OMPT practice test guide (2026): how to prepare, what to expect and when to book

An OMPT practice test is only useful if it copies the real module: the same number of questions, the same time limit, answers typed into an equation editor, the on-screen calculator and a score you can break down per chapter. Take one before you study, one before you book, and book only when the second lands 10 to 15 points above your programme's minimum. Examify is an independent prep provider and is not affiliated with the OMPT, SOWISO or any university.

What an OMPT practice test should reproduce

A practice test should reproduce five things: the question count, the time limit, the answer input, the on-screen calculator and per-chapter scoring.

The first two set the pace. OMPT-A and OMPT-B give about 2.3 minutes per question; OMPT-D and OMPT-F give 8.6, because each of their 21 questions chains several topics.

The third is the answer input. Answers are checked by a computer-algebra system (Maxima) and reviewed by a mathematician, and there is no partial credit for a wrong final answer. 3/2 is safe; 1,5 with a comma is not a number to the checker; a rounded 1.33 for 4/3 is wrong.

The fourth is the calculator. Your own calculator is not allowed on the OMPT; the exam provides a built-in one. The rules also permit 3 A4 sheets of scrap paper, 3 pencils and one eraser, no pens.

The fifth is per-chapter scoring. The official certificate reports per-topic scores, and a mock should give you the same breakdown, because a flat 55% on OMPT-A is a different job from a 55% made of 90% on Algebra and 20% on Differentiation. The chapter list for every module is on the syllabus overview.

Free, paid and official OMPT practice options compared

There are three tiers: a free preview to learn the input, a full-length mock from an independent provider, and the test provider's own paid material. The provider's prices are approximate and come on top of the €240 attempt fee (€270 for OMPT-D and OMPT-F).

Which tier you need depends on the diagnostic. If the diagnostic shows chapters you have never met (integration for OMPT-B and OMPT-D, statistics for OMPT-E, physics and chemistry for OMPT-G), the provider's learning material or a textbook that follows the syllabus is where the hours go. The provider reports that students who worked through its learning materials scored 76% on average on the first attempt, against 40% for those who did not.

Start with the free OMPT practice test to see the answer box, then pick a full-length mock in the shop for the diagnostic.

A 4-step OMPT preparation plan

The plan is mock, chapters, drills, mock.

1. Diagnostic mock. Sit a full-length mock for your module before you open a chapter: 52 questions in 120 minutes for OMPT-A, 21 in 180 for OMPT-D, and so on. Timer on, no notes, answers typed, on-screen calculator only. Score it per chapter and rank the chapters from weakest to strongest. Keep an error log with the chapter and topic name for every wrong answer.
2. Per-chapter study. Start from the weakest chapter, not from chapter 1. Take the chapters where you scored below about 70%, add up their share of the topics, and multiply the official hours by that share: someone who fails only Differentiation and Exponential functions and logarithms on OMPT-A (roughly 40 of the 176 topics) needs 20 to 25 hours, not 80. Study from the syllabus for your module only.
3. Format and timing drills. From the second week, every set of practice questions runs against a visible timer at your module's pace, and every answer is typed in exact, simplified form. Set one checkpoint for the full paper: in OMPT-A you should be past question 26 at 60 minutes, in OMPT-E past question 20. If a question has taken twice your module's average, enter your best answer and move on.
4. Second mock and the booking rule. In the last week, sit a second full-length mock under the same conditions and compare per chapter with the first. Any chapter still under 50% gets 2 to 3 extra hours, taken from the chapter that improved most. Then apply the booking rule: aim for 10 to 15 points above your programme's minimum. Mock scores move 5 to 10 points between sittings, so a 70% minimum means an 80 to 85% mock. If the mock lands more than 10 points below target, move the exam rather than spend an attempt you may not be allowed to repeat.

The suggested study times per module are the provider's: about 80 hours for OMPT-A and OMPT-F, 100 for OMPT-B, 40 for OMPT-C, and 120 for OMPT-D, OMPT-E and OMPT-G. The weekly load those hours translate into is worked out in how long OMPT preparation takes, and a day-by-day version of the four steps for OMPT-A is in improve your OMPT score in 30 days.

Common mistakes in OMPT practice

The most common mistake is practising for the wrong module. The others are practising without a clock, with the wrong tools, with rounded answers, or with a quarter of the syllabus missing.

• Preparing generically, or for the wrong module. The module is printed on the programme's admission page, and the modules differ in chapters and pace. OMPT-A material for an OMPT-D programme skips Trigonometry, Geometry and Integration and trains you at 2.3 minutes per question for an exam that gives 8.6. Check the module on the programme page or in Examify's universities list before the first mock.
• Practising without a timer. If your second mock is not at least 8 to 10 points above the first, the problem is usually pace, and the last drills should run at 2 minutes per question instead of 2.3 for OMPT-A.
• Using your own calculator. It is not allowed in the exam, and students who meet the built-in calculator for the first time on exam day lose the first ten minutes finding the fraction key.
• Rounding decimals. The checker wants exact forms: 6/4 becomes 3/2, √8 becomes 2√2, x = 4/3 stays a fraction. Decimals are only safe when the value terminates, and any decimal uses a dot, not a comma.
• Ignoring the statistics chapters for OMPT-E. Chapters 8 to 12 of the OMPT-E syllabus (descriptive statistics, probability, combinatorics, random variables, common probability distributions) hold 41 of its 161 topics. Give that block its own week.

The full list of seven, with the rule or number that removes each, is in common mistakes on the OMPT exam. For how the modules compare in pace and syllabus size, read how hard is the OMPT.

When to book the real OMPT

Book when the second mock holds 10 to 15 points above the minimum, and no later than 12 days before the deadline for a single attempt, or 38 days before it if you want room for one retake. Three provider rules fix those dates.

A slot has to be booked at least 72 hours in advance; booking closer than that triggers a late-scheduling surcharge, and rescheduling or cancelling an existing appointment costs a €50 administration fee unless you request it early enough. Results arrive within 8 business days, counted from the day after the test, as a digital certificate. That is 10 to 12 calendar days depending on the weekday, and longer around Dutch public holidays.

Add the study weeks in front of that date. An OMPT-A candidate who needs the full 80 hours at 10 hours a week and wants one retake in reserve starts about 13 to 14 weeks before the deadline.

Whether a retake is even available is a programme rule, not a provider rule. Most programmes allow up to 3 attempts, Tilburg University allows 2, and Erasmus School of Economics counts only the first attempt for IBEB and Econometrics. A first attempt taken as a diagnostic therefore costs €240 or €270, a week of waiting and, at those programmes, possibly the admission itself. The account, module choice, payment and proctoring steps are in how to book the OMPT.