TARA practice materials: what each source is for

Start with the current boundary

The current format is $22$ five-option Critical Thinking questions in $40$ minutes, $22$ five-option Problem Solving questions in $40$ minutes, and one Writing Task chosen from three prompts in $40$ minutes. The Writing Task is limited to $750$ words.

Use the Question Guide to choose a skill

The current Question Guide is the cleanest map of the jobs the public evidence names. Critical Thinking covers main conclusions, drawing conclusions, assumptions, additional evidence, reasoning errors, matching arguments and applying principles. Problem Solving covers Relevant Selection, Finding Procedures and Identifying Similarity.

That map is more useful than a random paper label. Choose the operation you want to practise first, then choose a source that gives you enough questions to repeat it.

1. Name the module and official question job.
2. Read the specification point that sets the boundary.
3. Use the current worked examples to understand the job.
4. Use clearly labelled legacy questions only when you need more repetition.

Use the archive without changing its label

UAT-UK links BMAT Section 1 and TSA Section 1 papers as preparation material. The evidence report classifies $728$ BMAT questions and $800$ TSA questions in that archive. Together they are a legacy proxy corpus, not a released TARA paper set.

• Write the paper name and year beside every practice set.
• Tag the current skill you intend the question to exercise.
• Keep legacy accuracy separate from any current-format result.
• Do not turn an archive raw mark into a TARA scaled score.

Build a source ladder

1. Read the current specification and Question Guide before selecting questions.
2. Use the Pearson specimen and practice resources as current online test-player material.
3. Use BMAT and TSA for targeted repetition, marked as legacy proxy practice.
4. Review the question job, first failed move and reach. Do not report a guessed TARA scale.

The evidence base contains $11$ current Question Guide examples, not a public release of every live item. That is a reason to label practice carefully, not a reason to fill the gap with recalled content.