Which OMPT test do I need? A–G, decoded

Every intake, at least one student tells me they have "been studying for the OMPT" for a month, and when I ask which one, there is a pause. That pause costs weeks. The seven variants share a core of algebra, but past that core they diverge hard: the B has integrals, the E has probability distributions, and the G ends with physics and chemistry chapters. Prep for the wrong letter and much of the work simply does not transfer.

Where the letter actually hides

Look in the conditions section of your offer letter first. Universities that use the OMPT name the exact variant and often the exact score. Maastricht's School of Business and Economics, for instance, points International Business and Economics applicants to OMPT-A and Econometrics applicants to OMPT-B, with a 75% benchmark. Erasmus University College and UvA's PPLE programme both name OMPT-A with a minimum of 70%.

If the letter is vague, do not guess. Email admissions and ask two things: which variant, and what score. It is a boring email. Send it anyway. I have watched a student sit the wrong variant, pass it, and then discover the pass meant nothing to their programme. The retake cost another €240 and three weeks of nerves.

The seven letters, one paragraph each

OMPT-A is the business staple: 52 questions in 120 minutes, algebra through differentiation, no trigonometry, no integrals. It is the variant I see most, by a wide margin. The fight on the A is speed on routine algebra, since you get under two and a half minutes per question.

OMPT-B is the A plus trigonometry and integration, stretched to 64 questions in 150 minutes. Quantitative programmes such as Econometrics and Operations Research ask for it, and it deserves its reputation. If you were assigned the B, start earlier than feels necessary.

OMPT-C is the short one: 30 questions in two hours on numbers, algebra, linear formulas, and a little geometry. Its curriculum is 66 topics against the A's 176. If you were told C, do not buy A-level prep out of caution; you would study four chapters you will never see.

OMPT-D is the STEM gate. Only 21 questions, but each is a long multi-step problem drawn from the widest syllabus of any variant, 242 topics including geometry and integration. The 180 minutes exist because you will use them.

OMPT-E, OMPT-F and OMPT-G are the ones nobody writes about, which is exactly why students get surprised by them. The E swaps calculus depth for statistics and probability. The F covers OMPT-A territory as 21 extended problems over three hours. The G adds mechanics and chemistry on top of the maths. I wrote a separate post on all three: OMPT-E, F and G explained.

Same maths, different exams

The letter changes more than the topic list; it changes the kind of exam you sit. The A, B and E are pace tests: many short questions, between two and three minutes each, where fluency is the scored skill. The C gives you four minutes per question and expects near-perfect accuracy on easier material instead. The D and F flip the format entirely: a handful of long problems where one question can hold five dependent steps, so the skill being measured is sustained, checked working rather than sprint speed.

This matters for how you practise, and it is why generic "OMPT prep" advice ages badly across variants. A B candidate should be running timed mixed sets by the second week, because their enemy is the clock. A D candidate doing the same drills is rehearsing the wrong exam; their practice should look like homework problems written out in full, since a lost thread in step two of a 21-question test is a far bigger event than a lost minute. Same syllabus chapters, opposite training plans.

Two mistakes I keep seeing

First: preparing "up", on the theory that harder prep covers you for an easier test. It half works and fully wastes time. A student prepping B-level integration for an A-variant sitting spent evenings on a chapter that could not earn them a single point, while their logarithm speed, which could, stayed slow.

Second: assuming the variant from the subject. Business does not always mean A. NHH in Norway sends economics applicants to the F. Some programmes change variants between intake years. The letter in your offer beats any pattern I can give you, including mine.

Once you know your letter, the next question is usually how much work is ahead. omptest.org's own study estimates run from about 40 hours for the C to 120 for the D, E and G, with the A around 80 and the B around 100. Treat those as ceilings for a rusty start. A student straight out of a maths-heavy final year usually needs half that; a student three years out of school should believe the numbers. Either way, the topic drills are where the hours go.