How difficult was Tyler Exam Set B?
Tyler Exam Set B, written by Jackie Tyler, was sat for the first time in our live mock on 3 October 2026 by around 100 students. Their results give us a first estimate of the set’s difficulty and its grade boundaries.
All estimated scores below use the estimated 2024+ TMUA scale shown on JZMaths. These are guides to difficulty, not exact conversions to current TMUA scores.
My assessment
Tyler Exam Set B sits between TMUA 2023 and the 2025 TMUA, and I would place it closer to 2025.
- Compared with TMUA 2023: a little harder. The model suggests a difference of between half a mark and one mark out of 40 through much of the score range.
- Compared with the 2025 TMUA: only slightly easier, in my judgement—roughly one extra raw mark out of 40 for a comparable performance.
The distinction matters: I would not describe Tyler Exam Set B as substantially easier than 2025. It is a demanding set, and the difference I have in mind is small.
When I describe a paper as easier, I mean that a student performing at a comparable level would generally earn more raw marks on it. Consequently, more marks would be needed to reach a comparable estimated TMUA score.
An important point about the cohort
The students who took this live mock had an average existing JZMaths mastery level substantially above the platform average. The JZMaths population itself is also likely to be more engaged in preparation than the national cohort, although we cannot quantify that difference reliably.
This matters when interpreting the results: a strong cohort can make a demanding paper look easier than it is if we judge difficulty from raw marks or the score distribution alone.
The model accounts for students’ existing estimated ability when estimating question difficulty, so stronger results do not automatically push the estimated grade boundaries upwards. Nevertheless, this is a relatively small, self-selected cohort, and that adjustment cannot eliminate all uncertainty.
Tyler Exam Set B compared with TMUA 2023
TMUA 2023 provides a useful published benchmark. The JZMaths model places questions from both sets on a common difficulty scale, allowing us to estimate the mark on TMUA 2023 that corresponds to a given performance on Tyler Exam Set B.
| On Tyler Exam Set B | Comparable mark on TMUA 2023 |
|---|---|
| 20 / 40 | About 21 / 40 |
| 24 / 40 | About 25 / 40 |
| 28 / 40 | About 29 / 40 |
| 32 / 40 | About 32–33 / 40 |
This comparison suggests that Tyler Exam Set B is between half a mark and one mark harder through much of the range, with the smaller difference towards the top.
A direct comparison of the displayed grade-boundary tables can give a different impression. TMUA 2023’s published boundaries are official conversions, whereas Tyler Exam Set B’s boundaries are model estimates. The model’s estimated boundaries can sit below the official ones in the middle of the range, so comparing those two types of table does not isolate the difference in paper difficulty.
For that reason, the comparison above uses the same model for both papers.
What about the 2025 TMUA?
This comparison is less certain. Without the 2025 papers and official raw-score conversion tables available for calibration, we cannot produce the same kind of model-based comparison.
My judgement is that Tyler Exam Set B is only slightly easier than the 2025 TMUA. As a rough indication, I would expect a student performing at the same level to earn around one more mark out of 40 on Tyler Exam Set B.
I would place it closer to 2025 than to 2023 in overall demand. That is an assessment of the paper, rather than a conclusion established by the model. The approximate mark differences should not be read as precise measurements or a fixed adjustment that applies at every score.
How the live-mock cohort scored
Among students who sat both papers in the live mock, with incomplete attempts excluded, the median estimated TMUA score was 6.3, with the middle half of students scoring between 4.9 and 7.7.
These results reflect a particularly strong group of students. Your position within this group is not your position among all TMUA candidates, and the relatively high median does not, by itself, indicate an easier paper.
How much confidence should we place in these estimates?
These are early estimates based on fewer attempts than the established official papers on JZMaths. The estimated boundaries may change as more students complete the set.
Accounting for students’ existing ability helps us distinguish a strong cohort from an easier paper. It cannot fully account for differences in preparation, self-selection or exam conditions. The comparison with TMUA 2023 is model-based; the comparison with 2025 remains my judgement.
The takeaway
Tyler Exam Set B is a realistic, demanding set: a little harder than TMUA 2023 and, in my judgement, only slightly easier than the 2025 TMUA.
As before, I’d encourage you to treat your score as a guide to how you performed on this set, rather than a prediction of your actual exam result. The most useful next step is to revisit the questions you missed, understand the reasoning behind the solutions, and apply what you’ve learned to your next paper.
— Joe Zhou