mlsanityData to 7 Oct 2026

Test-Time Meta-Adaptation with Self-Synthesis

arXiv 2603.03524 ↗First posted 3 Mar 2026cs.LG cs.AIcited by 1

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Abstract (arXiv)

As strong general reasoners, large language models (LLMs) encounter diverse domains and tasks, where the ability to adapt and self-improve at test time is valuable. We introduce MASS, a meta-learning framework that enables LLMs to self-adapt by generating problem-specific synthetic training data and performing targeted self-updates optimized for downstream performance at inference time. We train this behavior end-to-end via bilevel optimization: an inner loop adapts on self-generated examples while an outer loop meta-learns data-attribution signals and rewards post-update task performance. The synthetic data is optimized with scalable meta-gradients, backpropagating the downstream loss through the inner updates to reward useful generations. Experiments on mathematical reasoning show that MASS learns to synthesize per-instance curricula that yield effective, data-efficient test-time adaptation.

Key facts. Cited by 1 paper in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Builds on 12 of its 13 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 3 Mar 2026.

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12 of 13 references.

References · 12

  1. 2021LoRA: Low-Rank Adaptation of Large Language Modelscited by 14,084
  2. 2021Measuring Mathematical Problem Solving With the MATH Datasetcited by 5,203
  3. 2017Model-Agnostic Meta-Learning for Fast Adaptation of Deep Networkscited by 4,861
  4. 2023Let's Verify Step by Stepcited by 3,598
  5. 2022Self-Instruct: Aligning Language Models with Self-Generated Instructionscited by 2,674
  6. 2022STaR: Bootstrapping Reasoning With Reasoningcited by 895
  7. 2024Continual Learning of Large Language Models: A Comprehensive Surveycited by 228
  8. 2025STP: Self-play LLM Theorem Provers with Iterative Conjecturing and Provingcited by 77
  9. 2025Self-Adapting Language Modelscited by 71
  10. 2024Towards Lifelong Learning of Large Language Models: A Surveycited by 60
  11. 2025Test-Time Learning for Large Language Modelscited by 46
  12. 2025Scalable Meta-Learning via Mixed-Mode Differentiationcited by 4

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  1. 2026TTCS: Test-Time Curriculum Synthesis for Self-Evolving
  2. 2026TTSR: Test-Time Self-Evolving via Reflection
  3. 2025Meta-Reasoner: Dynamic Guidance for Optimized Inference-time Reasoning in Large Language Models
  4. 2025MetaScale: Test-Time Scaling with Evolving Meta-Thoughts
  5. 2026Direct Self-Evolving Optimization: Evolving LLMs without Challenger Training
  6. 2026Query-Conditioned Test-Time Self-Training for Large Language Models
  7. 2025Evolving LLMs' Self-Refinement Capability via Synergistic Training-Inference Optimization
  8. 2026On the Generalization Gap in Self-Evolving Language Model Reasoning