OMPT-F practice test: format, scoring, and a free mock

The OMPT-F is 21 questions in 180 minutes, about 8.6 minutes each, from a 149-topic syllabus in six chapters: Algebra, Linear formulas and equations, Quadratic equations, Functions, Exponential functions and logarithms, Differentiation. That is the OMPT-A syllabus without the Numbers and Systems chapters, delivered as extended problems instead of quick items. No trigonometry, no integration, no geometry.

Each question is a multi-step problem, and omptest.org says the same thing about F as about D: the practice material covers the foundations while the exam "emphasizes analysis and application skills". You type the final answer and attach a note with the working; the note is required and an OMPT mathematician reads it for partial credit. Exact answers are the rule.

Functions (35 topics) and Differentiation (34) are the two big chapters, 46% of the syllabus between them, followed by Algebra (26) and Quadratic equations (21). On a 21-question paper expect three to five problems per chapter, several of which chain a functions question into a derivative, or an exponential model into an optimisation.

Answer format on the OMPT-F

Final answer plus written working, required. Like the D, the OMPT-F asks you to type the answer and add your calculations in a note. The note is compulsory and it is where partial credit is awarded when a step is right but the final value is not. No negative marking.

Calculator policy on the OMPT-F

The OMPT-F uses the same basic on-screen calculator as A, B and C: four functions, no order of operations, no fraction conversion. No physical or external calculator. With 8.6 minutes a question there is time to do arithmetic by hand, and the numbers are chosen to allow it.

Whatever the calculator, the knowledge base is blunt about format: use exact answers unless a question asks for a decimal, since 3/4, √5 and ∛2 are what the grader expects, and a rounded decimal in their place can cost the point. Powers are entered by repeated multiplication, and when typing nested fractions or exponents you use the arrow keys to leave a field before continuing.

How to book the OMPT-F

Create an account at omptest.org, link it to every university you are applying to (Settings, then Classes, then Add/change university; one certificate can serve several applications), and buy a OMPT-F attempt or bundle in the Store tab. The product is tied to an admissions year: the OMPT class runs 1 October to 30 September, and an attempt bought for 2027-2028 expires on 1 October 2027. omptest.org does not refund, so confirm the variant with admissions before paying.

Then click "Go to ProctorU" in the Test info & access class, fill in a working phone number, email and the correct time zone, download the Guardian browser, run the equipment check, and pick a slot. Tests run online only, every day of the year including weekends and holidays, and you must schedule at least 72 hours ahead. ProctorU charges an expedite fee inside that window: $8 within 72 hours ("Take It Soon"), $12 within 24 hours ("Take It Now"). Rescheduling or cancelling costs a €50 admin fee bought in the Store, and reinstating the test takes up to two business days.

Count backwards from your university's deadline: at least 8 business days for grading, 72 hours to book, and a buffer for a second attempt if your programme allows one. If you have dyslexia, dyscalculia or another documented condition, request extra time through the support form; processing takes up to two weeks, and you must ask again for each later attempt.

ID, room and what you may have on the desk

You need a government-issued photo ID in the Latin alphabet: passport, national ID card, residence permit or driving licence. omptest.org recommends bringing two. The room must be closed, quiet and well lit, with you alone in it, the door visible behind you on the webcam, and glass doors or windows covered. The desk is a hard surface with nothing on it except the permitted items: at most 3 sheets of A4 scrap paper, three pencils, an eraser, a drink in a transparent bottle, and a mirror or phone for the pre-test room scan. Pens, headphones, watches, food and any formula sheet are banned; no formula sheet is provided either.

The computer needs a working webcam, microphone and speakers, the Guardian browser, a stable connection (Wi-Fi is allowed but discouraged, mobile hotspots are not), full-screen mode, and sleep and screensaver disabled. Toilet breaks are not allowed during the 180 minutes.

What happens on OMPT-F test day

1. Log in to omptest.org in the Guardian browser 15 minutes before your slot and click "Go to ProctorU".
2. Automated checks take five to ten minutes: photos of you and your ID, then a scan of the room and desk with the mirror or phone.
3. A live proctor joins by chat and voice, confirms your identity, reads the rules and checks the permitted items.
4. You log in to the test site a second time and press Start. Your webcam and screen are recorded throughout. All questions load at the start, so a brief disconnection does not stop you working; you are responsible for reconnecting through "Reconnect with ProctorU" before the timer ends.
5. Finish, open the overview page, press Submit, and tell the proctor in chat. Then erase your notes and tear the scrap paper into small pieces on camera, log out, and close Guardian while the proctor watches.

Rule breaches are taken seriously: sanctions run from invalidating the result to a one-year suspension from all OMPT tests, and the university is informed.

How the OMPT-F is graded

Every paper is first graded by the Maxima computer-algebra engine, which accepts any equivalent exact form, then reviewed by an OMPT mathematician. The certificate arrives by email with a score per topic; universities you linked can see it. Where universities publish a validity period (Erasmus University College, NHH, Kaunas University of Technology), it is two years.

OMPT-F retakes

OMPT itself lets you buy as many attempts as the class year holds, and refreshes them every 1 October. Your university decides how many it counts. Most programmes accept three; omptest.org keeps a list of exceptions, and the university cards above show the cap where one is published. The 2019 SOWISO report noted that scores rise across attempts, and that 68% of resit candidates cleared 55% eventually. That is comforting only if your programme allows the resit.