- Admissions tests
Which ESAT Past Papers Should You Use?
- Published:
- Updated: September 6, 2026
- By Miguel
There are no ESAT past papers. The test began in 2024 and UAT-UK has never released one. What exists instead is an archive of the tests the ESAT replaced, and they are not equally useful. This is which papers to use for each module, in what order, and the duplication problem that quietly wastes time.
The short answer
Sit the official specimen and sample tests first, because they are the only material in the real on-screen format. Then work the NSAA papers for every module you are taking, and add the ENGAA papers only if you are sitting Mathematics 2 or Physics. If you are applying to Oxford, consider the PAT papers as well.
| Your module | Use, in this order |
|---|---|
| Mathematics 1 (everyone) | Specimen → NSAA Section 1 |
| Mathematics 2 | Specimen → NSAA Section 1 → ENGAA Section 1 |
| Physics | Specimen → NSAA Section 1 → ENGAA Section 1 → PAT |
| Chemistry | Specimen → NSAA Section 1 only |
| Biology | Specimen → NSAA Section 1 only |
Why there are no ESAT past papers
The ESAT was first sat in October 2024. UAT-UK publishes specimen and sample tests, but it has never released a live paper and has given no indication that it intends to. Anyone advertising “ESAT past papers” is selling you the archive of two older Cambridge tests, and you should know which ones before you spend money on them.
Those tests are the NSAA, Cambridge’s Natural Sciences admissions test, and the ENGAA, its Engineering equivalent. Both ran from 2016 to 2023 and both were withdrawn when the ESAT took over. From October 2026 the PAT, Oxford’s Physics Aptitude Test, joins them as a retired test whose candidates now sit the ESAT instead.
NSAA or ENGAA? It depends on your modules
This is where most advice stops being useful. The two archives are not interchangeable, because the ENGAA only ever tested mathematics and physics. If you are sitting Chemistry or Biology, every ENGAA paper you download is a paper you cannot use.
| Test | What it covered | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| NSAA 2016–2023 | Mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology | Everyone. The only archive that covers chemistry and biology |
| ENGAA 2016–2023 | Mathematics and physics only | Mathematics 2 and Physics candidates, after the NSAA |
| PAT 2006–2023 | Physics and mathematics, written answers rather than multiple choice | Depth and stamina, not exam format. No mark schemes for most years |
NSAA Past Papers
Every NSAA paper from 2016 to 2023, with official mark schemes.
ENGAA Past Papers
The mathematics and physics archive, 2016 to 2023, with mark schemes.
ESAT Past Papers & Resources
Official specimen and sample tests, key dates and the full archive.
The duplication problem
Here is the thing almost nobody mentions: the NSAA and ENGAA papers of the same year share questions. They were built by the same board from overlapping question pools, so working through both back to back means re-sitting material you have already seen and mistaking recall for improvement.
We checked this rather than assuming it. In the 2020 papers, 20 of the 40 ENGAA Section 1 questions also appear in that year’s NSAA paper (half the paper). Many are character-for-character identical. ENGAA 2020 Question 5 and NSAA 2020 Question 5 are the same question, down to the answer options:
Consider the four lines with the following equations.
1 2x + 6y = 3
2 9y = 3x – 4
3 2y = 6x + 3
4 4x + 6y – 9 = 0
Which two lines are perpendicular?
ENGAA 2020, Q5 · NSAA 2020, Q5
We measured the 2020 pair precisely. The earlier years clearly overlap too, but the older papers do not extract cleanly enough for us to publish an exact figure for them, so we are not going to invent one. Treat roughly half of any ENGAA paper as potentially familiar if you have already done the NSAA paper from the same year.
What to do about it: work the NSAA paper first, always. Then, when you turn to the ENGAA paper for the same year, skip anything you recognise rather than grinding through it. The value in the ENGAA archive is the questions that are not in the NSAA paper, and there are still plenty of them.
Section 1 is the part that matters
Both older tests had two sections. Only Section 1 maps onto the ESAT: multiple choice, no calculator, no negative marking, tight time. Section 2 was a longer written paper with no ESAT equivalent, and UAT-UK never published it.
If you find Section 2 papers being sold or shared, they are not wrong exactly, but they are not practice for the test you are sitting. Spend the time on Section 1 instead.
The order we suggest
- Sit one official specimen test untimed. The point is to learn the on-screen interface before you spend a real paper on it.
- Work the NSAA Section 1 papers from 2016 forward, one per sitting, marking with the official answer key.
- If you take Mathematics 2 or Physics, add the ENGAA paper for each year after the NSAA one, skipping repeats.
- Oxford applicants: use PAT papers for depth. They are harder and written rather than multiple choice, so treat them as problem-solving training rather than mock exams.
- Keep the two most recent NSAA years back for the final fortnight and sit them under strict timed conditions.
- Sit the official sample tests last, closest to the real thing you will get.
When you run out
Most candidates exhaust the archive before the test. At that point the options are original questions written to the current specification, or re-sitting old papers, which mostly measures memory. Our free ESAT practice tests are original and written to the current spec, and the admissions test simulator runs them under real timings.
For everything else: format, scoring, registration deadlines and a realistic study timeline, see our guide to preparing for the ESAT and what counts as a good ESAT score.
Past papers tell you what you got wrong. They rarely tell you why, and that is the part that moves a score. We work through your attempts with you, one to one.
Book a free consultationFrequently asked questions
No. The ESAT began in 2024 and UAT-UK has released specimen and sample tests only. Anything sold as an “ESAT past paper” is either an NSAA or ENGAA paper, or an original question written by a third party.
NSAA first, in every case — it is the only archive covering chemistry and biology. Add ENGAA only if you are sitting Mathematics 2 or Physics, and skip the questions you have already met in the NSAA paper for that year.
Yes. In the 2020 papers, 20 of the 40 ENGAA Section 1 questions also appear in that year’s NSAA paper, several of them word for word. Earlier years overlap as well.
For Physics, yes, as problem-solving practice — and they matter more now that Oxford Physics and Engineering applicants sit the ESAT. But the PAT was a written paper with no mark schemes for most years, so it trains depth rather than exam technique.
Section 1 was multiple choice under time pressure, which is exactly what the ESAT is. Section 2 was a longer written paper with no ESAT equivalent, and it was never published by UAT-UK.
All eight NSAA years if you can, plus the ENGAA years relevant to your modules. Most candidates run out before the test rather than the other way round, so pace them and keep the two most recent back for timed practice.
Every NSAA and ENGAA Section 1 paper has its official answer key. The PAT does not, apart from sample solutions for 2010 and 2019.
Sources
Paper archives and specimen tests: UAT-UK. PAT archive: University of Oxford Department of Physics. The duplication figure was produced by extracting the text of the 2020 NSAA and ENGAA Section 1 question papers and comparing every ENGAA question against every NSAA question; 20 of 40 matched at 80% similarity or above, and matches were checked by eye. Earlier years were tested the same way but did not extract reliably enough to quote a figure. Checked 6 September 2026.
