Question 1

Does the MAT still count for 2026 Oxford Maths entry?

Accepted Answer

No. Oxford Admissions confirmed in December 2024 that the TMUA replaces the MAT for Mathematics applicants from 2026 entry onward. The MAT remains live for some related courses (Computer Science) but not for the core Maths route. Treat the TMUA as the only admissions test that counts.

Question 2

How does the MAT-to-TMUA transition affect 2026 entry?

Accepted Answer

Practically: practice papers from 2024 and earlier are useful for problem-solving style but the question format is different. The TMUA Paper 1 is multiple-choice and timed tighter than the MAT. The TMUA Paper 2 is reasoning, which the MAT did not test in the same form. Allow 8 to 12 weeks longer than a MAT prep cycle, on average.

Question 3

What TMUA score does Oxford Maths typically shortlist at?

Accepted Answer

Oxford has not yet published shortlist thresholds for the TMUA. Based on the equivalent MAT-to-shortlist data (MAT 56-65 was the typical shortlist range), and the TMUA distribution from the 2024 sitting, we estimate the Oxford Maths shortlist threshold sits around TMUA 6.0 with material variance by college. We aim Pro students at 6.5+ as a working target.

Question 4

Will I get an interview if I score above 6.5?

Accepted Answer

Probably, but not guaranteed. Oxford shortlists about 40% of applicants. A TMUA 6.5+ puts you in roughly the top quartile of applicants. The shortlist is not a hard cutoff: a strong personal statement and predicted grades carry some weight too. Below 6.0 the shortlist closes for most colleges.

Question 5

Which Oxford colleges are easiest for Maths?

Accepted Answer

On the published 2024 entry data, Mansfield, St Edmund Hall and Lady Margaret Hall sit above the central Maths offer rate. Magdalen, Worcester and Christ Church sit below. The college multiplier swing is materially smaller than Cambridge's because Oxford pools heavily between colleges during shortlisting and interview.

Question 6

Is the Oxford interview as scary as people say?

Accepted Answer

It is intense but predictable. You get handed a problem you cannot fully solve and asked to reason aloud. The tutors care about how you think, not whether you finish. Students who land a 7.0+ on the TMUA tend to find the interview pace manageable. If you want direct interview practice, TMUA Catapult bundles three mock interviews with Aryan, a current Cambridge maths student.

Question 7

What is the refund policy?

Accepted Answer

Full refund within 14 days of purchase, no questions. If you sit the diagnostic, work through the first crash-course module and decide it is not for you, message support and the charge is reversed inside 48 hours.

Oxford Mathematics TMUA prep.

Oxford Mathematics TMUA prep.