TARA PAST PAPERS

TARA Past Papers: the BMAT & TSA Archive UAT-UK Provides

UAT-UK has never released a TARA past paper. What it does provide for TARA preparation is the BMAT Section 1 and TSA Section 1 archives, on the basis that those tests share a common history with TARA Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. FrontierVUE holds all 33 of those papers (2003–2023), plus 18 Frontier Original TARA papers written to the current format, organised by year and paper. Every paper can be sat online in a timed interface that mirrors real exam pacing, with instant marking, worked solutions and performance analytics on submission.

Past papers
33
Original mocks
18
Questions
1343
Years covered
2003–2023
Try past papers freeRead the exam guide
PAPER LIST

Paper list

These are real BMAT and TSA papers, not TARA past papers. UAT-UK provides them for TARA preparation because the tests share a common history. The free trial papers are the Frontier Original TARA papers (first 2 per subject); a one-time per-subject purchase unlocks everything here.

#YearPaperQuestionsDurationAccess
012023TSA · Section 15090 minPremium
022023BMAT · Section 13260 minPremium
032022TSA · Section 15090 minPremium
042022BMAT · Section 13260 minPremium
052021TSA · Section 15090 minPremium
062021BMAT · Section 13260 minPremium
072020TSA · Section 15090 minPremium
082020BMAT · Section 13260 minPremium
092019TSA · Section 15090 minPremium
102019BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
112018TSA · Section 15090 minPremium
122018BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
132017TSA · Section 15090 minPremium
142017BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
152016TSA · Section 15090 minPremium
162016BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
172015TSA · Section 15090 minPremium
182015BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
192014BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
202012BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
212011TSA · Section 15090 minPremium
222011BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
232010TSA · Section 15090 minPremium
242010BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
252009TSA · Section 15090 minPremium
262009BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
272008TSA · Section 15090 minPremium
282008BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
292007BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
302006BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
312005BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
322004BMAT · Section 13560 minPremium
332003BMAT · Section 14060 minPremium
OFFICIAL MATERIAL

7 official documents worth using for the TARA

None of them is a past paper, because no TARA past paper exists. Only 4 are the TARA's own; 2 are archives of a different test that UAT-UK recommends and hosts, and the last is the course list. Each entry says what it is actually good for.

  1. TARA Content Specification

    The official statement of what is assessed. It is where the maths expectation for Problem Solving is set out: fractions, place value, percentages, the four rules of number, averages, time, money and measures, and conversions between km, m, cm, mm and between kg and g. Reading it first removes a lot of misdirected revision.

  2. TARA Question Guide

    Defines the ten question types in the examiners' own words: seven in Critical Thinking, three in Problem Solving. It also notes that a question can fall into more than one type. This is the official basis for turning "work out what the question is asking" into a trainable skill.

  3. Official specimen test, with explained answers

    Sat on the Pearson VUE platform, covering all three modules, with explained answers. Its value is not the number of questions but that it is the only way to see the real computer-based interface before test day.

  4. Official sample test, with answer review

    Also on Pearson VUE, covering all three modules, with an answer review afterwards. Worth saving for later in your preparation and spending as a timed full rehearsal, rather than using it up on day one.

  5. BMAT Section 1 archive, 2003 to 2023

    Recommended by UAT-UK, which hosts the PDFs on its own site, on the basis that the question types share a common history. This is the largest body of comparable material available. Note it belongs to a different test, so its instructions and paper structure are not the TARA's.

  6. TSA Section 1 archive, 2008 to 2023

    Also recommended and hosted by UAT-UK on the same basis. Together with the BMAT archive it forms the largest source of practice available in the absence of past papers.

  7. Course list for 2027 entry (PDF)

    The authoritative list of which courses require the TARA. Worth checking yourself: the three errors that recur most often in third-party articles (that Oxford Computer Science requires it, that single-honours History at Oxford requires it, that UCL's social sciences require it) are all refuted by this document in under a minute.

ABOUT THE EXAM

What is the TARA?

