ESAT past papers: the official archive and what to use
Real ESAT papers are not released. You get a specimen and a sample test for each module, plus the 2016 to 2023 ENGAA and NSAA Section 1 papers. Use the specimen to learn the test, the old papers for practice, and the sample for your final rehearsal.
The official ESAT paper archive
The UAT-UK preparation materials page has the ESAT content guides and every ENGAA and NSAA Section 1 paper from 2016 to 2023, each with an answer key. The specimen and sample tests are on Pearson VUE.
Anything sold as a “2024 ESAT past paper” is a recollection, not the real paper.
Specimen tests, sample tests and legacy papers
| Resource | Use it for | Do not use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Specimen test | Learn the question language, Pearson navigation and the shape of a module. The official specimen tests are delivered in the Pearson player and do not award a score. | Predicting your live score. A specimen is format practice. |
| Sample or practice test | Rehearse a timed module in the Pearson workflow after your main content gaps are closed. | Early untimed drilling. Save this experience until you can read the result as a pacing check. |
| ENGAA and NSAA archive | Build topic sets from official questions and practise the underlying methods without spending the Pearson rehearsal. | Treating a Section 1 total as an ESAT mark, or treating every old question as current syllabus. |
The old papers come with answer keys but no worked solutions. The real ESAT is on screen: 27 questions in 40 minutes per module, no calculator.
Find your module in the archive
Match each old section to the ESAT module it trains.
| ESAT module | Legacy source to open | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics 1 | NSAA Part A Mathematics; ENGAA Part A mathematics | Build short, calculator-free sets. Check every item against the current Mathematics 1 specification, especially when a question uses a method that belongs in Mathematics 2. |
| Mathematics 2 | ENGAA Part B Advanced Mathematics | This is the direct legacy source for the advanced strand. Keep the questions whose content and method match the current Mathematics 2 specification, and skip the rest. |
| Physics | NSAA Part B Physics; ENGAA Part A Physics; selected ENGAA Part B Advanced Physics | Use the core sections first. Advanced Physics can stretch problem solving, but it needs the strongest specification check. |
| Chemistry | NSAA Part C Chemistry | Use it for calculation, reactions, structure and data questions. Compare every topic with the current Chemistry specification before making a set. |
| Biology | NSAA Part D Biology | Use it for applying biology to unfamiliar information. The underlying reasoning transfers better than the old page layout or diagram style. |
The ENGAA and NSAA overlap
Many NSAA Maths and Physics questions repeat ENGAA ones from the same year. In 2021, ENGAA Q1, Q2 and Q4 are NSAA Q1, Q22 and Q23. Compare the ENGAA 2021 Section 1 paper with the NSAA 2021 Section 1 paper.
So the archive is smaller than it looks. Use ENGAA for Maths and Physics and NSAA Parts C and D for Chemistry and Biology, and treat a repeat as a reattempt.
The current-specification filter
Check every old question against the current ESAT specification before you use it.
| Mark | Keep the question when | Your record should say |
|---|---|---|
| Keep | The topic and required method are in the current ESAT specification. | It is eligible practice. |
| Adapt | The content is current, but the old paper presentation needs a different working habit, such as solving from a PDF on a monitor and writing in a separate booklet. | It is eligible after a delivery adjustment. |
| Skip | The question depends on content outside the current module or on a method the specification excludes. | It is filtered out, not counted as a mistake. |
Two examples: Mathematics 1 no longer uses the sine and cosine rules, and Mathematics 2 excludes change of base for logs. Skip questions that need either.
A harder question is not better practice if it is off the syllabus. See the ENGAA 2023 Section 1 paper for a typical example.
Every ENGAA and NSAA question, sorted by ESAT topicHow to log a paper honestly
Log these after each set:
| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Source | Paper year, family, section and direct UAT-UK URL |
| Eligibility | Keep, Adapt or Skip, with the specification point that decided it |
| Accuracy | Correct answers out of eligible questions attempted |
| Reach | Eligible questions seen, attempted and left unseen |
| Timing | Time used for the chosen block, separate from the official ESAT clock |
| Error cause | Knowledge, setup, algebra or arithmetic, interpretation, or pacing |
Read accuracy and reach together. Rework each error, then do a short set on the same method before moving on.
For a likely ESAT score range from a practice mark, use the converter.
Estimate an ESAT score from a practice markThe order that preserves scarce material
- Read the current specification. Mark the modules you need and keep the relevant point IDs beside your paper log.
- Open the specimen early and untimed. Learn the Pearson screen, question navigation, answer options and explained-answer format before you spend legacy questions.
- Build topic sets from the archive. Start with eligible Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics, Chemistry or Biology items. Remove repeated ENGAA and NSAA copies before you judge coverage.
- Add a fixed-time legacy block. Choose a block whose length you have recorded, then review reach and error cause. Call it legacy practice in your log.
- Save the Pearson sample or practice test. Sit each required module on desktop, without a calculator, under its separate 40-minute clock, after the topic work is stable.
- Review the sample result without inventing a conversion. Use missed methods and unreached items to choose the next set. Do not spend another official sample merely to obtain a second unsupported score.
Save the Pearson sample until your pace is steady. It is your final check.