Common TMUA mistakes and how to avoid them

Leaving questions blank

UAT-UK says scores are based on correct answers only and that wrong answers are not penalised. A blank can never score. Before time runs out, every question should have an answer in it.

Reaching for a calculator habit

There is no calculator on the TMUA. Students who always use one at school lose time on arithmetic they could do in their heads. Practise working with fractions, surds and powers exactly, and use our <a href="/tmua/topics/">topic pages</a> to find where you rely on a calculator. The separate guide on working without a calculator goes further.

Reading the question too quickly

Underline the command word and the condition before you start working, and read the final line of the question again before you commit.

• Missing a word such as 'not', 'only', 'at least' or 'exactly'.
• Answering for the wrong variable, for example finding x when the question asks for 2x + 1.
• Ignoring a stated condition such as x > 0 or n an integer.
• Choosing the first option that matches your working without checking the question asked.

Algebra slips

Sign errors when expanding brackets, forgetting to square both terms in (a + b)^2, and dividing by an expression that might be zero are classic ways to lose a mark. Write each step on its own line in your notebook, and check your answer by substituting a simple value back in.

Paper 2 mistakes

Our <a href="/tmua/practice-questions/">free practice questions</a> are a good place to work on these.

• Treating a statement and its converse as the same.
• Treating 'necessary' and 'sufficient' as interchangeable.
• Accepting an argument because the conclusion is true, when the steps are not valid.
• Trying to prove a statement when one counterexample would settle it.

Poor time use

Sinking five minutes into one question can cost two others. Set a rough limit, guess, and move on. The time management guide sets out a plan.

Practising the wrong way

• Only doing untimed questions, then freezing under a 75-minute clock.
• Marking a paper and moving on without finding out why you were wrong.
• Using the answers too early, so you recognise questions instead of solving them.
• Practising only Paper 1, because it feels more familiar, and leaving Paper 2 until late.
• Treating a practice score as a prediction. Practice tests do not tell you what you will score, and UAT-UK says its own practice tests give no score.

A simple fix

Keep an error log. For each mistake, note whether it was a knowledge gap, a slip, a misread or a timing issue. After two or three papers you will see which kind you make most, and that tells you what to change.