MAT

Overview

The Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT) was a pre-interview written test set by the University of Oxford's Mathematical Institute and used from 2007 to 2025 to help shortlist applicants to its Mathematics, Computer Science and related joint-honours courses for interview. Imperial College London and the University of Warwick also used MAT scores for some of their own mathematics-related courses during this period, sitting the same test as Oxford applicants.

For the 2026 admissions round onward (applications for October 2027 entry), Oxford retired the MAT. Applicants to the courses that previously required it now sit the TMUA (Test of Mathematics for University Admission) instead, a shared test already used by other universities including Cambridge, Imperial and Warwick. The final MAT sitting was on 22 and 23 October 2025, for October 2026 entry.

Who could apply

The MAT was required of applicants to Oxford's Mathematics, Mathematics and Statistics, Mathematics and Philosophy, Mathematics and Computer Science, Computer Science, and Computer Science and Philosophy courses. It was also required by Imperial College London and the University of Warwick for some of their own mathematics-related courses, using the same test sitting rather than a separate exam.

Candidates needed a UCAS application to one of these courses already underway for the relevant year, since a MAT sitting was tied to that year's admissions cycle and could not be taken independently of an application.

Exam pattern

Marking and results

The Mathematical Institute marked the MAT itself. Tutors did not use the raw MAT score alone: Oxford combined it with the applicant's GCSE performance relative to other candidates from the same pre-16 school into a statistically adjusted figure, which was then weighed alongside the rest of the UCAS application and any relevant contextual information.

There was no fixed pass mark or cut-off score. Shortlisting was multi-factorial, so a lower MAT score could be offset by strong performance elsewhere in the application; candidates scoring as low as 30 out of the available marks were still shortlisted for interview in past years.

Important dates

These dates applied to the final MAT sitting, for October 2026 entry; no further sitting is scheduled.

Fees

Oxford charged no entry fee for the MAT itself. Candidates sitting at a centre other than their own school could still be charged a separate invigilation or room-hire fee by that test centre, set by the centre rather than by Oxford.

How to apply

1. A candidate registered for the MAT through their own school, if it offered the test as a centre, or through an approved Pearson VUE test centre.

2. Registration had to be completed by the published deadline (19 September 2025 for the final sitting), after which a separate, slightly later window was used to book an actual test slot.

3. A UCAS application to a course requiring the MAT needed to already be underway for that admissions cycle, since the test was tied to one year's applicants and could not be booked on its own.

After the exam

A MAT score was used only to help decide who was shortlisted for interview; it did not decide an offer by itself. Candidates not shortlisted learned this as part of Oxford's normal response to their UCAS application, typically in January.

From the 2026 admissions round onward, this entire stage is replaced by the TMUA, sat in October and used for shortlisting in its place, with its own separate test format, registration process and scoring.

Preparation tips

• Practise timed problem-solving that combines familiar A-level techniques in unfamiliar ways, since MAT questions were designed to go beyond routine exam-style questions rather than test new content.

• Work through official past MAT papers rather than generic maths practice material, since the question style and balance of topics were specific to this test.

• Anyone now preparing to apply to Oxford Mathematics or Computer Science should check whether their admissions cycle requires the TMUA instead, since its two-paper, all-multiple-choice format differs from the MAT described here.

FAQs