University of OxfordUCAS CQ81

TARA for Oxford Psychology and Linguistics (CQ81)

Psychology and Linguistics at the University of Oxford (UCAS code CQ81) requires all three modules of the TARA, the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions, for 2027 entry. CQ81 is one of the streams Oxford lists on its Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics course page, and the instruction there is that every applicant sits Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task. The test is run by UAT-UK and taken on screen at a Pearson VUE test centre: three modules of 40 minutes, 120 minutes in total, with 22 multiple-choice questions in Critical Thinking, 22 in Problem Solving, and one essay of no more than 750 words chosen from three titles. The two multiple-choice modules are scored on a 1.0 to 9.0 scale reported to one decimal place, there is no pass mark, and nothing is deducted for a wrong answer. The Writing Task is not marked by UAT-UK; your response is passed to the universities you applied to. Oxford accepts the October sitting only, which for 2027 entry runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, with results on 16 November 2026.
Practise 18 TARA papers (2 free)Full TARA guide
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810
Questions
2
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CQ81 and the TARA at a Glance
Required?
Compulsory: applicants to Oxford Psychology and Linguistics (CQ81) sit the TARA for 2027 entry
Which modules
All three, none optional: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task
Format
On screen at a Pearson VUE test centre: 40 minutes per module, 120 in total; 22 plus 22 multiple-choice questions and one essay of up to 750 words
When (Oxford accepts the October sitting only)
12 to 16 October 2026; the TARA day for candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau is 14 October 2026
Booking and results
Registration opens 1 June 2026, booking opens 20 July 2026 and closes 28 September 2026 at 6pm BST, results on 16 November 2026

All of the above applies to CQ81 applicants for 2027 entry. Oxford accepts the October sitting only, so January is not a second attempt for CQ81. Neither Oxford nor UAT-UK publishes a cut-off, a pass mark or an average score for CQ81.

4 sections1,525 words8 min read
01

Why CQ81 sits the TARA

For 2027 entry the TARA is used by 16 courses: 10 at Oxford, counted by UCAS code, and 6 at UCL. Oxford lists three streams together on a single Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics course page, and the requirement is the same for all three: all three modules, October sitting only. One sitting covers every TARA course you apply to.

Psychology and Linguistics

CQ81

The course this page is about

Philosophy and Linguistics

VQ51

Same course page and same requirement as CQ81

Psychology and Philosophy

CV85

Same course page and same requirement as CQ81

The requirement across those three streams

All three modules, October sitting only

Oxford applies this to every stream on that course page

The status of the essay is the detail worth getting right for CQ81. Oxford adds a note to exactly two course pages saying the Writing Task will not be used in admissions selection for that course, and that note does not appear on the Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics page.
The LN12 and LV11 course pagesThe Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics page (where CQ81 sits)
Courses coveredEconomics and Management (LN12), History and Economics (LV11)Philosophy and Linguistics (VQ51), Psychology and Linguistics (CQ81), Psychology and Philosophy (CV85)
The extra note about the Writing TaskOxford states that the Writing Task will not be used by Oxford in admissions selection for that courseNo such statement appears on the page
What a CQ81 applicant can conclude from thatThe statement is made only on those two course pagesNothing in Oxford's published material tells a CQ81 applicant the essay is set aside

Oxford has not published how the essay is used, and neither Oxford nor UAT-UK publishes a cut-off, a pass mark or an average score for CQ81 or for any other TARA course.

Three things are widely mis-stated online and are worth correcting.
Oxford Computer Science sits the TMUA, not the TARA
Oxford Computer Science sits the TMUA, Paper 1 and Paper 2. The word TARA does not appear anywhere on that course page.
Oxford single-honours History requires no written test at all
The Oxford single-honours History course page states that you do not need to take a written test as part of an application. Only the joint courses History and Economics (LV11) and History and Politics (LV21) sit the TARA.
For 2027 entry UCL moved its social science degrees off the TARA
UCL adopted the TARA from 2026 entry, but for 2027 entry its social science degrees, including European and International Social and Political Studies and International Social and Political Studies, moved to UCL's own Thinking Skills Test and no longer use the TARA. UCL's six TARA courses are its computer science, computer science with mathematics, robotics and AI, and mechanical engineering programmes, the last of these newly included for 2027 entry.
02

What each module asks of a CQ81 applicant

Critical ThinkingProblem SolvingWriting Task
Length40 minutes40 minutes40 minutes
Questions and format22 multiple-choice questions22 multiple-choice questionsOne title chosen from three, no more than 750 words
Scoring and where it goesScored on the 1.0 to 9.0 scale, reported to one decimal placeScored on the 1.0 to 9.0 scale, reported to one decimal placeNot marked by UAT-UK, carries no score and does not appear on your results statement; the response itself is passed to the universities you applied to

The three modules total 120 minutes, taken on screen at a Pearson VUE test centre, with no calculator and no dictionary permitted anywhere in the test.

