How Is the TMUA Scored?
TMUA scoring is simpler than it first looks, once you see that everything collapses into one number. You do not get a mark per paper or a percentage. Both papers are combined and scaled into a single score, and understanding how shapes what you should aim for.
One combined score
Your answers across Paper 1 and Paper 2 are marked together and reported as a single overall score from 1.0 (low) to 9.0 (high), to one decimal place. There is no separate Paper 1 grade and no Paper 2 grade, and no calculator or negative marking to complicate the marking. This is a key difference from the modular ESAT, where each subtest is scored on its own. On the TMUA, both papers count equally toward the one number a university sees.
From raw marks to a scaled score
Across the two papers you answer 40 multiple-choice questions, each worth one mark, with nothing deducted for a wrong answer. Those raw marks are then converted to the 1.0 to 9.0 scale rather than reported as a percentage. Scaling of this kind adjusts for how difficult a particular sitting was, so a given scaled score reflects the same standard whichever year or window you took. The practical consequence is that there is no fixed raw mark to aim for, and the scaled score is what universities actually see. Because nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, you should put something down for every question.
No pass mark
UAT-UK does not set a pass mark for the TMUA and does not publish grade boundaries. The test exists to spread out a strong field of applicants, not to sort them into pass and fail. Because of that, you should be sceptical of any specific threshold quoted online, such as a claim that you "need 6.5 for Imperial". Those numbers are not published by UAT-UK or confirmed by the universities. For a grounded sense of what a strong result looks like, and the two percentile figures UAT-UK does publish, see what is a good TMUA score.
When results arrive
Results for the October 2026 sitting are released on 16 November 2026, and results for the January 2027 sitting on 8 February 2027. Your score is shared with the universities you have applied to as part of your application. You can confirm the current dates on the UAT-UK deadlines page, and see the full timeline in when is the TMUA 2027.
What this means for your revision
Because both papers feed one score, a weak Paper 2 drags down an otherwise strong result just as much as a weak Paper 1 would. That is an argument for preparing both styles rather than leaning on the applied maths you already know from school. Give the Paper 2 reasoning material its own time, as set out in how to prepare for the TMUA.
Official TMUA resources
Scoring is defined by UAT-UK, which sets and runs the TMUA. Its pages are the authoritative source, and the tools on tmua.fyi are supplementary to them.
- TMUA test, content specification and scoring, UAT-UK
- Test results and dates, UAT-UK
- TMUA preparation materials, UAT-UK
Frequently asked questions
What scale is the TMUA scored on?
A single overall score from 1.0 (low) to 9.0 (high), reported to one decimal place. Both papers are scaled together into that one number, with no separate grade per paper.
Is there a pass mark for the TMUA?
No. UAT-UK does not set a pass mark or publish grade boundaries. Universities read your score as part of a wider assessment of your application.
Does the TMUA have negative marking?
No. Your score is based only on the number of correct answers, so a wrong answer never costs more than a blank. You should attempt every question.
When do TMUA results come out?
For the October 2026 sitting, results are released on 16 November 2026. For the January 2027 sitting, they follow on 8 February 2027.