's one can finally retire. Feel free to post any questions you may have and discuss the test with your peers.
What is the TMUA?
The TMUA is a pre-university application maths exam sat at the beginning of November. The exam is run by the Admissions Testing Service (ATS). Your score in the TMUA is personal to you and universities cannot see your score unless you release it to them via the online results system. Thus, it is a test that only advantages applicants rather than disadvantages them.
The test is comprised of two 75 minute non-calculator papers, each with 20 multiple choice questions. The questions are based on AS maths level content and thus no special preparation is required prior to sitting the exam. The official page for the TMUA, with practice materials, can be found here: http://www.admissionstestingservice....ity-admission/
Who uses the TMUA?
A list of universities that consider the TMUA in some capacity:
Further details can be found on their respective websites as each university handles the test differently with respect to admissions. Some universities give lowered offers for sufficiently good performance on this test.
Key Dates
The key dates for the TMUA are as follows:
Your schools exams office should be able to sort this for you.
Key Scores
Overall mark out of 40 required to achieve a 6.5 each year:
How to Prepare
Practice is really the key to this test. There are a variety of ways which you can practice the sort of problems that could come up such as doing problems from the UKMT Intermediate and Senior Maths Challenges and the Kangaroo papers. The MAT may also offer some good practice with its multiple choice section. I would strongly advise looking through the notes on Logic and Proof on the "preparing for the test" section on the TMUA website as these topics can come up and are not really covered fully in the A-Level syllabus.
Who am I?
I'm a fourth year maths student at Durham who sat the test in its inaugural year (2016). I can mainly help with any maths questions regarding the test that you may have and I'll try my best to help with administrative woes. [[Also very happy to answer any questions about Durham/maths at uni
]]
As a disclaimer, I'm not affiliated with the Admissions Testing Service in any way so I have no access to information other than that publicly available.
(Potentially) Useful Resources
Coming soon.. .
TMUA Specimen Paper
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
TMUA Practice Paper (formerly 2016 paper before readjustments to test)
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
TMUA 2017 Paper
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
TMUA 2018 Paper
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
TMUA 2019 Paper
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
Additional Questions
TMUA Preparation Thread 2020

What is the TMUA?

The TMUA is a pre-university application maths exam sat at the beginning of November. The exam is run by the Admissions Testing Service (ATS). Your score in the TMUA is personal to you and universities cannot see your score unless you release it to them via the online results system. Thus, it is a test that only advantages applicants rather than disadvantages them.
The test is comprised of two 75 minute non-calculator papers, each with 20 multiple choice questions. The questions are based on AS maths level content and thus no special preparation is required prior to sitting the exam. The official page for the TMUA, with practice materials, can be found here: http://www.admissionstestingservice....ity-admission/
Who uses the TMUA?

A list of universities that consider the TMUA in some capacity:
- The University of Bath
- Cardiff University
- Durham University
- Lancaster University
- London School of Economics and Political Science
- The University of Nottingham
- The University of Sheffield
- The University of Southampton
- The University of Warwick
Further details can be found on their respective websites as each university handles the test differently with respect to admissions. Some universities give lowered offers for sufficiently good performance on this test.
Key Dates

The key dates for the TMUA are as follows:
- 1st September: Registration opens
- 1st October: Registration deadline with standard fee
- 15th October: FINAL REGISTRATION DEADLINE (with higher fee)
- 4th November: TMUA exam
- 30th November: Results are released
Your schools exams office should be able to sort this for you.
Key Scores

Overall mark out of 40 required to achieve a 6.5 each year:
- 2016: 21 marks
- 2017: 24 marks
- 2018: 24 marks
How to Prepare

Practice is really the key to this test. There are a variety of ways which you can practice the sort of problems that could come up such as doing problems from the UKMT Intermediate and Senior Maths Challenges and the Kangaroo papers. The MAT may also offer some good practice with its multiple choice section. I would strongly advise looking through the notes on Logic and Proof on the "preparing for the test" section on the TMUA website as these topics can come up and are not really covered fully in the A-Level syllabus.
Who am I?

I'm a fourth year maths student at Durham who sat the test in its inaugural year (2016). I can mainly help with any maths questions regarding the test that you may have and I'll try my best to help with administrative woes. [[Also very happy to answer any questions about Durham/maths at uni

As a disclaimer, I'm not affiliated with the Admissions Testing Service in any way so I have no access to information other than that publicly available.
(Potentially) Useful Resources

Coming soon.. .

TMUA Specimen Paper
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
TMUA Practice Paper (formerly 2016 paper before readjustments to test)
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
TMUA 2017 Paper
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
TMUA 2018 Paper
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
TMUA 2019 Paper
Paper 1
Paper 2
Answer Key
Official Paper 1 Worked Solutions
Official Paper 2 Worked Solutions
Additional Questions
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username1732133
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(Original post by PhocMai)
This was the only question I couldn't get, no matter how long I stared at it for. It's the hardest TMUA question in 2018 and maybe in general as well. Unless you are a naturally gifted maths genius you will not get it. That's absolutely fine. I'm reassured that someone seems to find this as difficult as I do...
This was the only question I couldn't get, no matter how long I stared at it for. It's the hardest TMUA question in 2018 and maybe in general as well. Unless you are a naturally gifted maths genius you will not get it. That's absolutely fine. I'm reassured that someone seems to find this as difficult as I do...
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username1732133
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(Original post by vix.xvi)
ahh ok thanks
im not looking to do that kinda stuff at uni...but some sort of science i think... not sure yet
do u think its useful prep anyways if i practice it? or should i focus more on the actual entrance exams for the course that I'll choose... (:
ahh ok thanks
im not looking to do that kinda stuff at uni...but some sort of science i think... not sure yet
do u think its useful prep anyways if i practice it? or should i focus more on the actual entrance exams for the course that I'll choose... (:

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Drogo Baggins
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If anyone wants any more maths prep, they could try http://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/study-here...mat-livestream
(I only found this course today - it's been running since June, but old worksheets and videos are available).
(I only found this course today - it's been running since June, but old worksheets and videos are available).
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hermione814
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i'm an international student, so i'm not sure what A-levels cover, so is there a standard A-level textbook that I could study to make sure that I know all those concepts?
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username1732133
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(Original post by hermione814)
i'm an international student, so i'm not sure what A-levels cover, so is there a standard A-level textbook that I could study to make sure that I know all those concepts?
i'm an international student, so i'm not sure what A-levels cover, so is there a standard A-level textbook that I could study to make sure that I know all those concepts?
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