If you’ve been sent here by an old bookmark or a tutor’s reading list, here’s the thing nobody’s told you yet: the exam these papers were written for doesn’t run anymore. That doesn’t mean the papers are useless — it means you need to know exactly how to use them now.
The MAT (Mathematics Admissions Test) was Oxford’s admissions exam for Maths and Computer Science applicants, also used by Imperial College London and the University of Warwick, from 2007 until its final sitting in October 2025. From 2026, Oxford has replaced it with the TMUA. MAT Past Papers are still downloadable and still useful for practice.
Quick note before we go further: if you landed here searching for the Management Aptitude Test — the Indian MBA admissions exam also abbreviated MAT — this isn’t your page. That’s a completely separate test run by the All India Management Association. Everything below is about the Oxford maths exam.
What the MAT Is (and Why You’re Seeing “Discontinued”)
For eighteen years, the MAT was the gatekeeper exam for anyone applying to study Mathematics, Computer Science, or a joint honours course involving either, at Oxford. It was sat in November of Year 13, before interviews, and it did one job: separate strong problem-solvers from strong exam-takers.
Imperial College London started using it in 2013. Warwick followed in 2017. For a while, one sitting could support three separate applications.
Then, in January 2026, Oxford announced a complete overhaul of its admissions testing system. Eight in-house tests were scrapped in one go — the MAT among them, alongside the Physics Aptitude Test, the Thinking Skills Assessment, and five others. In their place: three new tests run by an external body called UAT-UK, a joint initiative involving Pearson VUE. For maths applicants specifically, that replacement is the TMUA.
If you sat the MAT in October 2025, you’re in the last cohort that ever will. Results went out in January 2026, and that was that.
Quick takeaway: MAT papers exist for 2007–2025. There will not be a 2026 paper. If you’re applying from 2026 onward, you need the TMUA, not the MAT — but the MAT archive is still one of the best problem-solving resources available for building the exact skills TMUA tests.
Where to Download Every MAT Past Paper (2007–2025)
The only fully official source is the Oxford Mathematical Institute’s own MAT page, which hosts every paper from 2007 onward alongside official mark schemes and year-by-year candidate statistics. That’s your first stop, because it’s the one place guaranteed not to have transcription errors.
For papers with fully worked solutions rather than just mark schemes, Physics & Maths Tutor and TutorChase both maintain complete archives, and several tutoring platforms package the full 2007–2025 set with video walkthroughs. Worth noting: Oxford’s own examiner reports — the notes examiners wrote about common mistakes each year — are genuinely more useful than most people give them credit for. They tell you exactly where candidates lost easy marks, which is different information from a mark scheme.
MAT Format: Questions, Timing and How It Was Marked
The format changed twice across the exam’s lifetime, and mixing up which version you’re looking at will throw off your practice.
- 1996–2006 (the “Entrance Exams for Mathematics”): the direct predecessor to the MAT, same broad structure, five required questions, 2.5 hours.
- 2007–2023: seven questions total, the specific combination depending on your course, still 2.5 hours, opening with ten multiple-choice questions.
- 2024–2025: the exam moved to computer-based testing — 25 multiple-choice questions plus two longer written questions, still within a 2.5-hour window.
A small syllabus update landed in 2018, but the content stayed largely consistent from 2007 right through to the final 2025 sitting — which is exactly why the archive holds up as a practice bank even now.
Legacy and Contingency Papers Explained
Two paper types trip people up.
Legacy papers (1996–2006) are the pre-MAT “Entrance Exams for Mathematics.” Same spirit, slightly different syllabus in places, and Oxford has published relevance checkers flagging which questions no longer match the modern content — worth checking before you spend an hour on a question that’s since been dropped from scope.
Contingency papers (2020–2023) were never a full exam. They were short, ten-question multiple-choice papers used for candidates whose MAT sitting was disrupted by extenuating circumstances — technical failures during the pandemic-era remote sittings, mostly. Useful as extra multiple-choice practice, not as a substitute for a full timed paper.
Average MAT Scores: What Actually Counted as Competitive
Oxford published three averages for every year: the mean score across all applicants for Maths, Maths & Statistics, or Maths & Philosophy; the mean among those shortlisted for interview; and the mean among those who received an offer. Separate figures existed for Computer Science and joint Computer Science courses.
The gap between those three numbers is the most useful data point in the whole archive — it shows you, year by year, roughly how far above the applicant average you needed to sit to get noticed. Treat any single year’s raw score as noise; look at the shortlisted-vs-offered gap across several years instead.
Why the MAT Was Discontinued — and What Replaced It
Oxford’s stated reasoning was consolidation. Rather than run eight separate in-house tests, each with its own logistics, marking, and security requirements, the university moved to a shared external testing body — UAT-UK — that also serves Cambridge, Imperial, LSE, UCL, and Warwick. One sitting can now support several applications at once, which was never guaranteed under the old system.
