OMPT-A guide (2026): syllabus, difficulty, universities, pass marks and price

OMPT-A is the entry-level module of the OMPT, the online maths admission test used by Dutch and Belgian universities. It has 52 questions in 120 minutes, drawn from 176 topics in 8 chapters that run from numbers and algebra to differentiation. Economics, business and social science bachelors ask for it most often. One attempt costs €240, and the test provider suggests about 80 hours of preparation. Examify is independent, not affiliated with the OMPT, SOWISO or any university.

OMPT-A exam format

At 2.3 minutes per question there is no time to rederive a rule mid-exam, so the algebra has to be automatic. One checkpoint: at the 60-minute mark you should be past question 26. Answers are typed into an on-screen editor and checked by a computer-algebra system, then reviewed by a mathematician. There is no partial credit for a wrong final answer.

OMPT-A syllabus: the 8 chapters

The official OMPT-A syllabus lists 176 topics across these chapters. Examify's OMPT-A syllabus page groups the same topics by chapter.

1. Numbers (17 topics): fractions, exponents and roots, worked by hand rather than with a calculator.
2. Algebra (26 topics): expanding, factorising and simplifying expressions, including algebraic fractions.
3. Linear formulas and equations (17 topics): slope, intercept, solving linear equations and inequalities.
4. Systems of linear equations (10 topics): two equations in two unknowns, solved by substitution or elimination.
5. Quadratic equations (21 topics): the quadratic formula, completing the square, the vertex, quadratic inequalities.
6. Functions (35 topics): domain and range, power functions, polynomials, root functions, fractional functions, asymptotes, inverses and transformations.
7. Exponential functions and logarithms: log rules and solving exponential equations.
8. Differentiation (34 topics): derivative rules, the chain rule, product and quotient rule, tangent lines and extrema.

Functions and Differentiation together hold 69 of the 176 topics, roughly 40% of the syllabus, and they are also the two chapters that most often separate a 60% from a 70% result. Anything outside the list, complex numbers for instance, is not tested.

Which universities require OMPT-A

The table shows twelve of the best-known programmes that list OMPT-A, taken from the admission pages we track. The complete list, 42 programmes at the last check, is on the universities page, and every published minimum is collected in OMPT passing scores.

Economics and business bachelors dominate the list, and the Dutch ones cluster at 70% to 75%. Several accept OMPT-F or OMPT-B instead, sometimes at a lower percentage. The attempt rule is set by the programme, not the test provider: Erasmus School of Economics counts the first attempt only, Tilburg and Rotterdam School of Management cap attempts at two, Maastricht and Utrecht allow three. Outside the Netherlands, KU Leuven, University of Antwerp, Nyenrode, Arcada and several Lithuanian universities also list OMPT-A.

OMPT-A pass marks

Published OMPT-A minimums run from 50% at Arcada University of Applied Sciences to 75% at Maastricht, Utrecht, Rotterdam School of Management, KU Leuven and Nyenrode. Between those ends sit 55% (Radboud, Hanze, Vilnius University), 60% (Groningen, Leiden's Science for Sustainable Societies, several Tilburg programmes), 65% (VU Amsterdam) and 70% (Erasmus IBEB, Erasmus University College, UvA Psychology, Tilburg Economics). Católica Porto lists the module without publishing a score.

Plan for the minimum plus a margin. Mock scores move 5 to 10 points between sittings, and the real exam adds a proctor, an ID check and a room scan. Aim for 10 to 15 points above your programme's figure on your last timed mock: a 70% minimum means an 80 to 85% mock.

How hard is OMPT-A

OMPT-A's difficulty is pace, not exotic content. Against OMPT-C it has nearly three times the topics and half the time per question. Against OMPT-B it has the same pace and 50 fewer topics, because trigonometry and integration are missing. Against OMPT-D it is a different kind of exam: short single-skill questions at 2.3 minutes each instead of 21 chained problems at 8.6 minutes.

Preparation matters more than the module. The test provider reports that students who worked through its learning materials scored 76% on average on their first attempt; students who did not scored 40%. That 36-point gap is larger than the difference between any two modules. The module-by-module comparison is in how hard is the OMPT.

Example OMPT-A question with worked solution

This is one of the two examples on Examify's OMPT-A syllabus page. It is written by Examify in the style of the exam; it is not a past paper question.

Question (Differentiation): the graph of f(x) = x³ − 6x² + 9x has two points with a horizontal tangent. Find them.

1. A horizontal tangent means f′(x) = 0, so differentiate term by term: f′(x) = 3x² − 12x + 9.
2. Take out the factor 3: f′(x) = 3(x² − 4x + 3) = 3(x − 1)(x − 3).
3. Set each factor equal to zero: x − 1 = 0 or x − 3 = 0.

Answer: x = 1 and x = 3.

That is the shape of most OMPT-A questions: one derivative, one factorisation, two exact answers typed unambiguously, in 2.3 minutes. The free OMPT practice test shows two of the harder generation-1 questions in the real answer box, with the solution after each.

How to prepare for OMPT-A

The plan below fits the official 80-hour estimate; a timed diagnostic tells you how much of it you can skip.

1. Sit a full-length diagnostic first (3 hours): 52 questions, 120 minutes, timer on, answers typed. Examify's generation-1 OMPT-A mock has the same question count and time limit as the real module, with a worked solution for every question. Score it per chapter.
2. Clear the foundation chapters (about 15 hours). Numbers, Algebra, Linear formulas and equations, Systems of linear equations: 20 drill questions a day at 2 minutes each. Cut the block short if the diagnostic says you already know them.
3. Quadratic equations and Functions (about 20 hours). Solve every quadratic two ways, then work through domain and range, transformations, asymptotes and inverses from the OMPT-A syllabus topic list.
4. Exponential functions, logarithms and Differentiation (about 25 hours). Log rules, exponential equations, then 25 derivatives a day before moving to tangent lines and extrema. These are the chapters that decide a 70% result.
5. Mocks and review (about 15 hours). A second mock at the halfway point and a third a few days before the booking. Keep an error log split into "method unknown" and "slip"; the first decides what you study next, the second what you check in the final week.

How long OMPT preparation takes works the weeks backwards from an application deadline; improve your OMPT score in 30 days turns the plan above into a day-by-day table.

OMPT-A cost

One official OMPT-A attempt costs €240, bought on omptest.org. Two paid extras exist: short-notice booking inside the normal 72-hour window, at an extra fee, and a fast grading service that returns the result within 4 business days instead of 8, priced separately per attempt. Neither changes your programme's attempt rule.

A retake costs the full €240 again, because every attempt is bought separately; three attempts come to €720, and at programmes that count the first attempt only, the second buys nothing. Use a mock as the diagnostic instead: Examify's full-length mocks start from €39.99. The full breakdown is in how much does the OMPT cost.