Andrew's IB Maths Vault

Hiya! Let's start 2026 with a unit test on basic algebraic skills. This test is ideally taken at the start of DP1, but it's still not too late to turn around if your algebra is not as strong as it should. c;  Starting off with basic number skills and ending with inequalities, this test covers everything you need to know to succeed in IB maths.  AAHL: AAHL MS: AASL: AASL MS: Andrew  

Hiya! The last two TMUA papers are designed to be a little easier than the actual paper. Now I'll bring out the big guns. c; A few of these questions will trip you. Take your time, focus on questions you can answer. You don't need 20/20 to secure a spot at your uni (unless you apply to Oxbridge). Getting 15-17 on this test is already quite impressive. Good luck!   Andrew  

Hiya! Second part of 2025's holidays special: TMUA Practice Tests! This is the second of the series of tests in the run up to the January TMUA. If you (or your students, if you're a teacher) are taking the TMUA and looking for easier questions than past papers, look no more. This is the second of the trilogy: Booster Paper B. For those new to the website: Booster Papers are designed to be easier than the real paper. This is no exception - apart from a couple crackers most questions on this test are totally accessible to aspiring TMUA candidates.  The test covers most topics on the TMUA specification .  Worked solutions will be uploaded shortly. Happy holidays! Andrew 

Hiya! Apart from the usual unit tests, I'll be posting a myriad of resources to help y'all prepare for admission tests. We'll focus on TMUA for now, but STEP and MAT can be added if there's demand. I'm definitely not qualified to write a STEP paper - those questions usually demand a LOT of thought and deep thinking from mathematicians - but I can certainly create useful resources. TMUA TMUA Practice Test (only Paper 1) Booster Test A Booster Test B Test A Test 2    TMUA Practice Booklet     Level 1 - core procedures, no twists Level 2 - 4 sets of 10 questions, slight twists as students progress through the sets.    May the odds be ever in your favour. Andrew 

Hiya! Second part of 2025's holidays special: TMUA Practice Tests! I've written three tests - hopefully in ascending level of difficulty. If you (or your students, if you're a teacher) are taking the TMUA and looking for easier questions than past papers, look no more. This is the first of the trilogy: Booster Paper A. For those new to the website: Booster Papers are designed to be easier than the real paper. This is no exception - apart from a couple crackers most questions on this test are totally accessible to aspiring TMUA candidates.  The test covers most topics on the TMUA specification .  Worked solutions will be uploaded shortly. May the odd be ever in your favour.  Andrew  

Hiya! Here's the Christmas present!  Following Synoptic 1 two weeks ago, here's the first instalment of Synoptic 2. Same structure, same level of difficulty. No more handholding folks. The test contains questions from the first 11 units in the course - so that's basically more than a year's worth of content.  May the odds be ever in your favour.  AAHL: AAHL MS: AASL: AASL MS: Andrew  

Hiya! This is the first post in the series to help students prepare for the TMUA. This is an admission test taken by students applying to some UK universities for mathy programs. TMUA deserves a section on its own because it's a combination of quick thinking and algebraic/calculus fluency. Unlike STEP/MAT that evaluates more extended thinking, TMUA measures whether a candidate can function under pressure and whether the basic motor skills are in place to tackle a large quantity of questions in a relatively short amount of time (20 questions in 75 minutes) - and many questions require a trick or some level of intuition. Level 1 - Motor skills   A well-prepared candidate should be able to answer each question in about 2 minutes, or all 77 questions here in less than 3 hours - that will give them buffer to work on harder, unpredictable questions reserved for those aiming at 9.0. Questions are arranged in the same order as the syllabus for Part I, roughly following the AS content....