University of OxfordUCAS LV21

TARA for Oxford History and Politics (UCAS LV21)

History and Politics at the University of Oxford (UCAS code LV21) requires all three modules of the TARA, the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions, for 2027 entry. The TARA is run by UAT-UK and sat in person at a Pearson VUE test centre. It lasts 120 minutes in total, organised as three 40-minute modules: Critical Thinking (22 multiple-choice questions, scored), Problem Solving (22 multiple-choice questions, scored) and the Writing Task (one essay chosen from three prompts, up to 750 words). Scores are reported on a scale from 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal place, there is no pass mark and no negative marking, and calculators and dictionaries are not permitted. UAT-UK does not mark the Writing Task; your response is passed on to the universities you applied to. Oxford accepts only the October sitting, and for 2027 entry that window runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, with candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau sitting the TARA on 14 October 2026. Results are released on 16 November 2026. The entry fee is £78 in the UK and Ireland and £133 elsewhere.
Practise 18 TARA papers (2 free)Full TARA guide
18
Papers
810
Questions
2
Free to try
Oxford History and Politics (LV21) at a Glance
Does LV21 need the TARA
Required: every applicant for 2027 entry must sit it
Which modules Oxford requires for LV21
All three: Critical Thinking + Problem Solving + Writing Task, 120 minutes in total
When you sit it
Oxford accepts only the October sitting: 12 to 16 October 2026 (14 October in China, Hong Kong and Macau)
When you book
Booking opens 20 July 2026, 3pm BST and closes 28 September 2026, 6pm BST; it cannot be reopened
Results and fee
Results 16 November 2026; £78 in the UK and Ireland, £133 elsewhere

All of the above applies to Oxford History and Politics (UCAS LV21) for 2027 entry. Neither Oxford nor UCL publishes a TARA cut-off, a weighting, or an average score for successful applicants, so any such figure you find online has no official source behind it.

4 sections1,249 words7 min read
01

Which courses need the TARA, and which do not

The TARA is a reasoning test built from three modules: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and a Writing Task. For 2027 entry, ten Oxford courses and six UCL courses require it. History and Politics (LV21) is one of the ten at Oxford, and Oxford accepts only the October sitting.

Economics and Management

LN12

Experimental Psychology

C830

History and Economics

LV11

History and Politics

LV21

The course this page is about

Human Sciences

BCL0

Philosophy and Linguistics

VQ51

Philosophy, Politics and Economics

L0V0

Philosophy, Politics and Economics with Foundation Year

L0VF

Psychology and Linguistics

CQ81

Psychology and Philosophy

CV85

Three points about which courses need the TARA are easy to confuse. Here they are, one by one.
Single-honours History at Oxford requires no admissions test at all
Its course page states that no written test is needed for that course, and it does not appear on the UAT-UK course list. Only the joint courses History and Politics (LV21) and History and Economics (LV11) sit the TARA.
Oxford's Computer Science requires the TMUA (Paper 1 and Paper 2), not the TARA
The TARA is not mentioned anywhere on that course page. The easy confusion is with UCL's Computer Science (G400 and G402), which does require the TARA.
UCL's social science courses no longer use the TARA for 2027 entry
European Social and Political Studies, International Social and Political Studies and the ESPS dual degree have moved to UCL's own Thinking Skills Test. UCL's six TARA courses for 2027 entry are Computer Science BSc (G400) and MEng (G402), Computer Science and Mathematics MEng (G430), Mechanical Engineering BEng (H300) and MEng (H301), and Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng (H700).
Neither Oxford nor UCL publishes a TARA cut-off, a weighting, or an average score for successful applicants, so any such figure you find online has no official source behind it.
02

What each module asks of an LV21 applicant

Critical ThinkingProblem SolvingWriting Task
Length and questions40 minutes, 22 multiple-choice questions, roughly 109 seconds each40 minutes, 22 multiple-choice questions40 minutes, one prompt chosen from three, up to 750 words
What it asks of youIdentify conclusions, unstated assumptions and flaws in reasoning, and judge what a new piece of evidence does to an argumentNo calculator is permitted, so arithmetic has to be done on paper and at speedWrite one essay on a prompt you choose from the three offered
Who marks itA scored module, with no negative markingA scored module, with no negative markingUAT-UK does not mark it; your response is passed on to the universities you applied to

Three 40-minute modules, 120 minutes in total, sat in person at a Pearson VUE test centre. Scores are reported from 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal place with no pass mark; neither scored module uses negative marking, so leave nothing blank; calculators and dictionaries are not permitted.

What Critical Thinking tests is close to the everyday work of testing a historian's or a political scientist's claim against the evidence behind it. Problem Solving shifts the pressure onto speed: no calculator, arithmetic on paper and at pace, and no dictionaries either. Neither scored module uses negative marking, so leave nothing blank.
What the Writing Task means for an LV21 applicant: Oxford adds a note to only two of its ten TARA course pages, Economics and Management (LN12) and History and Economics (LV11), saying the Writing Task is not used in selection for those courses. The History and Politics (LV21) page carries no such note, so Oxford has published no exemption for LV21: write the essay as work a tutor may read. Oxford does not publish how much weight the essay carries.
03

How to practise when there are no past papers

Official TARA material is thin. It amounts to three things: the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide, and two practice papers hosted on Pearson VUE, a specimen with explanations and a sample with an answer review, both covering all three modules.
No TARA past paper has ever been released, so anything sold to you as a TARA past paper is not one.
01Step 1

Start with the three official items

The TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide and the two practice papers on Pearson VUE (a specimen with explanations, a sample with an answer review). That is the whole of the official material.

