TMUA Mock Examinations · September and October 2026

A full paper, sat under examination conditions.

I am running eight papers between September and October. Each is sat on screen and invigilated live on Google Meet, matching the computer-based format used at Pearson VUE test centres, and I review it in full immediately afterwards, while the working is still fresh.

I write the papers myself for this series, so candidates work on original problems rather than the small stock of official material most will already have attempted.

Why these papers

A remembered paper measures recall, not reasoning.

The official TMUA material is finite. A candidate preparing seriously will have worked through most of it by September, and a paper sat for the second time measures recall rather than reasoning. A mock is only diagnostic if the problems on it are unfamiliar.

Official past papers

Finite, widely circulated, already attempted

A limited number of papers, worked through by most serious candidates well before the sitting. Re-sitting one tests memory of the solution as much as the mathematics.

These papers

Original, unseen, written for the current format

I write each paper for this series, drawing on the bank of over two hundred original questions I already use in individual tuition, and set it to the style and demands of the current examination.

A student who scores well on a paper they half remember learns very little. A student who meets unfamiliar problems under timed conditions learns where their reasoning slows, which topics remain insecure, and how their timing holds up when a question does not resolve in the first minute.

The same bank of original questions is described in How I teach on the main site.

The format

Each session follows the same sequence.

I run every session in the same sequence: the paper is sat in silence under invigilation, I mark it while the group takes a short break, and I then review it in full. I keep groups deliberately small so that there is time to work through everyone's questions during the review.

Sets A, B and C

Single paper · 5:30–8:30pm
5:30pm
Joining and instructions. Cameras on, phones away.
5:40pm
The paper. 75 minutes, in silence, invigilated throughout.
6:55pm
Short break while I mark the paper.
7:05pm
Review of the paper, question by question.
8:15pm
Timing and technique, and what to work on before the next set.

Set D

Full mock day · 10am–3pm
10:00am
Joining and instructions.
10:10am
Paper 1. 75 minutes under invigilation.
11:25am
The proper break, of the same length as on the day.
11:40am
Paper 2. 75 minutes under invigilation.
12:55pm
Lunch, during which I mark both papers.
1:30pm
Full review of both papers, followed by timing and technique.
Set D begins in the morning because the examination itself does. Both papers are sat back to back, with the same break between them as on the day.
After the paper

Each paper returns a score and a written account.

1.0–9.0

A scaled score

I mark each paper and report it on the same 1.0 to 9.0 scale used by the examination itself.

5.0 · 6.0+

Measured against the standard

How that score compares with the standards expected at Cambridge, Imperial and LSE: 5.0 is increasingly necessary to stay in contention, and 6.0 and above is where a candidate stands out.

A summary of your own paper

I write it from your own script: the topics that cost you marks, how your time was spent across the paper, and what to work on before the next set.

The schedule
SetPaperDateTime
Set APaper 1Tuesday 15th September5:30–8:30pm
Set APaper 2Thursday 17th September5:30–8:30pm
Set BPaper 1Tuesday 22nd September5:30–8:30pm
Set BPaper 2Thursday 24th September5:30–8:30pm
Set CPaper 1Tuesday 29th September5:30–8:30pm
Set CPaper 2Thursday 1st October5:30–8:30pm
Set DFull mockSunday 4th October10am–3pm

If a date does not suit, please write to me and I will try to arrange an alternative time to sit that paper.

Registration for the October sitting closes on 28 September at 6pm BST, and the test window is 12 to 16 October. Candidates who have not yet booked a test appointment at a Pearson VUE centre should do so promptly, independently of anything arranged here.

Reserving a place

Single papers, or the complete series.

The complete series

All eight papers

The six evening papers of Sets A, B and C, and both papers of the Set D mock day, each with its review. The intended course for a candidate sitting in October.

£375 / person

Single paper

£55 / person

Any one of the six evening papers in Sets A, B and C, with the review that follows it.

Set D full mock day

£110 / person

Both papers sat back to back, with a full review of each in the afternoon.

I do not take payment in advance. I invoice each set once it has run, and ask that it is settled before the next set begins.

An early booking rate of £335 applies to the full series when booked before Sunday 13th September.

Enquiries

Reserve a place, or ask first.

Send your details and I will confirm your place. If you would rather talk it through first, call or send a message on WhatsApp to 07488 270351.

For a fuller conversation about preparation, you are welcome to book a free 30 minute consultation.

Sessions wanted · select any

I will reply to confirm your place. I do not take payment in advance; I invoice each set after it has run.

Before you join

What to have ready on the day.

  • Sessions run on Google Meet, and I send the joining link the day before.
  • You will need a laptop or desktop computer, since the paper is sat on screen. A phone is not suitable.
  • Camera on throughout the paper, as it is invigilated.
  • A pen and blank paper for working.
  • No calculator, as none is permitted in the examination.

Terms

I hold places on request and invoice after each set, payable before the next one begins. If you can no longer attend, please tell me in advance and I will either move you to another session or release the place.

Questions

The points most often raised beforehand.

Are the papers original?
Yes. I write every paper for this series, drawing on the bank of over two hundred original questions I use in individual tuition, and set it to the style and demands of the current examination. I take none of the material from official past papers.
Do I need to have finished the syllabus?
No. The papers cover the full specification, so an unfinished topic will show up as a gap rather than a failure, which is why sitting one in September is useful. I review the reasoning behind each question, so a topic met for the first time in the paper is still worth attempting.
What if I can only attend some of the sessions?
You may book single papers individually at £55 each, and the Set D mock day on its own. I price the complete series for a candidate sitting in October, but there is no requirement to take all eight.
How is the score calculated?
I mark each paper and convert it to the 1.0 to 9.0 scale used by the examination, so your score is directly comparable with the standards described on the main site. I then write the summary from your own script, setting out the topics that cost you marks and how your time was spent across the paper.
Can I join if I am sitting the January round?
Yes. I run the same papers and the same review whichever sitting is being prepared for, and the timing falls earlier in the preparation. The registration and test dates given on this page refer to the October sitting only.
What happens if I miss a session?
Let me know in advance and I will arrange for you to sit that paper at another time. I still invoice a session missed without notice, though I send on the paper and the worked solutions afterwards so that the material is not lost.