Most TMUA preparation fails in one of two ways: endless passive reading, or random hard questions with no system. This guide gives you the system — a timing method, a weekly routine, and three plans keyed to how many weeks you have left.
The 3-pass 225-second method
With 225 seconds per question, never solve in order. Pass 1 (first ~25 minutes): answer everything you can do in under 90 seconds and mark the rest. Pass 2 (next ~35 minutes): work the medium questions with full scrap-paper method. Pass 3 (final ~15 minutes): eliminate and guess the remainder — there is no negative marking. Practise this explicitly in every mock, not just on exam day. Paper 1 pass 1 is about recognising gift questions; Paper 2 pass 1 is about banking short arguments before long proofs (see Paper 1 vs Paper 2).
The weekly routine
A sustainable week around school: 3 × 30-minute drills (one topic each, timed, in /practice), 1 × 60-minute review (redo every miss from scratch in an error log), and 1 × weekend session (mock or mixed set from the bank). Alternate Paper 1 fluency days with Paper 2 reasoning days using the topic hubs, and check the syllabus checklist monthly to re-grade red topics. Track trend scores with the score calculator.
12-week plan
Weeks 1–4 (foundations): work MM1–MM4 plus M-Num/M-Geo basics; learn Paper 2 vocabulary (converse, contrapositive, necessary/sufficient) via the logic guide. Weeks 5–8 (breadth): MM5–MM8 and M-Stat, ARG/PRF/ERR sets, first two mocks. Weeks 9–12 (integration): weekly mocks, error-log redrills, 3-pass timing discipline. Target: mocks climbing from ~4.5 toward 6.0–6.5+.
8-week plan
Compress foundations into three weeks (prioritise algebra, functions, trig, calculus fluency), spend weeks 4–6 on Paper 2 reasoning plus weak-topic drills, and reserve weeks 7–8 for three mocks with full reviews. Cut scope, not standards: drop PRF5 extension material before core MM topics. Confirm logistics early in dates & registration so October 12–16, 2026 (or January 4–8, 2027) booking never collides with mocks.
4-week plan
Triage ruthlessly. Week 1: diagnostic mock, then drill only the three weakest high-frequency topics. Week 2: 3-pass method on mixed sets plus daily Paper 2 vocabulary. Week 3: two mocks, error log, guessing strategy (see FAQ). Week 4: taper — one early mock, light drills, sleep. Even four focused weeks can move a 4.5 to a 5.5 if every session is timed and reviewed.
Five mistakes that waste months
Reading solutions without redoing questions; revising with a calculator; practising only your favourite topics; sitting mocks without reviewing them; and learning Further Maths content that is out of scope. Fix all five and read what the TMUA is once more before your final mock — familiarity with format is free marks.
Your first timed week
Make week one a miniature of the whole plan: diagnose, drill, review, then test again. Monday: sit a 30-minute diagnostic in /practice — five Paper 1 questions plus five Paper 2 — strict timing, no calculator, and log every miss by topic code. Tuesday: drill your worst Paper 1 strand: open exemplars TMUA-P1-MM1-002 and TMUA-P1-MM1-004, redo each line by hand, then run five timed questions in /practice?topic=MM1 until easy algebra feels automatic. Wednesday: switch papers and meet reasoning properly with TMUA-P2-ARG1-001 untimed, writing each conclusion in your own words via the logic guide.
Thursday: build fluency with trig exemplars TMUA-P1-MM4-001 and TMUA-P1-MM4-002 from memory — exact values, identities, no calculator — then drill /practice?topic=MM4 in short bursts. Friday: review only: redo the week's misses from a blank page into an error log, noting whether each was a slip, a gap, or a misread. Weekend: sit half of a timed mock (75 minutes, one paper, 3-pass method), convert the band with the score calculator, and read scores explained to set next week's 60/40 paper split. One honest timed week like this beats a month of unfocused reading.
Common slip & diagram reading
| Slip | What happens | Fix in 30 seconds |
|---|---|---|
| Common slip: reading solutions, not redoing | Nods along to worked answers, logs nothing, and repeats identical sign and quantifier misses in the next mock | Close the solution, redo every miss from a blank page into an error log, and re-attempt timed within 48 hours |
Diagram description: visualise a weekly routine board for this guide. Three 30-minute drill cards sit across Monday to Wednesday labelled Paper 1 fluency, Paper 2 reasoning, and weak-topic redrill, a 60-minute review card on Thursday shows a blank-page redo with an error log, and a weekend card spans 75 minutes marked mock with three coloured pass bands for the 25/35/15-minute split. Arrows loop from weekend misses back to next week's drill cards, showing the system is a cycle rather than a line. The habit is to point at the board each evening and name tomorrow's single card before opening any book.