02Step 2

Then work through the BMAT and TSA archives UAT-UK points you to

UAT-UK itself points candidates to BMAT Section 1 (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 (2008 to 2023) for additional practice, and hosts those archives on its own site. They are legitimate, free, and the sensible place to start.

03Step 3

Sit a full timed Frontier Original parallel paper

FrontierVUE adds 18 Frontier Original parallel papers on top of that, each following the live structure: 45 items in 120 minutes, made up of 22 Critical Thinking questions, 22 Problem Solving questions and one Writing Task. Papers 1 and 2 are free, which is enough to practise one full timed paper before deciding anything else.

18 papers

Frontier Original parallel papers, written by us rather than reproduced from anywhere

810 questions

Across the 18 papers

350 questions

A separate bank organised as topic drills for the reasoning patterns that recur

2 free

Papers 1 and 2 are free to sit

Every question carries a worked explanation and a Chinese translation.
04

Key dates and fees for 2027 entry

2026Timeline
Jun 26
Jul 26
Aug 26
Sep 26
Oct 26
Nov 26
Registration opens
1 Jun 2026, 3pm BST
Registration on the UAT-UK site opens for the 2027 cycle.
Booking opens
20 Jul 2026, 3pm BST
Booking a test seat is a separate step from registering.
Access arrangements deadline
14 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
One of two deadlines that fall earlier than the booking close; handle it in advance if it applies to you.
Bursary deadline
21 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
The other deadline that falls earlier than the booking close; handle it in advance if it applies to you.
Booking closes
28 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
It cannot be reopened once that deadline passes.
October testing window
12 to 16 Oct
There are fixed regional days for China, Hong Kong and Macau, where the TARA is sat on 14 October 2026. Oxford accepts only the October sitting.
Results released
16 Nov 2026
Results day for the October sitting in the 2027 entry cycle.
Hard deadline Event WindowThese are the dates for the October sitting in the 2027 cycle, the track an Oxford History and Politics (LV21) applicant follows. The test is sat in person at a Pearson VUE test centre.
Applications for access arrangements close on 14 September 2026 at 6pm BST and bursary applications on 21 September 2026 at 6pm BST, both earlier than the 28 September booking close. Deal with them in advance if they apply to you.
October sittingJanuary sitting
Booking opens20 July 2026, 3pm BST26 October 2026, 3pm GMT
Booking closes28 September 2026, 6pm BST21 December 2026, 6pm GMT
Testing window12 to 16 October 2026 (14 October in China, Hong Kong and Macau)4 to 8 January 2027 (7 January in China, Hong Kong and Macau)
Results day16 November 20268 February 2027
Accepted for Oxford History and Politics (LV21)?Yes; Oxford accepts only the October sittingNo; for an LV21 applicant January is not a fallback and there is no second attempt within the cycle

Entry fee (UK and Ireland)

£78

Entry fee (elsewhere)

£133

How it is sat

In person at a Pearson VUE test centre

You have to attend the centre yourself

Bursary applications

Close 21 September 2026, 6pm BST

SAME UNIVERSITY

Other University of Oxford courses that require the TARA

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does Oxford History and Politics require the TARA?
Yes. For 2027 entry, every applicant to History and Politics (UCAS LV21) at the University of Oxford must sit the TARA, and Oxford requires all three modules: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task. Oxford accepts only the October sitting, whose window runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, with candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau sitting the TARA on 14 October 2026. Results are released on 16 November 2026.
Do I need the TARA for single-honours History at Oxford?
No. Oxford's History course page states that no written test is required for that course, and single-honours History does not appear on the UAT-UK course list. The TARA applies to the joint courses History and Politics (LV21) and History and Economics (LV11). So the claim that reading History at Oxford means sitting the TARA is true only of the joint courses, not of single-honours History.
Does the Writing Task count for History and Politics?
UAT-UK does not score the Writing Task for any course; a copy of your response is sent to the universities you applied to. Oxford adds a note on only two course pages, Economics and Management (LN12) and History and Economics (LV11), saying the Writing Task is not used in selection for those courses. The History and Politics page carries no such note and Oxford has published no exemption for LV21, so write it as work a tutor may read. Oxford does not publish how much weight the essay carries.
Are there past TARA papers to practise with?
No. No TARA past paper has ever been released. The only official material is the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide and two practice papers on Pearson VUE (a specimen with explanations and a sample with an answer review), and UAT-UK recommends BMAT Section 1 (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 (2008 to 2023) as supplementary practice. FrontierVUE separately provides 18 Frontier Original parallel papers (45 items in 120 minutes each, 810 questions across the 18) plus a 350-question topic-drill bank, all with worked explanations and Chinese translations. Papers 1 and 2 are free.
SOURCES

Official sources

FrontierVUE is an independent practice platform. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by UAT-UK, Pearson, OCR, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, or any official admissions-test owner.

FrontierVUE 是独立的备考练习平台，与 UAT-UK、Pearson、OCR、剑桥大学、 帝国理工学院或任何官方入学考试主办方均无隶属或背书关系。

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18 Frontier Original TARA papers and 810 questions, every one with a worked solution. The first 2 papers are free to try.

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