Critical Thinking: under two minutes per question on average. The official statement of coverage is the TARA Specification and the TARA Question Guide, both published free by UAT-UK. In practice the work is reading a short argument closely and answering questions about how it is built rather than about the subject matter, which is the habit a linguistics or philosophy tutorial trains.
Problem Solving: another 22 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes. UAT-UK itself directs candidates to the archived BMAT Section 1 and TSA Section 1 papers for practice, and those remain the clearest public signal of the reasoning this module asks for.
Writing Task: the response goes to the universities you applied to, so an Oxford tutor may read exactly what you typed. Our advice is to settle the structure of the argument before you start, because 40 minutes leaves almost no room to rebuild it.
Both scored modules are reported on the 1.0 to 9.0 scale to one decimal place. There is no pass mark and no negative marking, so answer every question, including the ones you have to guess. Neither Oxford nor UAT-UK publishes a cut-off, a pass mark or an average score for CQ81 or for any other TARA course, and any specific CQ81 threshold quoted online does not come from an official source.
03

How to practise when there are no past papers

Official preparation material is thin. UAT-UK publishes the TARA Specification and the TARA Question Guide, and Pearson VUE hosts two practice sets, a specimen with explanations and a sample with an answer review, both covering all three modules. There are no official TARA past papers at all, and UAT-UK itself advises candidates to practise on the archived BMAT Section 1 papers (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 papers (2008 to 2023), which it hosts on its own site.
FrontierVUE fills that gap with original material rather than reproduced papers. Here is what our TARA bank contains.

Original parallel papers

18 Frontier Original papers

Each built to the live format: 22 Critical Thinking questions, 22 Problem Solving questions and one Writing Task, sat under a single 120-minute clock

Questions across the papers

810 questions

Across the 18 papers

Topic bank

350 questions

For targeted drilling

Total TARA questions

1,160 questions

Every question carries a worked explanation and a Chinese translation

01Step 1

Start with the free official material

The TARA Specification and the TARA Question Guide are the official statement of coverage, and the specimen with explanations and the sample with an answer review on Pearson VUE both cover all three modules.

02Step 2

Attempt Papers 1 and 2 free and check the format

Papers 1 and 2 are free to attempt, so you can compare our format against the official specimen before going further.

03Step 3

Sit full papers against the 120-minute clock

Each of the 18 parallel papers pairs 22 Critical Thinking questions and 22 Problem Solving questions with one Writing Task under a single 120-minute clock, the same shape a CQ81 candidate meets on test day.

04Step 4

Drill by topic and read every explanation

The 350-question topic bank supports targeted drilling, with a worked explanation and a Chinese translation on every question; the archived BMAT Section 1 and TSA Section 1 papers that UAT-UK recommends can supplement it.

FrontierVUE is an independent preparation platform with no affiliation to UAT-UK, Pearson, the University of Oxford or UCL. Our papers are original parallel papers, not official past papers.
04

Key dates and fees for 2027 entry

Oxford accepts the October sitting only, so the timeline below is the one a CQ81 applicant has to work to. Registration and booking are separate steps, and completing one does not complete the other.
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
The test is sat at a Pearson VUE test centre rather than at home.
Access arrangements deadline
14 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
Bursary deadline
21 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
Booking closes
28 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
Registration and booking are separate steps, and completing one does not complete the other.
Test window
12 to 16 Oct
Candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau have fixed days within that window, and the TARA day is 14 October 2026 (ESAT falls on 12 and 13 October, TMUA on 15 and 16 October).
Results released
16 Nov 2026
Hard deadline Event WindowThese are the dates for the October sitting, the only one Oxford accepts for CQ81.
October sitting (the only one Oxford accepts for CQ81)January sitting (not a second attempt for a CQ81 applicant)
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
TARA day for candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau14 October 20267 January 2027
Results released16 November 20268 February 2027

The January sitting does exist, but because Oxford accepts the October sitting only, January is not a second attempt for a CQ81 applicant.

Entry fee (UK and Ireland)

£78

Entry fee (elsewhere)

£133

Where you sit it

A Pearson VUE test centre

Not available at home

Registration and booking

Two separate steps

Completing one does not complete the other

Two easily missed dates fall between booking opening on 20 July 2026 and closing on 28 September 2026: the access arrangements deadline on 14 September and the bursary deadline on 21 September, both earlier than the booking deadline. If you are in a city with few test centres, our advice is to book a seat as soon as the window opens.
SAME UNIVERSITY

Other University of Oxford courses that require the TARA

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does Oxford Psychology and Linguistics (CQ81) need the TARA?
Yes. For 2027 entry, every applicant to the courses Oxford lists on its Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics page, including the Psychology and Linguistics stream (UCAS CQ81), must sit all three TARA modules: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task. Oxford accepts the October sitting only, which runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, with candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau sitting the TARA on 14 October 2026. Booking closes on 28 September 2026 at 6pm BST and results are released on 16 November 2026.
Does the TARA Writing Task count for CQ81?
It is not marked by UAT-UK and carries no score, but it does reach Oxford: your response is sent to the universities you applied to. Oxford states that the Writing Task will not be used in admissions selection only on two course pages, Economics and Management (LN12) and History and Economics (LV11); no such statement appears on the Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics page. Treat the 40-minute, 750-word essay as material an Oxford tutor may read. Oxford has not published how much weight it carries.
Are there TARA past papers to practise on?
No. UAT-UK has never released TARA past papers. The official material is the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide and two practice sets on Pearson VUE: a specimen with explanations and a sample with an answer review, both covering all three modules. UAT-UK advises candidates to practise on the archived BMAT Section 1 papers (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 papers (2008 to 2023). FrontierVUE's 18 papers are Frontier Original parallel papers written to the current format; they are not official past papers.
What TARA score does Oxford require for CQ81?
Neither Oxford nor UAT-UK publishes a cut-off, a pass mark or an average score for any TARA course. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving each produce a score on the 1.0 to 9.0 scale, reported to one decimal place, and nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, so leave no question blank. Scores are read alongside the rest of the UCAS application. Any specific CQ81 threshold quoted online does not come from an official source.
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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