Arrive 30 minutes early with compliant original photo ID and your Pearson appointment confirmation. Do not bring a calculator, paper or stationery into the room.
Your booking name must exactly match the name on your ID. UAT-UK says candidates may be refused entry when more than 15 minutes late.It must satisfy the current UAT-UK policy and match the full name used for booking.
An electronic or printed copy is accepted under the published test-centre procedure.
Check the pen before the test. Raise your hand if you need replacement sheets.
Personal items are stored outside the testing room unless specifically approved.
The test-centre journey
Confirm the centre, appointment time, ID name and any approved arrangements.
Late arrival can end the sitting before it begins.
Your ID is checked, a photograph may be taken and personal items are stored.
You receive a computer, keyboard, mouse, erasable notebook and pen.
Obtain an incident case number before leaving if something affected the test.
Identification can decide whether you are admitted
The identification must be original, unexpired, government-issued, show a true-likeness photograph and contain a signature. UAT-UK currently lists passports, photo-card driving licences, EU identity cards in EU test centres and other government identity cards under location-specific rules.
A passport is accepted at any test centre. A driving licence is accepted in its country of issue. An EU identity card is not accepted at a UK centre merely because it is accepted in EU centres. Read the policy for your location rather than assuming one document works globally.
If you do not have the normal identification
UK candidates may be able to request an ID exemption through the UAT-UK dashboard. Approval must happen in advance. The current guidance warns that an application made with fewer than five working days remaining may not be approved in time.
What is inside the testing room?
Computer, input devices and rough-work materials
The standard desk contains a PC, keyboard and mouse, plus an erasable notebook and pen. You may request fresh sheets by raising your hand. Test the pen before the clock starts.
Personal possessions remain outside
Published rules exclude bags, books, notes, phones, pagers, watches, wallets, food and drink. Pearson enforces a zero-tolerance policy on unauthorised electronic devices in the testing area.
Comfort aids and access arrangements
Some listed comfort aids are permitted without prior approval. Other personal items require an approved access-arrangements request. The booking confirmation should show approved arrangements before you attend.
What the computer-based TMUA changes
You can see more than one question at once and use ordinary paper for working.
The questions are delivered on screen and all rough work uses the centre's erasable materials.
The mathematical format remains two 75-minute papers with 20 multiple-choice questions in each. What changes is the delivery environment. Practise reading mathematics from a screen, using a separate rough-work surface and returning your attention to the answer choices without losing your place.
UAT-UK provides free practice tests in the Pearson system so candidates can familiarise themselves with the live environment. Use that official familiarisation material at least once before test day rather than relying only on PDFs.
Open the official UAT-UK preparation materials →
Calculator, paper, water and formulae
No. Calculators are not permitted in TMUA.
No. The centre provides erasable sheets or a notebook and a pen for security reasons.
Not under the standard rules. Medical access requires advance approval through an access-arrangements request.
The preparation materials and specification define what candidates are expected to know. Do not plan on a personal reference sheet in the room.
There is no scheduled break between the papers
The official test-day guidance states that there are no breaks between modules or papers. If you leave to use the toilet, raise your hand. Unless you have approved pause-the-clock breaks, the timer continues while you are away.
This is worth rehearsing. Sitting Paper 1 and then Paper 2 consecutively produces different fatigue from practising them on separate days. At least once before your live sitting, complete the full 150 minutes under realistic conditions.
If something goes wrong
Contact UAT-UK through the account before sitting. Do not rely on Pearson to decide special consideration.
Raise it immediately with centre staff and ask for the incident to be recorded.
Pearson and UAT-UK will contact affected candidates about an appropriate rebooking route.
Report a disruption immediately to test-centre staff. UAT-UK asks candidates to obtain an incident case number before leaving. Its current guidance says a problem should be reported at the centre or, at the latest, within 24 hours; a request for Pearson to investigate must be made within three days.
Examples include technical problems, significant disturbance or illness during the sitting. Do not assume the system records everything automatically. Record the time, what happened, which paper was affected and what staff did.
If serious and unexpected circumstances arise before the test, use the appropriate form in the UAT-UK account before sitting. Taking the test normally declares that you are fit to test, subject to the policy.
Seven checks for the week before
- Open the booking confirmation and verify the centre and time.
- Compare the booking name character by character with the identification.
- Read the current Admission and Photo ID Policy.
- Confirm that approved access arrangements appear on the booking.
- Plan a route that reaches the centre at least 30 minutes early.
- Practise once with an erasable surface if possible, without a calculator.
- Know how to report an incident before you need to do it.
Primary sources
Rehearse the conditions, not only the questions.
Two consecutive 75-minute papers, no calculator and no pause. Make that experience familiar before test day.
Open the mock-paper guide