How it works
Two things are worth knowing before you start: how hard each paper is, and which papers are free. Almost everything is.
The difficulty scale
Every question on the site has a difficulty rating from 4.5, the most accessible, to 9.0, the hardest question in the collection. The scale compares the questions here with each other. It is not an official exam scale.
Papers use the same scale
A paper's rating is the average of two numbers: the mean rating of its twenty questions, and the mean rating of its five hardest. A paper full of steady questions and a paper with a few brutal ones can therefore both rate highly. For example, Set B Paper 1 has a question average of 6.5 and a hardest-five average of 8.0, so it rates 7.3.
Paper cards also show the single hardest question, so you know what the worst moment of the paper will feel like.
Where to start
The TMUA mock sets in order of difficulty. Start with Set A, which is gentler and comes with worked solutions in the same document. Then take the free sets in order: D, C, then B. If you unlock more papers, the locked sets are the next step, starting with E and F, the gentlest of them.
| Set | Paper 1 | Paper 2 | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| The free route | |||
| Set A | Unrated: a gentler entry point | Free | |
| Set D | 6.3 | 6.2 | Free |
| Set C | 7.1 | 6.9 | Free |
| Set B | 7.3 | 7.5 | Free |
| Next, for papers you unlock | |||
| Set E | 6.1 | 6.1 | Locked |
| Set F | 6.1 | 6.2 | Locked |
| Set J | 7.4 | 7.2 | Locked |
| Set H | 7.9 | 7.7 | Locked |
| Set I | 7.8 | 7.8 | Locked |
| Set G | 8.0 | 7.9 | Locked |
| Set K | 8.0 | 8.1 | Locked |
| Set L | 8.3 | 8.3 | Locked |
For individual questions, the question bank sorts every free question by rating, and the technique index groups them by method.
Free and locked papers
- Free, no account
Almost everything. TMUA Sets A to D with solutions, the ESAT mocks and ESAT Drill, every free paper in Drill, the question bank, Arena, duels, the problem of the week, the geometry tools, and every olympiad paper and solution, including the UKMT SMC 2026 solutions. - Free account
Optional. An account syncs your progress across devices and puts you on leaderboards. You need one to redeem a code or spend coins, because unlocks are saved to your account. Create an account. - Locked
TMUA Sets E onwards. Unlock a paper with a code won in a challenge, or with coins in the Shop (every locked set except J, which is codes only). Once unlocked, a paper stays unlocked on every device you sign in on. - Earned with coins
The book and extras. Chapter 1 and the complete Beyond the Incenter, titles, themes, streak freezes and the Labs minigames, all in the Shop.
Unlocking a locked paper
| Paper | With a code | With coins |
|---|---|---|
| Set J, Paper 1 and Paper 2 | Yes | No, codes only |
| Set L, Paper 1 and Paper 2 | Yes | 4,000 coins per paper in the Shop |
| Set K, Paper 1 and Paper 2 | Yes | 3,500 coins per paper in the Shop |
| Set H, Paper 1 and Paper 2 | Yes | 2,500 coins per paper in the Shop |
| Set G, Paper 1 and Paper 2 | Yes | 2,500 coins per paper in the Shop |
| Set F, Paper 1 and Paper 2 | Yes | 1,500 coins per paper in the Shop |
| Set E, Paper 1 and Paper 2 | Yes | 1,500 coins per paper in the Shop |
| Set I, Paper 1 and Paper 2 | Yes | 3,000 coins per paper in the Shop |
Where to win a code
Challenges are posted on Instagram at @kevinvariant. A code unlocks one paper, or occasionally every locked paper. Some codes can be claimed only once, or only by the first few people, so redeem yours promptly on the unlock page.
Earning coins
Every question you solve earns coins, and harder questions earn more: 2 coins below a rating of 6.0, 4 from 6.0, 7 from 7.0 and 12 from 8.0, up to 400 coins a day. The Rewards page shows your level, streak, quests and badges. The Shop is where you spend coins.
Your data
Without an account, your scores, streaks and progress are stored only in this browser. Clearing the site's data removes them. If you sign in, your progress syncs to your account so it follows you between devices. Scores appear on Results only when you choose to log them, and logged scores are anonymous and pooled. If you choose to, your answers can also be shared anonymously to help rate the questions; see the privacy note.