For maths applicants, the TMUA is the direct successor. It’s a two-paper, computer-based test: two 75-minute papers, 20 multiple-choice questions each, entirely non-calculator, sat via Pearson’s online platform. Scoring runs on a 1–9 scale per paper, and for competitive Oxbridge maths applications, something in the region of 6.5 or above per paper is generally considered strong.
MAT vs TMUA: How to Reuse Your Old Past Papers
Here’s the part most guides skip entirely: the two exams test overlapping but not identical skills, and knowing where they overlap tells you which old papers are still worth your time.
| MAT (2007–2023 format) | TMUA | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Single 2.5-hour paper | Two papers, 75 minutes each |
| Question types | Mostly long-answer + one MCQ section | Entirely multiple-choice |
| Delivery | Paper-based | Computer-based (Pearson VUE) |
| Calculator | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Scoring | Raw mark totals | 1–9 scale per paper |
| Content level | Depth of A-level-adjacent maths | AS-level / Higher-GCSE content, tested for reasoning |
| Universities | Oxford, Imperial, Warwick | Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, LSE, UCL, Warwick |
The mathematical content overlaps heavily — TMUA’s official specification covers material at a similar level to what the MAT tested. The difference is emphasis: MAT’s long-answer questions rewarded depth of syllabus knowledge and extended working, while TMUA Paper 2 specifically tests logical reasoning skills — proof by contradiction, spotting counterexamples, deductive argument structure — that barely featured on the MAT at all.
Practical upshot: MAT multiple-choice sections (Q1 on every paper from 2007 onward) transfer almost directly to TMUA-style practice. MAT’s long-answer questions are still excellent for building raw problem-solving stamina, but they won’t train you for Paper 2’s reasoning format on their own — you’ll want dedicated TMUA Paper 2 material alongside them.
How to Study With MAT Past Papers (Step by Step)
- Start with the multiple-choice sections only. Work through every MAT Q1 from 2007–2025 timed, since this format maps most closely to the current TMUA.
- Move to full long-answer papers once MCQ accuracy is solid. These build the depth of thinking neither test skips.
- Mark against the official scheme, then read the examiner’s report for that year. The report tells you why marks were lost, not just where.
- Track your score against the shortlisted-average benchmark, not the overall applicant average — it’s the more honest target.
- Layer in TMUA-specific Paper 2 practice for reasoning and proof-based questions once you’ve built confidence on MAT content.
- Sit at least one full paper under strict timed conditions in the final two weeks before any test date, no notes, no pauses.
Quick Takeaway
The MAT archive (2007–2025) is permanently closed but permanently available — Oxford isn’t taking it down. If you’re preparing for the TMUA, treat MAT multiple-choice questions as your core practice bank and add dedicated TMUA Paper 2 reasoning material to cover the gap. Don’t build an entire prep plan around a discontinued exam’s long-answer format alone.
For more entrance exam resources, check our website.
FAQ Section
Is the MAT exam still running? No. The MAT’s final sitting was in October 2025, with results released in January 2026. From the 2026 admissions cycle onward, Oxford uses the TMUA for Maths and Computer Science applicants instead.
Why was the MAT discontinued? Oxford consolidated eight separate in-house admissions tests, including the MAT, into three new tests run by the external body UAT-UK. The stated goal was shared infrastructure across multiple universities, since UAT-UK’s tests also serve Cambridge, Imperial, LSE, UCL, and Warwick.
Are MAT past papers still useful if I’m sitting the TMUA? Yes, especially the multiple-choice sections. TMUA content sits at a similar level to the MAT, though TMUA’s second paper tests logical reasoning skills that the MAT’s long-answer questions didn’t specifically target.
Where can I download official MAT past papers? The Oxford Mathematical Institute’s own MAT page hosts every official paper from 2007 onward with mark schemes. Sites like Physics & Maths Tutor and TutorChase also host the full archive with worked solutions.
What was the format of the MAT exam? From 2007–2023, seven questions across 2.5 hours, opening with a ten-question multiple-choice section. From 2024, the exam moved to computer-based testing with 25 multiple-choice questions and two longer written questions.
What are MAT contingency papers? Short, ten-question multiple-choice papers used between 2020 and 2023 for candidates whose original MAT sitting was disrupted by technical or other issues. They’re useful extra MCQ practice but not a substitute for a full timed paper.
Which universities accepted the MAT? Oxford (from 2007), Imperial College London (from 2013), and the University of Warwick (from 2017) — all for Mathematics, Computer Science, and related joint honours courses.
What score did I need on the MAT to be competitive? Oxford published three yearly averages — all applicants, shortlisted applicants, and offer-holders. The gap between the shortlisted and offer-holder averages is a better benchmark than any single “pass mark,” since none was ever officially set.