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Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Psychology preparation · Original story writing · Timed picture practice

SSB-Style TAT Practice

This practice follows the requested format: 11 pictures and a 12th blank slide. Observe each for 30 seconds; then the image disappears and you have 4 minutes to write a story.

30 secObservation
4 minStory writing
54 minComplete mock

How it works: Observe for 30 seconds → write for 4 minutes → automatically move to the next picture. Eleven pictures are followed by one blank slide.

Read the complete TAT instructions
  1. Observe each picture carefully for 30 seconds, without writing during the observation period.
  2. After the picture disappears, write a story within 4 minutes.
  3. Explain what led to the scene, what is happening, and what happens afterwards.
  4. Give your story a beginning, a central development and an ending.
  5. Use imagination, but keep events, decisions and solutions practical and realistic.
  6. Choose familiar human situations rather than fairy tales or borrowed stories.
  7. Where useful, include characters' names, approximate ages, thoughts, feelings and actions.
  8. Do not worry about decorative language; write naturally and clearly.
  9. Avoid undesirable or harmful conduct; let characters respond responsibly and realistically.
  10. Some scenes are intentionally vague. Interpret them independently.
  11. The twelfth slide is blank: imagine your own situation for 30 seconds, then write a story in 4 minutes.

Remember: Imagination · Practicality · No undesirable activity · A realistic, positive or happy ending. Let the outcome follow naturally from the characters’ actions.

Choose a practice set

Available mock tests use 11 pictures followed by the 12th blank slide. Mock Test 3 contains newly created, original black-and-white illustrations, not official SSB images. Mock Test 6 is enabled when all its pictures are available. Individual picture practice is listed separately.

Individual picture practice · 9 extra pictures

Mock Tests 1–6 · Picture Readiness

Loading the published picture sets for Mock Tests 1–5…

Website editor / local picture preview

Mock Tests 1–5 are published with eleven pictures each. Candidates do not need to upload a PDF or image file.

The PDF stays on your device and is not uploaded to the website. This optional tool is only for editors preparing future picture sets. Mock Tests 1–5 load automatically and require no PDF.

Website editor: create an optimised 75-picture PDF

After opening the original 125-page PDF on a computer, press the button below. The browser will process the 75 selected pictures into one much smaller PDF in the correct order, suitable for website hosting. It may take a few minutes.

Upload the resulting PDF as tat-pictures-75-optimised.pdf to the TAT picture folder on GitHub. This optional larger picture bank is separate from the published Mock Tests 1–4. Publish only pictures you have permission to reproduce.

An unofficial preparation exercise; there are no officially verified TAT model stories, scores or selection thresholds on this page.