MAT FAQs

MAT FAQs

Answers to your MAT questions below.

ARE CALCULATORS ALLOWED IN THE MAT EXAM?

No, students cannot use calculators, formula sheets or dictionaries during the exam. This Is a good reminder for students to work on their mental arithmetic and the speed of their calculations. This can sometimes hold back otherwise strong mathematicians, who have been relying on a calculator.

HOW DIFFICULT IS THE MAT EXAM?

The MAT is a challenging maths test, used by some of the most competitive universities in the UK to rank their applicants. Although the test is based on mathematical theory learnt at school, these concepts are presented in unfamiliar ways. Although the questions are difficult, students that prepare universally improve their score. We recommend that students revise the MAT syllabus to ensure their knowledge is secure but - more importantly - that they develop their problem solving skills, through experience.

HOW MANY QUESTIONS ARE IN THE MAT?

There are ten multiple choice questions and six longer questions, of which candidates take four. These longer questions are made up of related sub-questions. Students cannot select which longer questions they would like to answer, rather they answer those questions in accordance with which university course they are applying for.

HOW LONG IS THE MAT?

The MAT exam is two and a half hours long. We recommend that students spend a maximum of one hour on the ten multiple choice questions, and the remaining time on the longer questions and checking their work.

CAN YOU TAKE THE MAT TEST ONLINE?

The MAT test is a paper-based test. If you have a disability or specific requirement you should inform your test centre.

WHAT IS THE MAT TEST USED FOR?

The MAT is used to inform decisions to top universities in the UK, for maths-based courses, e.g. Mathematics or Computer Science. Oxford University uses the MAT to shortlist candidates for interview, the final stage of their admissions process. Imperial, Warwick, Durham and Bath universities use the MAT as additional information in their admissions process, and may choose to make lower offers to their applicants based on test performance.

DO UNIVERSITIES AUTOMATICALLY FIND OUT YOUR MAT SCORE?

If students have applied to Oxford, Imperial or Warwick University their MAT score will automatically be shared. Students can choose to share their MAT results with Durham and Bath University, depending on whether they would like the admissions office to take their score into consideration.