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TARA vs TSA

Sit TARA when your current course page requires TARA. Old TSA Section 1 papers remain useful because UAT-UK links the archive, but the current modules, writing instruction, delivery and score scale are different.

Download the PDFChecked August 2026About 9 minutes to read

The booking answer is course-first

TSA is the historical test many Oxford applicants know. TARA is the current UAT-UK test named for relevant courses at Oxford and UCL. You do not choose according to which paper style you prefer. The exact course page decides.

The formats are close, not identical

Feature	TARA	TSA Oxford archive
Multiple choice	$22$ Critical Thinking in $40$ minutes, then $22$ Problem Solving in $40$	$50$ mixed questions in $90$ minutes
Writing	One of three prompts, $40$ minutes, maximum $750$ words	Historically one of four prompts, $30$ minutes and constrained answer space
Delivery	Computer at Pearson VUE with an erasable booklet	Archive papers were paper-based
Scoring	Separate $1.0$ to $9.0$ CT and PS scores; writing unscored by UAT-UK	Historical TSA scoring does not convert to TARA

The average multiple-choice pace is strikingly close:

\frac{2400}{22}=109.1\text{ s},\qquad \frac{5400}{50}=108\text{ s}.

The separation still matters. Unused Critical Thinking time cannot rescue Problem Solving in TARA.

What transfers cleanly

UAT-UK says TARA's scored modules share a history with TSA and BMAT Section 1, and it links both archives. Use them for argument structure, supported inference, relevant selection, unfamiliar procedures, structural similarity and the roughly $108$ to $109$ second rhythm.

The old labels and thought processes are useful. The old score table is not.

Adapt the archive before you trust it

Split mixed papers into separate $22$ -question Critical Thinking and Problem Solving sets.
Display the PDF on a monitor and use a separate sheet for working.
Use the current Writing Task: one of three prompts, three required moves, $40$ minutes and at most $750$ words.
Record raw accuracy and error causes. Do not invent a TSA-to-TARA conversion.
Keep current specimen material and the Pearson player for final-format rehearsal.

Worked example A relevant-selection problem that transfers

A hall has $240$ seats. $30$ are reserved. Of the $210$ sold tickets, $60\%$ are student tickets at £ $12$ and the rest are adult tickets at £ $18$ . Venue hire is £ $1,620$ and printing is £ $85$ . What is ticket revenue?

0.60(210)=126,\qquad 210-126=84

126(12)+84(18)=1512+1512=\boxed{3024}

Why this works: The answer is £ $3,024$ . Capacity, reservations and the price split matter. The two costs do not.

Why the tempting route fails: Subtracting hire and printing calculates a form of surplus, not the revenue requested.

A paper ladder that preserves scarce material

Stage	Material	Job
$1$	TARA specification and Question Guide	Learn the current modules and question types
$2$	One old TSA or BMAT Section 1 set	Label the question type and first move, untimed
$3$	Archive sets split by type	Repair one skill, then mix it again
$4$	Custom $22$ in $40$ sets	Rehearse TARA's module boundary
$5$	TARA specimen	Check current stem language and explanations
$6$	Pearson practice test	Rehearse the screen and complete sitting

Sources

UAT-UK, TARA overview. Current format, scoring and delivery. Read the overviewhttps://esat-tmua.ac.uk/about-the-tests/tara/

UAT-UK, Preparation Materials. The official route to TSA and BMAT archive material. Open the archivehttps://esat-tmua.ac.uk/tara-preparation-materials/

University of Oxford, admissions tests. The current course list and sitting rules. Check Oxfordhttps://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying/guide-for-applicants/admissions-tests

TSA papers are practice ancestry, not released TARA papers. Always book from the current course page.

Keep going, still free

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