TSA and BMAT practice papers for TARA
Turn a TSA, BMAT or TARA practice mark into accuracy you can compare across papers, with the TSA's own score kept on its own scale.
TSA 2021 · Critical Thinking
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Accuracy is the fair comparison across papers. We show it out of 22, the length of a TARA module, and keep the paper's own score on its own scale.
TARA · 2027 entry
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How we estimate
Scope, source, method, uncertainty, dates and what the answer can and cannot tell you.
How we estimate
Scope, source, method, uncertainty, dates and what the answer can and cannot tell you.
What it covers
Marks from TSA 2021 and 2022 Section 1, BMAT Section 1, the TARA specimen and sample papers, or any practice set, by module or whole paper. TSA 2023 and BMAT raw-to-score tables were not found.
Sources
- University of Oxford (public mirror): TSA Oxford 2021 Section 1 answer key and score conversion. Official document, public copy.
- University of Oxford (public mirror, provisional): TSA Oxford 2022 Section 1 answer key and score conversion. Official document, public copy.
- UAT-UK: TARA preparation materials (TSA and BMAT archive). Official.
- UAT-UK: TARA Technical Report 2025-26, Tables 2-4 and 16-21, pages 8-33. Official.
Method
- Accuracy is correct answers divided by every question in the set, with blanks counted as wrong.
- Same accuracy out of 22 is accuracy times 22, the length of one TARA module. 20 out of 25 is 80%, which is 17.6 out of 22.
- For a full TSA 2021 or 2022 module or Section 1, the original reported score is read from Oxford's own conversion table for that year.
- Time per question is minutes divided by questions, compared with TARA's 40 minutes for 22 questions (109 seconds each on average).
- The range if the questions were interchangeable is an 80% Wilson interval for accuracy.
Uncertainty and limits
- No TSA or BMAT paper has been equated to TARA, so accuracy out of 22 is arithmetic, not a TARA mark. A TARA paper could be harder or easier.
- The Wilson interval assumes each question is an independent, typical question. Real papers group related questions and vary in difficulty, so the true uncertainty is larger.
- A repeat attempt overstates accuracy because you have seen the questions before. Repeats are drawn hollow in the ledger.
- The TSA 2022 table comes from a public copy of Oxford's answer key; the Oxford link now redirects, so it could not be re-checked at source. TSA 2021 values match the Oxford-indexed original.
Dates and versions
- Original TSA raw-to-reported score conversions, 2021 and 2022: data version 2026-09-26.1, checked 26 September 2026 (historical).
- TARA 2026-entry score distribution, scaling, reliability and timing: data version 2026-09-26.1, checked 26 September 2026.
- Page last changed 26 September 2026.
What the answer means
The answer lets you compare practice papers fairly by accuracy and pace, and see how the same mark was scored in different TSA years. It cannot convert a practice mark into a TARA 1.0 to 9.0 score. TARA scores come from a Rasch model fitted after each sitting, and no public table links old papers to it.
Original TSA score conversions, 2021 and 2022
The same raw mark gave different scores in different years. These are TSA scale scores and have no TARA equivalent.
| Raw mark | CT 2021 | CT 2022 | PS 2021 | PS 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 99.4 | 96.7 | 106.0 | 99.2 |
| 24 | 92.1 | 89.5 | 98.6 | 91.8 |
| 23 | 84.5 | 81.9 | 90.9 | 84.1 |
| 22 | 79.8 | 77.2 | 86.1 | 79.3 |
| 21 | 76.3 | 73.7 | 82.4 | 75.6 |
| 20 | 73.4 | 70.8 | 79.4 | 72.6 |
| 19 | 70.9 | 68.2 | 76.7 | 69.9 |
| 18 | 68.7 | 65.9 | 74.3 | 67.6 |
| 17 | 66.6 | 63.8 | 72.1 | 65.4 |
| 16 | 64.7 | 61.9 | 70.0 | 63.3 |
| 15 | 62.8 | 60.0 | 68.0 | 61.3 |
| 14 | 61.0 | 58.1 | 66.1 | 59.4 |
| 13 | 59.3 | 56.3 | 64.2 | 57.6 |
| 12 | 57.5 | 54.5 | 62.2 | 55.7 |
| 11 | 55.8 | 52.7 | 60.3 | 53.8 |
| 10 | 54.0 | 50.9 | 58.3 | 51.9 |
| 9 | 52.2 | 49.0 | 56.3 | 50.0 |
| 8 | 50.3 | 47.0 | 54.1 | 47.9 |
| 7 | 48.2 | 44.9 | 51.8 | 45.7 |
| 6 | 46.0 | 42.7 | 49.3 | 43.3 |
| 5 | 43.6 | 40.1 | 46.6 | 40.6 |
| 4 | 40.7 | 37.2 | 43.3 | 37.5 |
| 3 | 37.3 | 33.7 | 39.4 | 33.7 |
| 2 | 32.7 | 29.1 | 34.1 | 28.6 |
| 1 | 25.2 | 21.5 | 25.8 | 20.4 |
| 0 | 18.0 | 14.3 | 18.1 | 12.8 |
Questions people ask
Can I convert a TSA score into a TARA score?
Not reliably. TARA is scored on a new 1.0 to 9.0 scale using a Rasch model after each sitting, and no one has published a link between TSA or BMAT papers and that scale. Accuracy is the fair comparison.
Are TSA past papers still useful for TARA?
UAT-UK lists past TSA and BMAT papers among TARA preparation materials. The question styles overlap, but the papers were not written to TARA's difficulty or 22-question length.
Why does the same TSA raw mark give different scores in different years?
Each TSA paper had its own conversion. 20 out of 25 in Critical Thinking was 73.4 in 2021 but 70.8 in 2022, because the papers differed in difficulty.
How much time do I get per TARA question?
Each module is 40 minutes for 22 questions, about 109 seconds a question on average. In 2026, 217 of 2,626 candidates left at least one Problem Solving question unreached.
Sources
- University of Oxford (public mirror): TSA Oxford 2021 Section 1 answer key and score conversionOfficial document, public copyChecked 26 September 2026. All 103 conversion values match the Oxford-indexed original (https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/media_wysiwyg/658269-past-paper-tsa-oxford-2021-section-1-answer-key.pdf), which returned HTTP 403 to direct download.
- University of Oxford (public mirror, provisional): TSA Oxford 2022 Section 1 answer key and score conversionOfficial document, public copyChecked 26 September 2026. Same layout as the 2021 original with a 2022 heading; the former Oxford URL now redirects, so the primary host could not be re-checked.
- UAT-UK: TARA preparation materials (TSA and BMAT archive)OfficialChecked 26 September 2026.
- UAT-UK: TARA Technical Report 2025-26OfficialTables 2-4 and 16-21, pages 8-33. Published 2026-07. Checked 26 September 2026.
Original TSA raw-to-reported score conversions, 2021 and 2022: version 2026-09-26.1, First published version. TARA 2026-entry score distribution, scaling, reliability and timing: version 2026-09-26.1, First published version.