Official scale, practical interpretation

TMUA scores, without the folklore.

The current TMUA gives one overall score from 1.0 to 9.0, to one decimal place. Here is what the official distribution says, what it does not say, and how to use the number without pretending it is an offer letter.

4.5approximately the typical candidate score

The official position

One score. No published pass mark.

Your two papers produce one overall TMUA score from 1.0 to 9.0, reported to one decimal place. UAT-UK says a typical candidate scores around 4.5, while roughly 10% score above 7.0.

Those are distribution anchors, not grade boundaries. There is no universal pass mark and universities do not share one admissions cut-off. See the official 2025/26 explanation of results (PDF).

How the scaling works

UAT-UK combines performance across both papers and uses Rasch item-response modelling to equate different test forms. This adjusts for forms that are not exactly equal in difficulty.

The practical consequence is blunt: there is no universal raw-mark conversion. The same raw total is not guaranteed to produce the same scaled score in every sitting.

Planning bands, not promises

What TMUA score bands mean in practice

These bands interpret the official distribution alongside public course offer-rate context. They are not university-issued thresholds. Selectivity, grades, interviews and the rest of the application still matter.

1.0–4.4

Below the typical score

Below the official typical-candidate level of about 4.5. On a highly selective course, this is unlikely to strengthen the application, though no universal TMUA pass mark exists.

4.5–5.9

Typical to above typical

A credible result, with the course doing most of the contextual work. The same score can look quite different beside a low offer rate, an interview, or very strong predicted grades.

6.0–6.9

Competitive working range

Clearly above the typical candidate. For many selective TMUA courses this is a sensible planning range, but universities do not publish one shared cut-off and an offer is never decided by TMUA alone.

7.0–9.0

Upper-tail performance

Very strong test performance. The official results explanation says roughly 10% of candidates score above 7.0. That is useful context, not an offer guarantee.

A 6.5 is good. It is not magic. On a course with a low offer rate, “good” and “safe” are very different words.

Old scores versus current scores

A converter can estimate. It cannot recover an official boundary that was never published.

Our free converter matches historical results to the current reference distribution by percentile. That makes it useful for planning and much better than comparing the printed numbers directly. It is still an estimate, because UAT-UK equates each live set of forms and does not publish one permanent raw-mark table.

Use the converter

2026/27 cycle

TMUA booking, test and results dates

Check UAT-UK key dates

October 2026

Booking opens
20 July 2026, 3pm BST
Booking deadline
28 September 2026, 6pm BST
Test window
12–16 October 2026
Results
16 November 2026

January 2027

Booking opens
26 October 2026, 3pm GMT
Booking deadline
21 December 2026, 6pm GMT
Test window
4–8 January 2027
Results
8 February 2027

When the numbers disagree

Use the official results PDF as the source of truth.

Some third-party pages disagree on percentile anchors. More awkwardly, UAT-UK's own results webpage currently says 7.0 in one paragraph and 9.0 later on for the 90th-percentile anchor.

The official explanation of results (PDF) says the typical score is about 4.5 and approximately 10% score above 7.0. Use that PDF, not the contradictory web paragraph.

TMUA score FAQs

Is 6.5 a good TMUA score?

Yes. A 6.5 is well above the official typical-candidate score of about 4.5 and sits below the point where roughly 10% of candidates score above 7.0. For a selective TMUA course, treat 6.5 as a competitive working score, not a guaranteed offer or universal cut-off.

How is the TMUA score scaled?

UAT-UK combines performance across both papers and uses Rasch item-response modelling to equate different test forms. The result is one overall score from 1.0 to 9.0, reported to one decimal place. Because forms are equated statistically, there is no universal raw-mark-to-score table for every sitting.

Can I compare old and new TMUA scores directly?

Not reliably. Older papers were scored against their own cohorts and published conversion tables, while current forms use UAT-UK's equated scale and current distribution. Compare percentile-equivalent performance instead of assuming the printed scores are interchangeable. Our converter does that as an estimate, not an official conversion.

A score needs context. Preparation needs a diagnosis.

Convert the old paper, then find the marks you are actually losing.

    TMUA Scores Explained: Scale, Bands & 2026/27 Dates