MAT Past Papers 2007 to 2025
Complete archive of every Oxford Mathematics Admissions Test paper from 2007 to 2025 with official solutions and examiner feedback. Hosted by the Oxford Mathematical Institute.
Oxford replaced the MAT with the TMUA from 2026 entry. That makes these 19 past papers the single largest pool of TMUA-grade practice questions outside the eight TMUA papers themselves.
What the MAT tested
The Mathematics Admissions Test was Oxford's paper-based entrance examination for Mathematics, Computer Science, and their joint-honours courses. The hard part was depth, not breadth: questions tested whether a candidate could apply familiar techniques in unfamiliar settings and construct a clean mathematical argument.
Syllabus
Early A-Level Pure Maths topics only. No Further Maths content was assumed. Specific topics on the syllabus: algebraic manipulation, polynomials, graphs, sequences and series, trigonometry, logarithms and exponentials, calculus (differentiation and integration), and coordinate geometry. For Computer Science applicants only, the syllabus extended to basic logic, proof, and counting.
Question structure
Six questions on the paper. Candidates attempted four: Question 1 (compulsory for everyone) plus three long-form questions chosen by course. The table below shows the full breakdown.
| Question | Marks | Format | Taken by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | 40 | Ten multiple-choice sub-questions (4 marks each). | All candidates |
| Question 2 | 15 | Long-form question on early A-Level Pure Maths. | All candidates |
| Question 3 | 15 | Long-form question, slightly harder than Q2. | Maths, Maths & Stats, Maths & Philosophy applicants |
| Question 4 | 15 | Long-form question, harder still. | Maths joint-honours applicants |
| Question 5 | 15 | Long-form question on logic/proof or discrete maths. | Computer Science applicants |
| Question 6 | 15 | Long-form question on logic, set theory, or combinatorics. | Computer Science joint-honours applicants |
Past Papers with Solutions (2007 to 2025)
Every official MAT paper from the first year of the test through to the final sitting in 2025. Solutions are the official "websolutions" documents written by the Oxford admissions team. Feedback reports were introduced in 2023 and give the senior examiner's view of how candidates performed on each question. All files are hosted by Oxford Mathematical Institute.
| Year | Question Paper | Solutions | Examiner Feedback |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Paper | Solutions | Feedback |
| 2024 | Paper | Solutions | Feedback |
| 2023 | Paper | Solutions | Feedback |
| 2022 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2021 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2020 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2019 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2018 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2017 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2016 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2015 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2014 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2013 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2012 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2011 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2010 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2009 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2008 | Paper | Solutions | — |
| 2007 | Paper | Solutions | — |
Specimen Papers and Syllabus
Using MAT papers to prepare for the TMUA
The TMUA replaced the MAT for Oxford applicants from 2026 entry. The two tests share a syllabus footprint of early A-Level Pure Maths, but the formats differ. Here is how each part of the MAT maps to TMUA preparation.
MAT Question 1 (10 MCQs each year)
- · Closest direct ancestor of TMUA Paper 1 (Mathematical Thinking)
- · 190 timed MCQs across 19 papers — more than 4× the TMUA past-paper pool
- · Difficulty calibrated very close to TMUA Paper 1
- · Oxford websolutions explain the cleanest reasoning path, not just the answer
MAT Questions 2–6 (long-form)
- · Less directly applicable — TMUA does not score working
- · Still trains the underlying mathematical thinking TMUA rewards
- · Solutions surface insights that turn a 30-min MAT question into a 1-min TMUA elimination
- · CS applicants: Questions 5 and 6 (logic/proof) feed directly into TMUA Paper 2
Topic overlap (MAT to TMUA)
How to study with these papers
Start with Question 1 only, recent papers first
If you are preparing for TMUA, work through 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 MAT Question 1 first. That is forty MCQ sub-questions covering the syllabus that overlaps most heavily with TMUA Paper 1.
Time yourself realistically
MAT Question 1 was budgeted at 30 to 40 minutes for ten sub-questions. TMUA Paper 1 gives 75 minutes for 20 questions. Match that pace: aim for 3 to 4 minutes per MAT MCQ at first, then drop to 2 to 3 minutes as accuracy improves.
Read the official solutions even on questions you got right
The Oxford "websolutions" documents are unusually well-written. They explain the cleanest reasoning path, not just a working answer. Many TMUA-style shortcuts are described in passing.
Add long-form questions after Question 1 is fluent
Questions 2 to 6 do not match TMUA's MCQ format but they build the deeper mathematical thinking that the harder TMUA Paper 1 questions reward. Work through these on paper, then check your reasoning against the solutions.
Computer Science applicants: do Questions 5 and 6
These were always the logic, proof, and counting questions. They are direct training for TMUA Paper 2 (Mathematical Reasoning), which is the harder of the two TMUA papers for most candidates.
Frequently asked questions
Is the MAT still used by any university?
No. Oxford was the only university that required the MAT, and Oxford replaced it with the TMUA for 2026 entry onwards. Imperial used the MAT briefly between 2023 and 2024 but has also moved to the TMUA. The 2025 MAT was the final sitting. The papers above remain valuable as practice material only — they do not need to be sat.
Are the older MAT papers still useful given the syllabus changed in 2018?
The 2018 syllabus update removed a handful of topics and reorganised the question allocation, but the bulk of the test (early A-Level Pure Maths plus logic and counting for CS applicants) was unchanged. Papers from 2007 to 2017 contain the occasional question on a topic now off-spec, but the great majority of questions remain directly relevant for both the post-2018 MAT and the TMUA. Start with newer papers if you are short on time.
Should I do the MAT papers before or after the TMUA past papers?
A common approach is: TMUA specimens first (to anchor the format and difficulty), then MAT Question 1 from recent years (to bulk up MCQ exposure), then the TMUA 2016 to 2023 past papers (to practise the exact format under exam conditions), with MAT long-form questions slotted in alongside for deeper training. Save at least the most recent two TMUA papers as timed mocks closer to the test date.
What was a good MAT score?
The MAT was marked out of 100. Oxford's published shortlisting cutoffs varied by year but typically sat in the 50 to 65 range for Mathematics interview shortlisting, with successful applicants averaging in the 70s. The TMUA is now scored 1 to 9 per paper rather than out of 100, so old MAT raw-mark targets do not translate directly, but the difficulty calibration is broadly similar.
Why are the official solutions called "websolutions"?
Oxford historically distributed two solution documents for each MAT: a brief mark scheme for school markers, and a longer "websolutions" document for the public, with full reasoning and pedagogical commentary. Only the websolutions versions are linked above — they are by far the more useful of the two for self-study.