Can I do the MAT but apply during November-December?

Hello,

I'm currently a Year 13 student, set to begin in September. I have a bit of a situation and I'm hoping some of you might be able to offer some guidance.

My predicted grades are an A* in Further Maths and Economics, and an A in Maths (don't ask me how I got an A* in fm and not in maths...). I have the chance to make a difference in my upcoming mocks scheduled for around late November/early December. If I manage to achieve an A* in regular Maths during these mocks, there's a good chance my predicted grade could be bumped up to an A*.

Here's the catch: one of the universities I'm applying to is Imperial College London, and they strongly recommend students interested in pursuing mathematics at degree level to take the MAT (Mathematics Admission Test). The MAT exam date falls on the 19th of October.

My query is: is it possible for me to take the MAT on the 19th of October and then apply to university immediately after I have done my mocks in late November or early December?

Any insights or advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!

Reply 1

CAG575

Original post by Kurayami2317

UCAS does not close until January. You would need to check that the course that you are applying for does not have an early application deadline. All courses at Oxford and Cambridge, plus Medicine and Dentistry all have early application deadlines ( mid October). I don’t think that imperial does ( apart from Meficine). If the course you want to do is not one that needs an early application, then yes, you can wait and submit your UCAS form after your mocks. There is a deadline for applying to sit the MATthat is even earlier, but you can apply to sit the MAT and even sit it before submitting your UCAS form.

Would Imperial Penalise you for not applying earlier? I’m not sure. Possibly. Maybe someone who knows more about the admissions at Imperial can advise. The majority of people that sit the MAT will be putting in an early application and there is a risk that offers may go out once MAT scores are released before you have even submitted your UCAS form .

Best thing would be to try to persuade your school to predict you an A* in maths. Can you sit a mock in early October to prove yourself?

Failing that, would it be so bad to submit your UCAS early with A*A* A predictions ? If you do well in your MAT that will carry much more weight than your teacher’s predicted grade?