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ESAT past-paper roadmap
Which past papers should you use for the ESAT?
There are no released ESAT papers yet, so the best practice comes from Cambridge's older NSAA, ENGAA and TMUA papers. Their formats changed across years, and NSAA and ENGAA reuse many of the same questions.
This guide maps each exam's structure over time, then shows what to do, what to skip and why.
Written by the ESAT CAMP editorial team
Last updated 20 August 2026
Content
Your Roadmap
Choose your ESAT modules, and we will show you our suggested past papers.
Which modules are you taking?
Up to 3 subjects
Defaults are Maths 1, Maths 2 and Physics. Pick up to three.
You do not need to finish everything on this page. Quality of review matters more than the number of papers completed.
NSAA Guide
Section 1
Sit A + one science
60 min · 20 qs/part
Part E removed
No calculator
Section 2lower priority for ESAT
Pick one science part · 20 MCQs
X
Physics
Y
Chemistry
Z
Biology
60 min · no calculator · harder / secondary
UAT-UK's ESAT archive publishes NSAA Section 1 only.
ENGAA Guide
Section 1
Part A · Maths + Physics mixed
20 qs
Part B · Advanced Maths + Advanced Physics
20 qs
Answer all 40 · 60 min · no calculator · no Chem / Bio
Section 2lower priority for ESAT
Section 2 · Advanced Physics only
20 MCQs · 60 min · no calculator
From 2020 overlaps NSAA Section 2 Part X
UAT-UK's ESAT archive publishes ENGAA Section 1 only.
Overlaps
NSAA and ENGAA drew from the same question pool, and have duplicate questions.
2016–2019
Duplicates
Duplicateskip after nsaa
ENGAA Section 1 Part A
NSAA Section 1 Parts A and B
Mostly duplicatedo unique questions
ENGAA Section 1 Part B
NSAA Section 1 Part E
Fresh
Freshoptional harder physics
ENGAA Section 2
Unique relative to NSAA
2020–2023
Duplicates
Duplicateskip after nsaa
ENGAA Section 1 Part A
NSAA Section 1 Parts A and B
Duplicateuse once
ENGAA Section 2
NSAA Section 2 Part X Physics
Fresh
Freshdo all relevant questions
ENGAA Section 1 Part B
Fresh relative to NSAA Section 1
Unique ENGAA Part B questions (2016–2019)
After NSAA Part E, only these ENGAA Part B questions are fresh.
| Year | Unique question numbers |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Q32, Q42, Q47, Q49, Q52, Q53, Q54 |
| 2017 | Q32, Q35, Q36, Q37, Q41, Q50, Q51, Q54 |
| 2018 | Q35, Q38, Q39, Q42, Q45, Q50, Q51, Q52 |
| 2019 | Q25, Q38 |
Already done NSAA? Skip ENGAA Part A every year. For 2016–2019, do only the unique Part B questions above. For 2020–2023, do all of Part B. Skip 2020–2023 ENGAA Section 2 if you already did NSAA Section 2 Part X. Full question-by-question checker.
TMUA Guide
Paper 1
Applications
20 MCQs · 75 min
Paper 2
Reasoning
20 MCQs · 75 min · lower priority
Stable 2016–2023 format. Maths only · no calculator.
Paper 1 pacing for ESAT
2.25 min / question
Original TMUA averages 3.75 minutes per question. For ESAT speed work, aim closer to 1.5–2.5 minutes.
The complete tier list
Hover a paper for commentary. Tier = reusable practice value, not what to open first.
S
A
B
C
Convert old papers into ESAT practice
27
questions
40
minutes
89
seconds per question
None of the old papers reproduces the current ESAT format perfectly. You do not need to spend exactly 89 seconds on every question, but that is the average pace you must sustain.
Once you are comfortable with the content: practise 27-question, 40-minute modules; review every wrong answer and every guess; practise all required modules back-to-back; keep at least two recent paper sets unseen for late timed practice.
Stamina is part of the exam
Many students can perform well in one module but lose speed and judgement near the end of the final one. Train the full sequence before test day.
Use the current specification as the final authority
UAT-UK has crossed out out-of-spec questions in the Section 1 archive. Those questions can still be interesting for Mathematics 2 or general problem solving, but they should not displace examinable practice.
This is a menu, not a checklist. You do not need every paper to do well. Start with the closest material, remove duplicates, review properly and build towards the real timing.
Common questions
Are there real ESAT past papers?
No live ESAT papers have been publicly released. UAT-UK provides official specimen and practice tests, plus marked-up NSAA and ENGAA Section 1 papers from 2016–2023.
Which paper is best for ESAT Mathematics 1?
NSAA Section 1 Part A is the cleanest large source. ENGAA Part A also contains Mathematics 1, but it duplicates the same year's NSAA Mathematics and Physics questions.
Which paper is best for ESAT Mathematics 2?
ENGAA Section 1 Part B is the best legacy source. TMUA Paper 1 is useful once you need extra material.
Which papers should Chemistry and Biology students use?
Use NSAA Section 1 Part C for Chemistry or Part D for Biology. Then use the relevant 2020–2023 NSAA Section 2 part as harder supplementary practice.
Should I do NSAA or ENGAA first?
Use NSAA first if you take Chemistry or Biology. If you take Mathematics 2 and Physics, ENGAA is equally important, but check the overlaps before doing the second paper from the same year.
Should I do ENGAA Section 2?
Only after closer material. It is harder Physics, includes out-of-spec content and is less similar to current ESAT. From 2020–2023 it duplicates NSAA Section 2 Part X.
Should I use the original paper timings?
Not for final preparation. The current ESAT gives 40 minutes for 27 questions in each separately timed module. Move towards that format as the exam approaches.
Sources and methodology
We compared the official 2016–2023 NSAA and ENGAA Section 1 PDFs question by question. Duplicate labels are based on the paper text, answer options and diagrams where available. A missing label means "not confirmed", not necessarily "unique".
- UAT-UK, ESAT Content Specification for October 2026 and January 2027
- UAT-UK, ESAT preparation materials and official 2016–2023 NSAA/ENGAA Section 1 archive
- UAT-UK, specimen and practice-test guidance
- UAT-UK, TMUA test format
- UAT-UK, historic TMUA papers
- ESAT CAMP, full NSAA/ENGAA duplicate methodology and question list
Paper structures are taken from the instructions printed in the original papers. Overlap claims are based on comparison of the corresponding official PDFs. Secondary archives are needed for Section 2 because those files are not included in the current UAT-UK ESAT archive.
ESAT CAMP is an independent preparation resource. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by UAT-UK, Pearson VUE, Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, UCL or any other university.
Related guides
ESAT past papers library
Every official ENGAA, NSAA and TMUA paper, filterable by module.
ENGAA and NSAA papers for ESAT
The two archives overlap heavily. Here is which copy to solve.
TMUA for ESAT preparation
Where TMUA genuinely helps Maths 2, and where it is a detour.
ESAT Maths 1
Topics, timing and the fast methods the compulsory module rewards.
ESAT Maths 2
Algebra, functions, trigonometry, logs and calculus-style reasoning.
ESAT Physics
Formula choice, units, graphs and proportional reasoning.
ESAT preparation guide
The full plan: order of work, timeline and what to practise first.