University of OxfordUCAS L0VF

Oxford Philosophy, Politics and Economics with Foundation Year (L0VF): TARA requirements for 2027 entry

Philosophy, Politics and Economics with Foundation Year at the University of Oxford (UCAS code L0VF) 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 120 minutes in total: Critical Thinking (22 multiple-choice questions, 40 minutes), Problem Solving (22 multiple-choice questions, 40 minutes) and the Writing Task (one essay chosen from three prompts, 750 words maximum, 40 minutes). Critical Thinking and Problem Solving are reported on a 1.0 to 9.0 scale to one decimal place. The Writing Task is not marked by UAT-UK; a copy of your script is sent to the universities you applied to. There is no pass mark, there is no negative marking, and calculators and dictionaries are not permitted. The entry fee is £78 in the UK and Ireland and £133 elsewhere. For 2027 entry, 16 courses across Oxford and UCL require the TARA, and Oxford accepts the October sitting only: the test window is 12 to 16 October 2026, with results released on 16 November 2026.
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Oxford PPE with Foundation Year (L0VF): TARA at a glance
Does L0VF require the TARA
Yes, required for 2027 entry
Which modules
All three: Critical Thinking + Problem Solving + Writing Task
Which sitting Oxford accepts
October only; the January sitting cannot be used for an Oxford undergraduate application
Test dates
12 to 16 October 2026; fixed at 14 October 2026 for China, Hong Kong and Macau
Booking closes
6pm BST, 28 September 2026 (registration and booking are separate steps)

These apply to Philosophy, Politics and Economics with Foundation Year at Oxford (UCAS code L0VF) for 2027 entry only. Oxford has published no TARA cut-off score, no average score for admitted applicants and no weighting.

4 sections1,309 words7 min read
01

Why L0VF applicants sit the TARA

The TARA is owned by UAT-UK and delivered worldwide through Pearson VUE test centres. It is not subject-specific: it assesses reasoning rather than PPE content, which suits a Foundation Year route where applicants arrive from different subject backgrounds.

Owner and delivery

Run by UAT-UK

Sat on-screen at Pearson VUE test centres worldwide

Courses requiring the TARA for 2027 entry

16 courses

10 at Oxford and 6 at UCL, including Philosophy, Politics and Economics with Foundation Year (L0VF)

What Oxford requires

All three modules

Oxford requires all three modules from every applicant

How many sittings

One sitting

One sitting covers every TARA course you apply to, so you take the test once

Not every Oxford course uses this test. The four cases below are worth putting side by side, because together they show where the TARA applies at Oxford and where it does not.
Admissions test for 2027 entryNotes
Oxford PPE with Foundation Year (L0VF)TARA, all three modulesOne of the 16 courses requiring the TARA for 2027 entry
Oxford Computer ScienceTMUA (Paper 1 and Paper 2)The Oxford Computer Science course page does not mention the TARA at all
Oxford single-honours HistoryNo admissions testSingle-honours History at Oxford requires no admissions test at all
Oxford joint History coursesTARAOnly History and Economics (LV11) and History and Politics (LV21) use the TARA

The table covers only the Oxford courses compared on this page; it is not a complete list of Oxford admissions tests.

UCL adopted the TARA from 2026 entry. For 2027 entry UCL moved European Social and Political Studies, International Social and Political Studies and the ESPS dual degree to its own Thinking Skills Test, so the UCL TARA list is now its computer science and engineering courses.
One thing to be clear about: Oxford has published no cut-off score, no average score for admitted applicants and no weighting for the TARA. Any specific figure you see quoted elsewhere has no official source behind it, so do not plan around one.
02

What the three modules mean for this course

Critical ThinkingProblem SolvingWriting Task
Time40 minutes40 minutes40 minutes
Format22 multiple-choice questions, just under two minutes each: identifying conclusions, exposing flaws in arguments, weighing evidence22 multiple-choice questions with no calculator, so numerical work has to be done by hand and by estimationOne essay chosen from three prompts, 750 words maximum
Scoring1.0 to 9.0, to one decimal place1.0 to 9.0, to one decimal placeNot marked by UAT-UK
What Oxford receivesA separate score for verbal reasoning, not combined with the other moduleA separate score for quantitative reasoning, not combined with the other moduleYour script itself, sent directly to the universities you applied to and read by admissions staff

The three modules run 120 minutes in total. There is no pass mark, there is no negative marking, and calculators and dictionaries are not permitted.

In other words, Oxford sees two separate figures rather than one combined mark, with verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning presented apart from each other. There is no pass mark and no negative marking, so answer every question rather than leaving blanks.
One point to get right about the essay: Oxford adds a note saying the Writing Task will not be used in selection on only two course pages, Economics and Management (LN12) and History and Economics (LV11), and the PPE pages carry no such note. On that basis our advice to L0VF applicants is to assume the essay will be read as part of selection and to practise it accordingly, rather than treating it as a formality.
03

How to practise when there are no official past papers

There are no official TARA past papers. The published official material is limited to three things, plus the two retired papers UAT-UK itself recommends for extra practice.

Official material 1

TARA Specification

The specification

Official material 2

TARA Question Guide

The guide to question types

Official material 3

Two practice sets on Pearson VUE

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

UAT-UK's own recommendation

Retired BMAT and TSA Section 1

Retired BMAT Section 1 papers (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 papers (2008 to 2023), hosted on UAT-UK's own site, covering much of the same critical thinking and problem solving ground

The official material covers the specification and the question types. What it leaves missing is full-length, timed rehearsal in the current format, and that is the gap FrontierVUE fills, with a worked explanation and a Chinese translation on every question.