The TARA (Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions) is run by UAT-UK and delivered worldwide by Pearson VUE — the newest member of the same test family as the TMUA and ESAT. It comprises three 40-minute modules: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, both multiple choice, plus a Writing Task. Oxford uses it from 2027 entry across 10 social-science courses (Economics and Management, PPE, History and Economics, History and Politics, Human Sciences, Experimental Psychology, Psychology and Philosophy and more; single-honours History and Computer Science are not on the list). UCL adopted it from 2026 entry and narrows it for 2027 entry to four Computer Science courses plus two in Mechanical Engineering, with its social-science routes moving to UCL's own Thinking Skills Test. Calculators and dictionaries are banned throughout.
Read the full TARA guide: test dates, paper structure and university requirements
WHY PAST PAPERS

Why past papers are the most effective preparation

Past papers are the only practice material drawn from the same source as your real exam. The TARA's question style, stem length, distractor design and time pressure can only truly be reproduced by the genuine papers — even the best mock questions are an approximation. Work through the back catalogue systematically and your sense of what gets tested, and how, will be far sharper than that of candidates who rely on textbooks alone.

Practising year by year also reveals how the test has evolved: which topics recur, which question types have been getting harder. A well-proven approach is to keep the most recent papers for full timed mocks and use the older years for topic-by-topic drilling.

Timing matters as much as content. Half the difficulty of the TARA is time allocation. Sitting past papers in FrontierVUE's timed interface records how long you spend on every question, so you can pinpoint the question types you get right but answer too slowly — and train speed exactly where it is needed.

WHY FRONTIERVUE

Sharper than a stack of PDFs

  • Exam-style pacing: a timed online interface reproduces real exam pressure, with instant marking on submission — no answer keys to check by hand.

  • Worked solutions: every past-paper question comes with a full worked solution, and mistakes can be saved to a review list for repeat practice.

  • Performance analytics: accuracy and timing are broken down by topic, so your weak areas are visible at a glance instead of guessed at.

  • Free to start: registration is free and every subject includes 2 free papers. For TARA those are the Frontier Original papers, because the BMAT and TSA archive is part of the paid bank. A one-time per-subject purchase (£58.80 per subject, £108.80 for any two) unlocks all of it.

  • Always current: when a new TARA sitting is released, the papers and solutions are added at no extra cost for unlocked subjects.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find TARA past papers?
UAT-UK has never released a TARA past paper. For extra practice it provides the BMAT Section 1 and TSA Section 1 archives, on the basis that those tests share a common history with TARA Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. FrontierVUE holds all 33 of those papers covering 2003–2023 with online timed practice and worked solutions.
Does Pearson VUE have a TARA practice test?
Yes. Pearson VUE's UAT-UK page offers official TARA specimen and sample tests, split into Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Writing, so you can learn the format, the question style and the test player; they are designed for a desktop screen, not a phone. They are not past papers, and TARA has no public past papers. The official tests belong to Pearson VUE, so FrontierVUE does not reproduce or adapt them: try them on the official page before test day.
Are TARA past papers free to practise on FrontierVUE?
Registration is free and every subject includes 2 free papers. For TARA those are the Frontier Original papers, because the BMAT and TSA archive UAT-UK provides is part of the paid bank. A one-time per-subject purchase (£58.80 per subject, £108.80 for any two subjects) unlocks all of it, with no subscription.
Do the TARA past papers come with worked solutions?
Yes. Every TARA past-paper question on FrontierVUE includes a full worked solution, and your attempts feed per-topic analytics so you can see exactly where marks are being lost.
How many TARA past papers should I do before the exam?
Most successful candidates work through the majority of the available back catalogue: older papers for topic-by-topic practice, and the most recent papers saved for full timed mocks in the final weeks. Quality matters more than volume — review every mistake before moving on.
Can I practise TARA past papers under real exam conditions?
Yes. FrontierVUE runs every TARA past paper in a timed online interface that mirrors exam pacing, then marks it instantly and breaks down your accuracy and timing by topic.
Can I download TARA past papers as PDF?
FrontierVUE does not offer PDF downloads, by design: the real TARA is a computer-based test, so practising on paper trains the wrong habits. Every paper here runs in a timed interface that mirrors the live exam, with instant marking, worked solutions and per-topic analytics that a printed PDF cannot provide.
KEEP EXPLORING

Keep exploring

FrontierVUE is an independent practice platform. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by UAT-UK, Pearson, OCR, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, or any official admissions-test owner.

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