Logistics should never cost you marks — yet every year candidates miss deadlines, bring wrong ID, or first discover the calculator ban on the day. This guide covers sittings, fees, booking and exam-day rules so administration is boring and preparation is not.
The two sittings
The TMUA runs twice per admissions cycle at Pearson VUE test centres: October 12–16, 2026 and January 4–8, 2027. You register in advance and book a specific appointment inside the window — slots at popular centres fill, so book early once registration opens. October suits Year 13 applicants wanting scores in time for shortlisting; January suits gap-year candidates and courses with later timelines. Confirm which sitting your courses accept before booking — see what the TMUA is for who sits, and the FAQ for resit questions.
Fees & bursary support
Entry costs £75 for candidates testing in the UK and £133 outside the UK (local centres may add charges). Do not let cost stop you: bursary support is available for eligible UK pupils (typically those on free school meals or with comparable need) and can cover the entry fee. Applications go through your school or college well before the booking deadline — talk to your exams officer in September at the latest. Fees and bursary details are set by UAT-UK and can change; treat UAT-UK as authoritative and this page as orientation.
How registration works
Registration is done online through the UAT-UK booking system: create an account, enter details exactly as on your photo ID, pay (or apply the bursary voucher), then choose a Pearson VUE centre and time slot. Triple-check name spelling and date of birth — mismatches cause exam-day refusal. Note UCAS deadlines separately: your TMUA registration does not register anything with UCAS, and universities access your score through their own arrangements. While waiting for your slot, work the prep plans, drill weak topics, and sit a timed mock each fortnight.
Exam day: ID, centres, rules
Arrive early at the Pearson VUE centre with accepted photo ID. Both papers (2 × 20 questions, 75 minutes each) are computer-based, sat with a short break between. Calculators are banned, no formula booklet is given, and personal items follow centre rules — practise under identical constraints in /practice so nothing surprises you. Rough paper is provided per centre policy; raise issues (faulty workstation, disruption) with invigilators immediately, as retrospective complaints rarely succeed. Full rules live with UAT-UK.
Which sitting should you choose?
Choose October if you are in Year 13 applying this cycle — it keeps every option open and gives the autumn term for the 8 or 12-week plan. Choose January only if your courses accept it or you need the extra months. Either way, estimate your readiness with the score calculator, check what scores mean, browse the question bank, and review Paper 1 vs Paper 2 so final weeks target the right paper.
Countdown: booking to results day
Work backwards from results day so revision and admin never collide. Eight weeks out: confirm your sitting on UAT-UK's official site and book an early slot at your nearest Pearson VUE centre — popular centres fill first. Run a diagnostic the same week: five timed questions in /practice plus half of a timed mock under no-calculator rules, and log weak topics. Four weeks out: shift to weekly mocks using the prep plans, sharpen mental arithmetic in the number hub, and check name spelling against your photo ID.
Final week: taper drills, confirm travel, ID and slot time with UAT-UK, and sleep properly. Exam day: arrive early, sit both 75-minute papers with the short break used to reset, and raise workstation issues immediately. Afterwards: convert practice bands with the score calculator, read scores explained for what 4.5 versus 6.0–6.5+ means, and keep university choices under review until official results arrive via UAT-UK channels.
Common slip & diagram reading
| Slip | What happens | Fix in 30 seconds |
|---|---|---|
| Common slip: name-mismatch ID refusal | Books as Tom but arrives as Thomas on passport, or transposes birth digits, and is turned away at the Pearson VUE desk | Copy ID character-for-character at booking, photograph the confirmation, and recheck spelling against photo ID four weeks out |
Diagram description: picture an eight-week countdown strip for this guide. Week-eight shows a calendar with an early Pearson VUE slot circled and a bursary form beside it, week-four shows a checklist with photo ID, booking name, and calculator-crossed-out practice papers, and exam-day shows two 75-minute blocks joined by a reset arrow with travel, ID, and workstation-report icons. A dashed line beneath connects booking to results day with fortnightly mock ticks, making clear that logistics and revision run on parallel tracks. The habit is to walk the strip right to left from results day whenever admin and mocks threaten to collide.