Maths Admissions Test

UPDATED 27 OCT 2023

The delivery of this year’s Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT) has caused widespread distress and difficulties, most especially for the candidates themselves. The Oxford Mathematical Institute would like to apologise for this distress, and assure everyone that our priority is to ensure that no one is disadvantaged during the admissions process. We would also like to thank everyone who has provided feedback so far, whether via the special consideration forms or via email and social media.

We have decided on the following steps:

The Mathematical Institute will offer an additional test to candidates who submit a special consideration form after experiencing disruption when taking the MAT on 19 October, whether they applied to Oxford, Imperial or Warwick Universities.

The additional test will be optional; candidates are not required to take it if they are happy with how the MAT went for them on 19 October. For candidates who suffered disruption and wish to take the additional test, that test will supplement the information we already have.

On the 3 November, we will send out invitations for the additional test to all candidates who submitted a special consideration form, or who are identified as having experienced disruption, as well as to test centres where that disruption took place. We recognise that some candidates may not have access to information via schools or centres - we are doing all we can to identify them. 

The invitation will ask candidates to complete a simple form to register (by noon on Friday 10 November) for the optional additional test which will take place on Tuesday 14 November at 09:00 GMT. (Candidates in the USA for whom 09:00 will not work will be identified and contacted separately).

The additional test will comprise ten multiple-choice questions in the style of (and with the syllabus of) MAT Q1, and candidates will have one hour to complete the test.

Where possible, we would like the additional test to be hosted by schools or colleges; where necessary, remote invigilation will be arranged at home. The additional test will be made available to test centres (or candidates taking the test at home) for printing just before the start of the test on 14 November. The additional test will be administered entirely by the University. 

The Mathematical Institute is marking the MAT test as normal. The majority of candidates experienced no disruption – we do not want to disadvantage those candidates. College tutors (who are responsible for shortlisting) will have access to a candidate’s UCAS form, the results of the MAT test taken on 19 October, and the results of the additional test, if taken, as well special consideration forms. Tutors will take all this information into consideration when deciding whether to shortlist a candidate. Oxford Mathematics will liaise closely with colleges to manage the situation.

Once again, we apologise for all the disruption. We are doing all we can to make sure all candidates have an opportunity to display their full potential, and no one is disadvantaged.

^James

Dr James Munro
Admissions and Outreach Coordinator
Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford

For MAT 2023, the admin of the test will be delivered by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). New information for schools, colleges, and test centres will be available on the central University website. The registration deadline is 29 September 2023, and the test date is 19 October 2023.

Applicants for Computer Science or for Computer Science and Philosophy will attempt questions 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 for MAT 2023. There will no longer be a question 7.

Schools and colleges can now register to be a test centre via the central University website. This includes schools and colleges who have applicants for Imperial and/or Warwick, not Oxford, whose course choice means they need to take the MAT. Registered test centres can then register candidates ahead of the 29 September deadline.

Candidates can find a list of open test centres with this search tool.

The way that candidates access the questions is changing for October 2023. Candidates will see the questions on a computer screen. Candidates will write their responses in a paper answer booklet, which will be scanned by their test centre.

The mathematical content of the MAT, in terms of the syllabus and the format of the test, is unchanged for 2023.

Starting in 2023, the question will say how many marks are available for each part. This information can be found for past paper questions in the Solutions documents below, but from 2023 it will now also be included in the question.

The table below contains past papers and solutions, as well as general feedback on the admissions round for each year from 2010 onwards. Three averages are given for each year; $\mu_1$ is the average score of all Oxford applicants for Maths, Maths & Stats, and Maths & Philosophy, $\mu_2$ is the average score of those applicants who were shortlisted for interview, and $\mu_3$ is the average score of those applicants who were made offers. Similar statistics for Maths & Computer Science, Computer Science, and Computer Science & Philosophy  applicants are available on the Computer Science departmental website.

Please note that the syllabus for the MAT was updated for the 2018 test; the current syllabus is available here.

The Notes for the past papers are intended for candidates using the past papers to prepare for MAT 2021. They mostly refer to syllabus changes. Note that there are 18 papers listed below, which is far more than we would expect any applicant to attempt.

In 2020, 2021, and 2022, the department organised a multiple-choice test in the style of Q1 on the MAT. This was arranged for a small number of candidates in each year who had been shortlisted without a MAT score, and the test was administered just before interviews. The test papers and solutions are available in the table below for those who wish to see more multiple-choice questions in the style of Q1 on the MAT.

Due to A-level reform in the UK, and specifically syllabus reform of A-level Mathematics, the MAT syllabus was updated in 2018. In order to reflect the new syllabus of AS-level Mathematics, we removed the remainder theorem, radians, and the trapezium rule from the syllabus. We added combinations and binomial probabilities, derivative of $e^{kx}$, differentiation from first principles, graphs of $\log_{a}(x)$.

Note for teachers: We will continue to include sequences and series on the MAT syllabus, including: arithmetic and geometric progressions and their sums, convergence condition for infinite geometric progressions. As such, if there is flexibility in when a teacher is covering sequences and series, we would recommend that students are taught this material either at the end of year 12 or at the beginning of year 13 (prior to October half-term).