UCL Announces New TARA Admissions Test

Introduction to the TARA

Note: this article has been updated as of May 1st, 2025 to reflect the latest information from University Admissions Testing (UAT).

In March 2025, University College London (UCL) announced that it will be introducing a new admissions test, the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions (TARA), to assess candidates for 2026 entry for ten specific courses. The TARA has been developed by University Admissions Testing (UAT), the test provider which also produces the TMUA and ESAT.

In this article we will explore which universities and courses will require the test, what it will assess, and how to prepare.

Which Universities Will Use the TARA Admissions Test?

So far, only UCL has announced that it will be using the TARA. Candidates applying to UCL for 10 courses in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Social Sciences will be required to take it – more on these in a moment. However, though this is unconfirmed, there is reason to believe that other competitive universities may also use the test. Announcing the TARA, UAT stated that it ‘will be delivering a new admissions test for universities’ – that plural ‘universities’ may be revealing.

The most likely other candidate is Cambridge University. This is partly because we know that there will be two windows available for taking the test – one in October and one in January. The existence of the October window suggests that either Oxford or Cambridge, whose application deadlines are in mid-October, will use the TARA admissions test. However, as we will shortly see, the test seems like it will assess similar skills to the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) which Oxford is continuing to use for 2026 entry. That means that Cambridge is the only university with an October deadline which has a thinking skills / reasoning assessment ‘gap’, which the TARA could fill.

Secondly, the test is delivered by UAT, which also produces the TMUA and ESAT – tests which Cambridge (but not Oxford) uses to assess applicants for other courses. Its existing relationship with UAT is another reason to think that Cambridge may also use the TARA.

Other possible candidates to use the test are LSE and Imperial College London. Like Cambridge, LSE already partners with the UAT for the TMUA. It also specialises in Social Sciences, and we have already seen that UCL intends to use the TARA admissions test to assess applicants for a number of Social Sciences courses.

Imperial is perhaps a little less likely. Though it uses the existing UAT tests, the ESAT and the TMUA, it does not have any Social Sciences courses. It does have a number of Mathematics and Computer Science courses, but these currently use the TMUA to assess candidates and there is no indication that Imperial intends to change this.

Who Needs to Take the TARA Admissions Test?

Applicants for 10 courses at UCL (in Maths, Computer Science, and Social Sciences) will need to take the TARA for 2026 entry.

UCL Courses Which Require the TARA

As we have discussed, the test may also be used by universities like Cambridge, LSE, and Imperial, but this is yet to be confirmed.

What Does the TARA Test?

UAT have said, “The TARA will test non-subject specific skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving and effective communication.” UCL, meanwhile, have similarly stated that “it is a non-subject-specific test designed to assess essential skills required for undergraduate study.”

TARA Format

The test is divided into three modules:

Critical Thinking assesses “reasoning using everyday written language”. In particular, it will test students’ ability to understand and evaluate arguments. We expect that this section will be similar to the questions in Section 1 of the TSA which require students to analyse a paragraph of argumentation.

Problem Solving tests “reasoning using numerical skills”. An understanding of basic maths concepts will be necessary, including:

• Fractions and percentages
• Place value
• Numerical operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, averaging)
• Time and the calendar
• Money and measures
• Calculating area, perimeter and volume of basic shapes
• Analysing tables and graphs

Again, we expect this module to be similar to the data analysis questions in Section 1 of the TSA.

The Writing Task will present students with three essay questions. They must write an answer in response to one question. There is a word limit of 750 words. We expect this section to be similar to Section 2 of the TSA.

All candidates must take all three sections.

The full specification for the TARA is available on the UAT website.

Scoring

In each of the first two sections, candidates will receive a mark for every right answer. This result will then be scaled to a final score between 1.0 and 9.0, with 9.0 being the highest. This is the same system as UAT’s other tests, the TMUA and ESAT.

For the final section, UAT will not mark the essay. They will forward it onto the university who will assess your performance without issuing an official score.

Taking the Test

Dates

The first sitting of the test will be on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th October. The second sitting will be on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th January.

Fees

Like other UAT tests, the TARA will cost £75 for UK & Ireland applicants and £130 for overseas students.

Location

The TARA admissions test will be a computerised assessment, like other UAT tests. You will need to take it at an official Pearson-VUE test centre. You will select your preferred test centre when registering.

Registration

To register:

1. Create a UAT account with Pearson VUE (available from June)
2. Set up your log-in details
3. Select your preferred test centre and test dates
4. Pay for your test

How to Prepare for the TARA Admissions Test

As the TARA is a new admissions test, official prep materials have not yet been released. Official TARA practice tests will be available here from May 2025. For the time being, though, the amount of effective preparation you can do is limited.

While we wait for more information from UAT, there are a few things you can do which will likely help get you ready – mainly to improve your academic reasoning skills, in both critical and quantitative reasoning.

1. Practice with past papers and sample questions for the TSA. Our own TSA practice test is available for free.
2. Practice with past papers and prep materials for the LNAT and UCAT reasoning sections. Our LNAT and UCAT practice tests are free, too.
3. Familiarise yourself with the UAT’s online test platform, by looking at the specimen and practice tests for the TMUA and ESAT here.

For the highest quality of preparation, book in with one of our admissions test tutors. All our tutors are Oxbridge graduates with extensive experience with the TSA and other tests similar to the TARA. Our students improve their admissions test scores by an average of 20% after just 4 hours of tutoring.

Other Important UCL Admissions Test Changes

With the announcement of the TARA and the ensuing speculation, it would be easy to miss that UCL have made a couple of other important updates to their admissions testing requirements.

1. The TMUA is now required for UCL’s Economics (BSc) course
2. The ESAT is now required for UCL’s Electronic and Electrical Engineering (BEng) course.

Read our full guides to the TMUA and ESAT for more information on those tests.

If you’re applying for these courses and want to take your prep to the next level, book in with one of our specialist admissions test tutors.