The October TMUA sitting runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, and you book a slot inside that window when you register. There is a second sitting from 4 to 8 January 2027, open to applicants whose universities accept it.

What is the TMUA registration deadline?

28 September 2026 for 2027 entry. Registration opens on 20 July 2026, so you have roughly ten weeks to do it, and there is no realistic way to fix having missed it.

How do I register for the TMUA?

You register yourself with UAT-UK / Pearson VUE and book a slot at a test centre. Applying through UCAS does not register you. Do it as soon as the window opens, because centre slots are limited.

When do TMUA results come out?

16 November 2026 for the October sitting, and 8 February 2027 for the January one. Universities receive scores directly for the courses that use them, though some ask you to authorise access, so follow each university's own instructions rather than assuming.

How much does the TMUA cost?

The entry fee, and any reduced-fee or bursary arrangement, are set by UAT-UK / Pearson VUE and published on the official site. Check there before you register, since the fee is charged at the point of booking.

Should I sit the TMUA in October or January?

Cambridge and Oxford require the October sitting, so if any of your choices is on that list, October is settled for you. Otherwise it is a genuine choice: January buys you an extra term of preparation, but the score arrives after most offer decisions have already been made, so October is the safer default unless you have a specific reason.

TMUA dates for 2027 entry

For 2027 entry, TMUA registration opens on 20 July 2026 and closes on 28 September 2026. The October sitting runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, and you book a slot inside that week when you register. Results follow on 16 November 2026. You register yourself, through UAT-UK / Pearson VUE, and missing the deadline means you cannot sit the test this cycle.

Every date that matters

Registration opens20 July 2026
Registration deadline28 September 2026
You must have registered and booked a slot by this date.
October sitting12 to 16 October 2026
October sitting results16 November 2026
January sitting booking deadline21 December 2026
January sitting4 to 8 January 2027
Open to applicants to every university that uses the TMUA except Cambridge and Oxford, whose applicants sit in October. The exceptions are Cambridge mature colleges and the Oxford Foundation Year, which have January admissions deadlines of their own.
January sitting results8 February 2027

The deadline, not the test day, is what catches people out

Registration closes on 28 September 2026, a fortnight before the test window opens on 12 October. The UCAS deadline is separate and does not register you, and there is no appeal for having forgotten. Booking is also first come, first served on test-centre slots, so leaving it late can mean a date or a centre you did not want even if you make the deadline. Register with UAT-UK / Pearson VUE in the first week the window is open and the whole problem disappears.

Which sitting do you need?

The sitting you take is decided by the universities you apply to, not by you. If even one of your choices requires the October sitting, that is the one you take, because a January score arrives too late for it.

University	Sitting
Cambridge	Cambridge applicants must sit the TMUA in the October sitting.
Oxford	Oxford applicants must sit the TMUA in the October sitting. The TMUA replaces the MAT from 2027 entry.
Imperial	Imperial accepts either the October or January sitting.
Warwick	You can sit in October or January. STEP is an accepted alternative for Mathematics.
Durham	You can sit in October or January. A score of 5.0 or above earns consideration for a reduced offer.
LSE	You can sit in October or January.
UCL	You can sit in October or January.

About the January sitting

Open to applicants to every university that uses the TMUA except Cambridge and Oxford, whose applicants sit in October. The exceptions are Cambridge mature colleges and the Oxford Foundation Year, which have January admissions deadlines of their own. Check your own list first, because if any of your five choices requires October, the decision has already been made for you.

Where you do have a choice, most applicants to competitive courses are better off sitting in October. Admissions staff read applications through the winter, and a 16 November score is in front of them while they do it, whereas a 8 February score arrives once shortlisting is largely finished and offers have begun to go out. January does give you another term to prepare, which is worth something if you are genuinely behind on the content, but for most candidates that is a poor trade for being read without a score. It is also worth remembering that the test is sat once per admissions cycle, so January is not a second attempt at October but an alternative to it.

What happens after you sit it

Results are released on 16 November 2026 through your UAT-UK / Pearson VUE account. Because the UCAS deadline falls in October, you will have submitted your application before you see your result, so your five choices are made without it. Universities that use the score receive it directly, although Durham asks you to authorise the release yourself.

After that there is nothing further to wait for, since the TMUA has no grade boundaries and universities do not publish score cutoffs once results are out. How the TMUA score works explains what the number means.

Working backwards from 12 October

The UCAS deadline for Oxford and Cambridge falls in the same week as the test, and term will have started about five weeks earlier. That leaves the summer as the last stretch of uninterrupted time before the exam, since from September the personal statement and your first Year 13 assessments compete for the same evenings.

It is usually better to spend that time on content you have not met before, and to leave timed papers until term. Papers can be fitted around school in ninety-minute blocks, whereas learning a topic from scratch is harder to break up, and a topic you first meet in late September is one you will still be slow at in the exam.

Start preparing for 12 October

Every TMUA past paper on this site can be sat to the real clock, with a full worked solution for each question afterwards.

TMUA past papers What the TMUA looks like

TMUA dates: frequently asked questions

When is the TMUA?: The October TMUA sitting runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, and you book a slot inside that window when you register. There is a second sitting from 4 to 8 January 2027, open to applicants whose universities accept it.
What is the TMUA registration deadline?: 28 September 2026 for 2027 entry. Registration opens on 20 July 2026, so you have roughly ten weeks to do it, and there is no realistic way to fix having missed it.
How do I register for the TMUA?: You register yourself with UAT-UK / Pearson VUE and book a slot at a test centre. Applying through UCAS does not register you. Do it as soon as the window opens, because centre slots are limited.
When do TMUA results come out?: 16 November 2026 for the October sitting, and 8 February 2027 for the January one. Universities receive scores directly for the courses that use them, though some ask you to authorise access, so follow each university's own instructions rather than assuming.
How much does the TMUA cost?: The entry fee, and any reduced-fee or bursary arrangement, are set by UAT-UK / Pearson VUE and published on the official site. Check there before you register, since the fee is charged at the point of booking.
Can I sit the TMUA in January?: The January sitting runs from 4 to 8 January 2027, and you have to book it by 21 December 2026. Open to applicants to every university that uses the TMUA except Cambridge and Oxford, whose applicants sit in October. The exceptions are Cambridge mature colleges and the Oxford Foundation Year, which have January admissions deadlines of their own. You sit the test once per admissions cycle either way, so January is a different date, not an extra go.
Should I sit the TMUA in October or January?: Cambridge and Oxford require the October sitting, so if any of your choices is on that list, October is settled for you. Otherwise it is a genuine choice: January buys you an extra term of preparation, but the score arrives after most offer decisions have already been made, so October is the safer default unless you have a specific reason.