Identifying Similarity
Recognise when a new problem has the same underlying relationships or solution method despite different surface details.
How to prepare for the TARA
Learn the official question types, practise five-option reasoning without a calculator, and rehearse one 40-minute writing process that explains, counters and judges a proposition.
Core concepts
Concept 1
Similarity concerns the structure of a problem and the operations needed to solve it.
Exam cue: Describe the source problem without its names or context.
Concept 2
Abstracting quantities, constraints and relationships exposes the common pattern.
Exam cue: List the operations and constraints in order.
Concept 3
A matching problem should preserve the decisive structure, not just a visual or topical resemblance.
Exam cue: Compare candidate problems at the structural level.
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Matching by shared objects or subject matter.
Guardrail: Do not import subject detail the task does not require or confuse a plausible result with one established by the supplied reasoning.
Ignoring a constraint that changes the solution method.
Guardrail: Do not import subject detail the task does not require or confuse a plausible result with one established by the supplied reasoning.
Treating two problems as similar because they use the same arithmetic symbol once.
Guardrail: Do not import subject detail the task does not require or confuse a plausible result with one established by the supplied reasoning.
Memory anchors
Strip the Story
Replace the context with quantities, relationships and constraints.
Method Pattern
Match the sequence of reasoning steps.
Constraint Pattern
Capacity, order and exclusivity must align.
Surface Is Not Structure
Similar objects can hide different problems.
Same Operations
A true match uses corresponding operations for corresponding reasons.
Decisive Feature
Identify the feature without which the method would change.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
A machine maps 3→10, 5→16, and 8→25. Which new pair follows the same rule?
The sequence 4, 9, 16, 25 follows one numerical pattern. Which number comes next?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
What is Pass Harbor?
Completely free exam prep for 247 UK exams.
- Practice questions
- Flashcards
- Study guides
- Mock exams
- No registration
- No paywall
- Start instantly
“No more expensive exam prep. Quality study tools should be accessible to everyone.”