University of OxfordUCAS L0V0

Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Oxford, L0V0) and the TARA

Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford (UCAS code L0V0) requires all three modules of the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions (TARA) for 2027 entry. The TARA is run by UAT-UK and delivered on screen at Pearson VUE test centres. It runs for 120 minutes in total, organised as three 40-minute modules: Critical Thinking (22 multiple-choice questions), Problem Solving (22 multiple-choice questions) and the Writing Task (one essay chosen from three prompts, up to 750 words). Critical Thinking and Problem Solving are scored from 1.0 to 9.0 and reported to one decimal place, with no pass mark and no negative marking; the Writing Task is not marked by UAT-UK, and your response is passed to the universities you have applied to. Calculators and dictionaries are not permitted. The fee is £78 in the UK and Ireland and £133 elsewhere. Oxford accepts only the October sitting, which for 2027 entry falls in the 12-16 October 2026 testing window, with fixed regional dates in China, Hong Kong and Macau where the TARA is sat on 14 October 2026. Results are released on 16 November 2026.
Practise 18 TARA papers (2 free)Full TARA guide
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Oxford PPE (L0V0) TARA at a Glance
Is the TARA required for Oxford PPE
Compulsory: every 2027-entry applicant to Oxford PPE (L0V0) must sit it
Which modules Oxford PPE requires
All three: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task; the PPE page carries no exemption
Which sitting Oxford PPE accepts
October only; the January sitting does not apply to an L0V0 application
Booking window (2027 entry)
Opens 20 Jul 2026 3pm BST, closes 28 Sep 2026 6pm BST; registration opens 1 Jun 2026 3pm BST
Test dates and results (2027 entry)
Window 12-16 Oct 2026; TARA on 14 Oct 2026 in China, Hong Kong and Macau; results 16 Nov 2026

Booking, testing and results dates come from the 2027-entry timetable published by UAT-UK (UK time); the requirement to take all three modules comes from Oxford's course pages for TARA subjects, and accepting only the October sitting is Oxford's rule for L0V0 applications. Neither Oxford nor UCL publishes a TARA cut-off, an average score for successful applicants, or a weighting.

4 sections1,214 words7 min read
01

What Oxford requires for L0V0

For 2027 entry, the admissions test for Oxford PPE is owned and managed by UAT-UK rather than by the university itself, and it is booked and sat through Pearson VUE.

UCAS code

L0V0

Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford

Test owner and format

Run by UAT-UK, delivered on screen at Pearson VUE test centres

Both booking and testing go through Pearson VUE

Modules required for Oxford PPE (L0V0)

All three modules

Every Oxford course page for a TARA subject states that all Oxford applicants must take Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task; the PPE page carries no exemption

Sittings Oxford accepts for PPE (L0V0)

October only

The January window does not apply to an L0V0 application

Courses using the TARA for 2027 entry

Sixteen in total: ten at Oxford and six at UCL

One sitting covers all of them

Because UAT-UK has never released a TARA past paper, the closest published guide to question style is UAT-UK's own recommendation that candidates practise on the BMAT Section 1 archive (2003 to 2023) and the TSA Section 1 archive (2008 to 2023).
One point to be clear about: neither Oxford nor UCL publishes a TARA cut-off, an average score for successful applicants, or a weighting. Any threshold circulating online is not an official figure, and it is not a sound basis for setting your own target.
02

What each module means for L0V0

The TARA runs for 120 minutes in total, organised as three 40-minute modules. The first two are scored; the Writing Task is not marked by UAT-UK, but it means something different for L0V0 than for the neighbouring courses.
Critical ThinkingProblem SolvingWriting Task
Length and format40 minutes, 22 multiple-choice questions40 minutes, 22 multiple-choice questions40 minutes, one essay chosen from three prompts, up to 750 words
What it asks of youIdentifying conclusions, spotting flaws in arguments, assessing evidence; roughly 109 seconds per questionNo calculator at any point; numerical fluency has to be practised in advanceYou choose one prompt from three and write it up
How it is scored1.0 to 9.0, to one decimal place, with no pass mark and no negative marking1.0 to 9.0, to one decimal place, with no pass mark and no negative markingNot marked by UAT-UK; your response is passed to the universities you applied to
What it means for Oxford PPE (L0V0)The closest analogue to the reasoning demanded by philosophy and politics essay work, compressed into timed multiple choiceImprovising on the day usually costs candidates the mostThe PPE page carries no note saying the Writing Task is unused in selection, so your response goes to Oxford with your application
The Writing Task is where L0V0 differs from two neighbouring Oxford courses, and the contrast is worth setting out on its own.
Does the course page say the Writing Task is not used in Oxford's selection?What that means for the applicant
Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE, L0V0)No such noteThe response goes to Oxford with the application, and Oxford reads exactly what you submitted, unedited and unscored
Economics and Management (LN12)YesThe Writing Task will not be used by Oxford in selection for that course
History and Economics (LV11)YesThe Writing Task will not be used by Oxford in selection for that course

Applicants to all three courses take all three modules; the difference is only whether Oxford uses the Writing Task in selection for that course.

