Is there a pass mark for the TMUA?

No. There is no pass mark or grade boundary; universities compare your score with other applicants'.

Is there negative marking in the TMUA?

No. Wrong answers are not penalised, so you should answer every question.

Updated 11 November 2026

What is a good TMUA score? The 1.0–9.0 scale explained

Q: What is a good TMUA score?

A typical candidate scores around 4 to 4.5 on the 1.0–9.0 scale. Offer-holders at the most selective courses often score 6.5 to 7.5 or more.

The TMUA gives one overall score from 1.0 to 9.0. There is no pass mark. A typical candidate scores around 4 to 4.5, and successful applicants to the most competitive courses usually score well above that, often 6.5 to 7.5 or more.

How TMUA scoring works

One score for both papers. Your 40 answers (20 per paper) produce a single score on a 1.0–9.0 scale, reported to one decimal place.¹
No negative marking. A wrong answer costs nothing, so never leave a question blank.¹
No pass mark or grade boundaries. Universities compare your score with other applicants'.²
Scores are equated. Candidates see different versions of the test, so raw marks are adjusted statistically to put everyone on the same scale. That is why there is no fixed table converting "marks out of 40" into a score.^1,2
Results arrive about four weeks after the test, on your UAT-UK dashboard.¹

What counts as a good score?

Score	What it usually means
Below 4.0	Below the typical candidate. Common for students who haven't covered the Paper 2 logic or practised without a calculator.
4.0–5.5	Around the middle of the field. Competitive for some courses, but below the average offer-holder at the most selective ones.
5.5–6.5	A strong score. In the range of many offer-holders for economics, computing and business courses.
6.5–7.5	About 13% of candidates score 6.5 or more. Typical of offer-holders for maths and joint-maths courses at the most selective universities.
7.5+	An outstanding score, reached by only a small share of candidates.

These bands are our guide, based on published distributions and university data for the 2025 cycle.^3,4 They are not official, and they shift a little from year to year.

What universities have reported

Imperial College London publishes mean TMUA scores by admissions outcome on an interactive dashboard.² For 2025 entry these were reported as about 7.6 for Mathematics offer-holders, 6.2 for Computing and 5.3 for the Business School.³ Cambridge offer-holders across TMUA courses averaged about 6.3, against about 4.6 for all applicants.³

The score is only one part of your application. Universities weigh it alongside your predicted grades, school reference, personal statement and (where used) interview. Imperial is explicit that a high score doesn't guarantee an offer and a lower one doesn't rule you out.²

How to raise your score

Master Paper 2 logic. Necessary and sufficient conditions, contrapositives and negation are rarely taught at school, so this is where preparation pays most. Start with our free logic lesson.
Get fast without a calculator. You have about 3¾ minutes a question.
Answer every question. There is no penalty for guessing, so eliminate what you can and pick.
Sit timed mocks in the final weeks and review every mistake. See our 8-week preparation plan.

Try 10 free TMUA-style questions

What is a good TMUA score? The 1.0–9.0 scale explained

How TMUA scoring works

What counts as a good score?

What universities have reported

How to raise your score

Sources

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