18 papers

Frontier Original parallel papers built to the live specification, 45 items each in 120 minutes

810 questions

Questions across the papers: 22 Critical Thinking, 22 Problem Solving and one Writing Task per paper

350 questions

A topic bank for targeted drilling

2 free

Papers 1 and 2 are free to sit

Arranged into a single path, here is the order we suggest.
01Step 1

Start with the two official documents

The TARA Specification and the TARA Question Guide, so you know the syllabus and the question types.

02Step 2

Work through both Pearson VUE sets

The specimen comes with explanations and the sample with an answer review; both cover all three modules.

03Step 3

Add the retired BMAT and TSA papers

UAT-UK's own suggestion: BMAT Section 1 (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 (2008 to 2023).

04Step 4

Sit full papers against the clock

Full 120-minute rehearsal, which is what FrontierVUE's 18 original parallel papers are for, with the 350-question topic bank for targeted drilling; and per the previous section's advice, practise the Writing Task as something admissions staff will read.

To be explicit: these are original parallel papers, not official 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

Oxford accepts the October sitting only. Here is that sitting in full, from registration to results, with times in BST.
2026Timeline
Jun 26
Jul 26
Aug 26
Sep 26
Oct 26
Nov 26
Registration opens
1 Jun 2026, 3pm BST
Registration and booking are separate steps: completing one does not secure the other.
Booking opens
20 Jul 2026, 3pm BST
Access arrangements
14 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
The access arrangements deadline falls before the booking deadline, so act early if you need them.
Bursary deadline
21 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
The bursary deadline also falls before the booking deadline.
Booking closes
28 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
Test window
12 to 16 Oct 2026
China, Hong Kong and Macau have fixed dates by region, with the TARA sat on 14 October 2026.
Results released
16 Nov 2026
Hard deadline Event WindowOctober sitting only; January is in the table below.
October sitting (accepted by Oxford)January sitting (not accepted by Oxford)
Booking opens20 July 2026, 3pm BST26 October 2026, 3pm GMT
Booking closes28 September 2026, 6pm BST21 December 2026, 6pm GMT
Test window12 to 16 October 20264 to 8 January 2027
China, Hong Kong and Macau14 October 20267 January 2027
Results released16 November 20268 February 2027
Usable for L0VFYes, and it is the only sitting Oxford acceptsNo, Oxford accepts the October sitting only

UAT-UK also runs a January sitting, which Oxford does not accept, so L0VF applicants should plan backwards from the October window.

Entry fee (UK and Ireland)

£78

Entry fee (elsewhere)

£133

Format

On-screen at Pearson VUE

120 minutes in total, with no calculators or dictionaries

Sittings Oxford accepts

October only

The January sitting cannot be used for an Oxford undergraduate application

Two things that catch people out: registration and booking are separate steps, and completing one does not secure the other; and the access arrangements and bursary deadlines both fall before the booking deadline, so act early if you need either. Check the Oxford course page for L0VF before you book.
SAME UNIVERSITY

Other University of Oxford courses that require the TARA

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does Philosophy, Politics and Economics with Foundation Year (L0VF) require the TARA?
Yes. For 2027 entry, applicants to Philosophy, Politics and Economics with Foundation Year at the University of Oxford (UCAS code L0VF) must take the TARA, and Oxford requires all three modules: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task. The test runs 120 minutes in total and is sat at a Pearson VUE test centre. Oxford accepts the October sitting only, with a test window of 12 to 16 October 2026 (14 October 2026 for candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau) and results released on 16 November 2026. The entry fee is £78 in the UK and Ireland and £133 elsewhere.
Is the TARA Writing Task compulsory for this course, is it used in selection, and who marks it?
It is compulsory. Oxford requires all three modules from every applicant, so you cannot sit only the multiple-choice sections. You have 40 minutes to answer one of three prompts in no more than 750 words. UAT-UK does not mark the Writing Task; a copy of what you write is sent directly to the universities you applied to. Oxford adds a note saying the Writing Task will not be used in selection on only two course pages, Economics and Management (LN12) and History and Economics (LV11). The PPE pages carry no such note, so L0VF applicants should assume their essay is read as part of selection.
Are there TARA past papers I can practise on?
No. UAT-UK has never released past papers for the TARA. Official material is limited to the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide and two practice sets on Pearson VUE (a specimen and a sample). UAT-UK itself recommends practising on retired BMAT Section 1 papers (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 papers (2008 to 2023). For timed rehearsal in the current format, FrontierVUE provides 18 Frontier Original parallel papers (810 questions across the papers) plus a 350-question topic bank, each question with an explanation and a Chinese translation, and Papers 1 and 2 free to sit. These are original parallel papers, not official past papers.
Can I sit the January TARA for L0VF?
No. Oxford accepts the October sitting only, so an L0VF application has to be covered by the 12 to 16 October 2026 window (14 October 2026 for candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau), with booking closing at 6pm BST on 28 September 2026. UAT-UK does run a January sitting (4 to 8 January 2027, or 7 January 2027 for China, Hong Kong and Macau), but that sitting serves institutions that accept it and cannot be used for an Oxford undergraduate application.
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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