Oxford has not published how the three modules are weighted against the rest of the application, so treating the Writing Task as "the part that does not count" is a clear misreading for L0V0.
03

How to practise when no past papers exist

Official TARA material is deliberately thin. There are three things: the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide, and two practice sets on Pearson VUE.

Official documents

The TARA Specification and the TARA Question Guide

Two of the only three pieces of official material

Official practice

Two sets on Pearson VUE

A specimen with explanations and a sample with an answer review, each covering all three modules

Past papers

None exist

UAT-UK has never released a TARA past paper

The official substitute

The BMAT Section 1 archive (2003 to 2023) and the TSA Section 1 archive (2008 to 2023)

UAT-UK hosts these papers as PDFs

The order we suggest is to work through the official material first, since it is the only source that reflects the current interface and instructions. Once it runs out, the constraint becomes volume under real timing.
01Step 1

Finish the official material first

The TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide, and the specimen and sample sets on Pearson VUE. Only these reflect the current interface and instructions.

02Step 2

Add BMAT and TSA Section 1 as UAT-UK advises

UAT-UK's own advice is to supplement with the BMAT Section 1 papers (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 papers (2008 to 2023), which it hosts as PDFs.

03Step 3

Build volume under the real 120-minute timing

FrontierVUE has built 18 Frontier Original parallel papers on the live structure: 45 items each (22 Critical Thinking, 22 Problem Solving, one Writing Task) across 120 minutes, with Paper 1 and Paper 2 free to attempt.

04Step 4

Close weak areas with the topic bank

A 350-question topic bank covers weak areas. Every question carries a worked explanation and a Chinese translation.

18 papers

Frontier Original parallel papers written on the live structure

45 items

Per paper: 22 Critical Thinking, 22 Problem Solving, one Writing Task, in 120 minutes

1,160 questions

TARA questions in total: 810 inside the papers plus a 350-question topic bank

2 free

Papers free to attempt: Paper 1 and Paper 2

To be explicit: these are original papers written in-house, not past papers, and FrontierVUE is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, UAT-UK, Pearson, the University of Oxford or UCL.
04

Key dates and fees for 2027 entry

These are the dates published by UAT-UK for 2027 entry (UK time).
2026Timeline
Jun 26
Jul 26
Aug 26
Sep 26
Oct 26
Nov 26
Registration opens
1 Jun 2026, 3pm BST
Booking opens
20 Jul 2026, 3pm BST
Access arrangements deadline
14 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
Bursary deadline
21 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
Booking closes
28 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
Seats are held at Pearson VUE test centres, so confirm which centre is nearest to you well before booking closes.
October testing window
12-16 Oct 2026
China, Hong Kong and Macau have fixed regional dates: 12-13 October for the ESAT, 14 October for the TARA and 15-16 October for the TMUA.
TARA test day (China, Hong Kong and Macau)
14 Oct 2026
Results released
16 Nov 2026
Hard deadline Event WindowThis October sitting is the only one Oxford accepts for PPE (L0V0).

Fee (UK and Ireland)

£78

Fee (elsewhere)

£133

Seats

Held at Pearson VUE test centres

Confirm which centre is nearest to you well before booking closes

Calculators and dictionaries

Not permitted in any of the three modules

Oxford accepts only the October sitting. The January window (booking opens 26 October 2026 at 3pm GMT and closes 21 December 2026 at 6pm GMT, testing 4-8 January 2027 with the TARA on 7 January 2027 in China, Hong Kong and Macau, results on 8 February 2027) does not apply to an L0V0 application.
SAME UNIVERSITY

Other University of Oxford courses that require the TARA

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford require the TARA?
Yes. For 2027 entry, every applicant to Oxford PPE (UCAS L0V0) must sit the TARA, and all three modules are required: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task. Oxford accepts only the October sitting, which runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, with the TARA fixed on 14 October 2026 for candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau. Results are released on 16 November 2026.
Does the TARA Writing Task count for Oxford PPE?
It does. The Oxford course pages for Economics and Management (LN12) and History and Economics (LV11) each note that the Writing Task will not be used in Oxford's selection for those courses; the PPE page carries no such note, so all three modules go to Oxford with your application. UAT-UK does not score the Writing Task, so Oxford reads the response exactly as you wrote it, up to 750 words in 40 minutes. Oxford has not published how much weight it carries.
What TARA score do I need for Oxford PPE?
There is no published figure. Oxford has not published a TARA cut-off, a minimum score or a weighting for PPE, and neither has UCL for its own TARA courses. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving are each reported on a 1.0 to 9.0 scale to one decimal place, with no pass mark and no negative marking. Any "PPE cut-off" circulating online is not an official number.
Are there past TARA papers I can practise on?
No. UAT-UK has never released a past TARA paper. The official material is the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide and two practice sets on Pearson VUE, and UAT-UK recommends supplementing them with BMAT Section 1 papers (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 papers (2008 to 2023). FrontierVUE's 18 Frontier Original papers are written in-house to the same structure, 45 items in 120 minutes, and are not past papers.
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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