TMUA

Hi,
I am looking to prepare for my TMUA. How long do you think good preparation should be for? and how should i prepare for this test? any help would be appreciated and thank you for taking the time to read through this post

Hey, I'm planning to take TMUA this year and I've been told that understanding A Level Maths Spec really well helps (the paper is based on Y1 and Y2 Pure Maths). There's a dedicated TMUA and ESAT website where you'll be able to find the specification and how to register (I'm sure there's links to sources as well).
Past papers are always important but don't just rely on practicing past TMUA papers. Try the MCQs from MAT and other maths-based admissions test since they aim to test for a similar skill set in candidates.
When to start prep? I've kinda started already with one past paper but I'm planning to really concentrate on my problem solving skills during the summer. Ig it's upto u but summer is a really good time to go over the Maths content and practice applying ur knowledge to non-exam based scenarios. Then in September u can deep dive into certain areas leading up to the exam in mid-October.
I hope this makes sense. Let me know if you have anymore questions or if what I said it unclear

Thanks, do you know any websites to get exam questions for tmua? (apart from past papers or mat past papers) Thanks again.

Do the MCQ parts of MAT papers as well as they’re a reasonably similar style. To enhance your ability also do at least 10 STEP I papers over the summer if you’re actually looking for top grades in TMUA. This will improve your understanding of the underlying mathematics. Obviously also do all the TMUA past papers as well. Aim for at least a 7.5 imo. Should be quite doable with the right preparation.

Hi, thank you for your response. You mentioned step 1 papers, I have looked for past papers and it was apparently discontinued in 2020 with step 2 and step 3 being the only other alternatives. Do you think i should do them? thanks again

Thanks, do you know any websites to get exam questions for tmua? (apart from past papers or mat past papers) Thanks again.

Do you mean websites with different problem-solving based questions? If so there's:

I hope these help!

Hey, where do I find which trig values to know for the TMUA? Like some questions assume I should know sin(pi/4) but how do I do that without a calculator? And what other trig values should I know apart from the basic sin/cos/tan 30/45/60/75/90? Where do i learn this stuff

Hello, you'll need to know the sin/cos/tan values for 0, pi/6, pi/4, pi/3 and pi/2 (which are the radian equivalents of 0, 30, 45, 60 and 90 degrees respectively). If you've started Year 2 Maths (and do Edexcel as your exam board) you may have come across it before. I think the best way to go about it is memorisation tbh or the square w/ sides 2 and triangle w/ sides 1 method. If you remember pi = 180 degrees then you can work out the angles and exact values from there.

Hello, you'll need to know the sin/cos/tan values for 0, pi/6, pi/4, pi/3 and pi/2 (which are the radian equivalents of 0, 30, 45, 60 and 90 degrees respectively). If you've started Year 2 Maths (and do Edexcel as your exam board) you may have come across it before. I think the best way to go about it is memorisation tbh or the square w/ sides 2 and triangle w/ sides 1 method. If you remember pi = 180 degrees then you can work out the angles and exact values from there.

https://uat-wp.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/16150836/TMUA_Content_Specification_May2024.pdf
I've also added a link to the spec here. It mentions "Radian Measure" under Trigonometry but doesnt explicitly state you need to know sin/cos/tan exact values for radian angles. I still strongly suggest you learn them since they're needed for A Levels and I think I've seen questions where this has come up before.

Source: https://www.legac.com.au/blogs/trigonometry/exact-values-of-trigonometric-functions
Let me know if you need help with anything else

Thanks so much! So for the TMUA do you think its relevant for me to know trig proof qs ie. proving double angle identities using compound angle identities? Bc obviously there won't be any proof sort of qs in the TMUA but do you think its helpful to know them? I just don't get them so rn I'm just choosing to ignore them. Also are you doing the TMUA too?

Thanks so much

Tbh I'm not sure if double angle formulae will come up for TMUA (and nothing is mentioned about it in the spec) so I wouldn't worry about them too much for the admissions exam. One could argue it's better to be safe than sorry since I think it might come up or has come up in MAT and it could be useful when working out some trig & geometry problems.
I think I mentioned before but yep I'm doing the TMUA this year. Have you registered for the test yet?

I plan on doing it in Jan so no, but what topics from year 2 maths do you think I should do for the TMUA? The spec seems to be super vague so I don't rly use it and I'm just learning all of year 2 maths. Are there any you think there is no point learning? Like I've never done any papers so idk what comes up

I'm not entirely sure tbh, I'll ask my teacher foe advice when I get back to school (and she's very realistic with things so she won't just say to learn the whole thing). Personally, I need to step up my TMUA prep since I'm doing the October sitting 😅 (I haven't tried doing an entire paper in timed conditions yet) so it's motivating talking to someone else who's doing it! I'm one of two girls in my school doing it I believe.

Good luck! What date is yours? Did you manage to ask your teacher) Thanks!