The flagship exam · Test of Mathematics for University Admission

TMUA preparation that earns the offer.

The TMUA is now the single highest-leverage exam an aspiring mathematician or economist will sit, and it rewards a way of thinking the A-level syllabus never teaches. I prepare you for it one-to-one, the way I have for twelve years.

2

papers: Knowledge & Reasoning

75 min

each, 20 questions, no calculator

9.0

top of the scoring scale

Oct

sat in the autumn, before offers

Why it decides everything

A high TMUA score can lower your A-level offer, and a low one can cost you the place.

The TMUA tests two things the A-level rewards far too little: fluent, flexible mathematical knowledge, and rigorous reasoning: logic, proof, and the ability to spot the elegant line through a problem. It is multiple-choice, but the options are designed around the exact mistakes strong students make under time pressure.

That's why raw ability isn't enough. Brilliant students routinely under-perform because nobody has trained them in the specific techniques the paper rewards: eliminating options fast, reasoning backwards, and staying calm without a calculator. Those techniques are entirely learnable. That's the whole job.

Who asks for it

Required or recommended across the top of the table

For Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science and related degrees, and the list grows every year.

Cambridge
Imperial College London
LSE
Warwick
Durham
Bath
King's College London
Southampton
Sheffield · Lancaster · & more

Requirements vary by course and year. I'll confirm exactly what your target needs on our call.

What's on the paper

Two papers, two very different demands

Paper 1

Applications of Mathematical Knowledge

Twenty multiple-choice questions testing how fluently you apply core pre-university mathematics: algebra, functions, sequences, geometry, calculus, at speed and without a calculator.

Paper 2

Mathematical Reasoning

Twenty questions on logic and proof: implication, necessary and sufficient conditions, counter-examples and the structure of an argument. This is the paper that catches strong students off guard.

75 minutes per paper · 2.5 hours in total · scored on a scale up to 9.0.

The preparation

Built around the TMUA, not bolted on

Reasoning & proof from the ground up

We build the logic toolkit Paper 2 demands, the part no school course covers properly.

Multiple-choice technique

Elimination, estimation and back-solving: how to find the answer without grinding the full working.

Speed without a calculator

Mental agility drilled until 75 minutes feels like enough, because timing is where scores are lost.

Full mocks, marked like the real thing

Timed papers reviewed question by question, tracking the exact patterns in your mistakes.

Why me for the TMUA

I'm an award-winning teacher at the LSE, which requires the TMUA.

I see this test from the admissions side of the desk. Over twelve years and more than 1,200 students, 14,000 hours one-to-one, I've narrowed my focus to the exams and maths that decide top offers. When we work together, you're not getting a maths tutor who also does TMUA. You're getting a specialist who does little else.

TMUA questions

Good to know

Emphatically yes. The reasoning paper relies on a body of logic and proof technique that can be taught directly, and the knowledge paper rewards speed habits that only come from structured practice. Preparation is the single biggest lever on the score.

For the strongest results, several months, starting over the summer before the autumn sitting. Shorter, intensive runs in the final weeks still help, and on our call I'll tell you honestly what's achievable in the time you have.

It depends on the university and course, and requirements change year to year. Tell me your target on the call and I'll confirm exactly where it stands: required, recommended, or a way to strengthen a borderline application.

In their words

From students aiming at the top

★★★★★
"I wanted to study at a UK university, so I asked Antonin to prepare me for the admissions maths test. Doing maths the MAT/TMUA way takes adjustment, but he gave me the keys: a rigorous method and clever techniques for the problems. Thanks to him I got the score I needed to be eligible for Imperial College in Mathematics."
Rondro · Mathematics, Imperial College London
★★★★★
"Antonin is an incredible teacher. He knows exactly what to say to make complex ideas click, and he prepares you efficiently for the entrance exams of English-speaking universities. His expertise and passion make me even more motivated, probably the best maths teacher I've ever had."
Eric · physics & maths applicant, French international school
★★★★★
"Antonin helped me prepare for STEP 2 and STEP 3 to get into Cambridge in mathematics. His help was invaluable. I received offers from both top universities in England and from top French undergrads! His lessons aren't just maths; they're genuinely enriching conversations."
Méryl · offers at Cambridge and Imperial

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Fifteen minutes, no obligation. I'll walk you through the whole method, and tell you honestly what would actually move your result.

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  • Limited places each cycle

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