What is a good TMUA score?
The TMUA is reported as a single score from 1.0 (low) to 9.0 (high), given to one decimal place. There is only one number, covering both papers, which is different from the ESAT, where each subtest is scored on its own. So when people ask what a good TMUA score is, they are really asking where that one number sits among everyone else who took the test.
How the TMUA is scored
You do not get a raw percentage. Your answers across Paper 1 and Paper 2 are marked and then scaled together, and the scaling adjusts for how hard the particular paper was. That is the point of it: a 6.0 this year and a 6.0 in a harder or easier year mean the same thing, so scores are comparable across sittings. It also means there is no "X out of 40" to aim for, because the reported score, not the raw mark, is what universities see. And since nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, you should put something down for every question.
The TMUA score scale explained
UAT-UK only publishes two points from the October distribution. Everything else you read online is someone's estimate.
| Point in the distribution | TMUA score (out of 9.0) |
|---|---|
| Median (50th percentile) | 4.5 |
| 90th percentile | 9.0 |
The median tells you that half the candidates score below 4.5, so anything above that already puts you in the upper half of a field that is strong to begin with. The 90th percentile tells you the rest: the very top of the scale is reached by roughly one candidate in ten, so a score near 9.0 is rare rather than expected.
What counts as a good TMUA score
With that in mind, a rough sense of the scale: above 4.5 puts you in the upper half of the cohort, something around 6.0 to 7.0 is a strong result that backs up a competitive application, and a score approaching the top helps most where competition is fiercest. None of this is a promise, because no university confirms cut-offs.
That last point is worth dwelling on, because you will see confident-sounding thresholds online, like "you need 6.5 for Imperial". Those numbers are not published by UAT-UK and not confirmed by the universities. Treat them as guesses, not targets.
What is a good TMUA score for Cambridge, Imperial, LSE and Warwick
For 2027 entry, seven universities use the TMUA: Cambridge, Imperial, LSE, Oxford, Warwick, Durham and UCL. At some it is compulsory, at others recommended. You can see the exact courses and whether it is required or optional on our university requirements pages.
None of them applies a hard score threshold. Imperial says outright that there is no pass or fail and that you should aim to do the best you can, and Cambridge treats the score as one part of a decision made across your whole application. Your TMUA result helps, but it is read next to your predicted grades, personal statement and reference, and at Cambridge alongside your interview. Which leaves you in the same place wherever you apply: score as high as you can, because a higher score never hurts.
How to improve your TMUA score
Since there is no published cut-off, set your target by the standard of the course rather than a rumoured number, then close the gap with practice. The most reliable way to raise a score is timed work on real questions followed by honest review:
- Work through the TMUA content specification and mark your weak topics.
- Rebuild those topics with our topic-by-topic textbook.
- Sit TMUA past papers to the clock, then review every question you missed or guessed.
- Use timed mocks and adaptive practice to keep targeting the topics you keep dropping marks on.
For the step-by-step version of this, see how to prepare for the TMUA, and for how the two papers differ, see TMUA Paper 1 vs Paper 2.
Official TMUA resources
The scoring figures above come from UAT-UK, which sets and runs the TMUA. For anything score-related, its pages are the authoritative source, and the practice tools on tmua.fyi are supplementary to them.
- How the TMUA is scored and results dates, UAT-UK
- TMUA test and content specification, UAT-UK
- How each university uses the score: Cambridge and Imperial
Frequently asked questions
What is the average TMUA score?
On the October cohort, the median score is 4.5 out of 9.0, so roughly half of candidates score below 4.5 and half above. The 90th percentile is 9.0, so the very top of the scale is reached by around the top tenth of candidates. These are the only percentile figures UAT-UK publishes.
Is there a pass mark for the TMUA?
No. UAT-UK does not set a pass mark or publish grade boundaries. Each university decides how it uses your score alongside the rest of your application.
What TMUA score do I need for Cambridge or Imperial?
Neither publishes a fixed cut-off. Both assess applications holistically, so your score sits alongside predicted grades, your personal statement, your reference and, at Cambridge, your interview. Aim as high as you can rather than for a specific number.
Can I retake the TMUA to improve my score?
You can sit the TMUA only once per admissions cycle, and only your first score counts. A score cannot be carried over to a future year.
Is 6.0 a good TMUA score?
A 6.0 is comfortably above the 4.5 median, which places you in the upper part of a strong field. Whether it is enough for a given course depends on the rest of your application, since no university publishes a fixed threshold.