University of Oxford · UCAS CV85
Oxford Psychology and Philosophy (CV85) and the TARA
Psychology and Philosophy at the University of Oxford (UCAS code CV85) requires all three modules of the TARA, the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions, for 2027 entry, and Oxford accepts only the October sitting. The TARA is run by UAT-UK and sat on screen at Pearson VUE test centres. It runs 120 minutes in total: Critical Thinking (22 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes), Problem Solving (22 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes) and the Writing Task (one essay chosen from three prompts, up to 750 words, 40 minutes). Critical Thinking and Problem Solving are the scored modules, reported on a 1.0 to 9.0 scale to one decimal place, with no pass mark and no negative marking. The Writing Task is not scored by UAT-UK; a copy of your response is sent to the universities you applied to. Calculators and dictionaries are not permitted. For 2027 entry the October window runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, with a fixed date of 14 October 2026 for candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau, and results are released on 16 November 2026. The fee is £78 in the UK and Ireland and £133 elsewhere.
- 18
- Papers
- 810
- Questions
- 2
- Free to try
01
Why CV85 sits inside the TARA list
Oxford's admissions tests are owned by UAT-UK and delivered on screen at Pearson VUE test centres worldwide. The TARA is not subject-specific: it assesses reasoning rather than psychology or philosophy content, so nothing on the paper is drawn from an A-level syllabus. Oxford presents its Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics courses on a single page, which states that all Oxford applicants must take all three modules (Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task). CV85 is the Psychology and Philosophy pairing on that page.
Sixteen courses require the TARA for 2027 entry, ten at Oxford and six at UCL, so one sitting can serve more than one application. Check the UCAS code rather than the subject name, because the boundaries are not intuitive:
- Oxford Computer Science requires the TMUA, not the TARA.
- Oxford single-subject History requires no written test at all; only History and Economics (LV11) and History and Politics (LV21) sit the TARA.
- UCL's social science courses (European Social and Political Studies and its siblings) moved to UCL's own Thinking Skills Test for 2027 entry and no longer use the TARA.
On scores: Oxford publishes no cut-off, no average and no stated weighting for the TARA, and neither does UCL. Any figure of that kind circulating elsewhere is unverified, so do not plan around it.
02
What each of the three modules means for this course
Critical Thinking gives 22 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, about 109 seconds each, on identifying assumptions, flaws and conclusions in short arguments. For a course pairing Philosophy with Psychology, this is the module closest to the argument analysis you will practise in first-year tutorials.
Problem Solving gives another 22 questions in 40 minutes, with no calculator and no dictionary, so every step has to be worked on paper inside that budget.
Those two are the scored modules, reported on the 1.0 to 9.0 scale to one decimal place. There is no pass mark and no negative marking, so a blank answer only loses marks while a guess costs nothing.
The Writing Task allows 40 minutes for one prompt chosen from three, up to 750 words. UAT-UK does not mark it; the text is forwarded to the universities you applied to, so Oxford receives your unedited argumentative writing. Oxford notes that the Writing Task will not be used in selection on only two course pages, Economics and Management (LN12) and History and Economics (LV11). CV85 is not one of them, so prepare those 40 minutes as seriously as the other two modules.
03
How to practise when there are no past papers
Official material is limited to three things: the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide, and two practice sets delivered through Pearson VUE (a specimen set with worked explanations and a sample set with an answer review, both covering all three modules). UAT-UK has never released past papers for the TARA. Its own advice is to practise with BMAT Section 1 papers (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 papers (2008 to 2023), which share the question types and are hosted on the official site. Those archives give volume but not the current 22+22+750 shape.
FrontierVUE covers that format gap with 18 Frontier Original parallel papers, each of 45 items (22 Critical Thinking, 22 Problem Solving and one Writing Task) under the real 120-minute clock, 810 questions in total, plus a 350-question topic bank for drilling single question types. All 1,250 questions carry worked explanations and Chinese translations, and Papers 1 and 2 are free to attempt.
To be explicit: these are original papers written to the published specification, not official past papers, and FrontierVUE is not affiliated with UAT-UK, Pearson, the University of Oxford or UCL.
04
Key dates and fees for 2027 entry
The October sitting, which is the only one Oxford accepts:
- Registration opens: 3pm BST, 1 June 2026
- Test booking opens: 3pm BST, 20 July 2026
- Access arrangements deadline: 6pm BST, 14 September 2026
- Bursary deadline: 6pm BST, 21 September 2026
- Booking closes: 6pm BST, 28 September 2026
- Test window: 12 to 16 October 2026, with regional variations for China, Hong Kong and Macau, where the TARA is fixed to 14 October 2026 (12-13 October ESAT, 14 October TARA, 15-16 October TMUA)
- Results: 16 November 2026
A January sitting also exists (booking opens 3pm GMT on 26 October 2026 and closes 6pm GMT on 21 December 2026; test window 4 to 8 January 2027, with 7 January 2027 for China, Hong Kong and Macau; results 8 February 2027), but Oxford does not accept it, so a CV85 applicant has one sitting in this cycle.
The fee is £78 for candidates in the UK and Ireland and £133 for candidates elsewhere.
Two practical points follow. Book a Pearson VUE seat soon after 20 July rather than near the 28 September cut-off. And organise your full-length timed practice so that it finishes before the October window, because there is no resit inside the cycle.
SAME UNIVERSITY
Other University of Oxford courses that require the TARA
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does Oxford Psychology and Philosophy (CV85) require the TARA?
Yes. Oxford's Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics course page states that all Oxford applicants must take all three modules: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task. CV85 is the Psychology and Philosophy pairing on that page. Oxford accepts only the October sitting, which for 2027 entry runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, with candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau sitting the TARA on 14 October 2026.
Is the TARA Writing Task used in selection for CV85?
The Writing Task is not scored by UAT-UK; a copy of your response is sent to the universities you applied to. Oxford adds an explicit note on only two course pages, Economics and Management (LN12) and History and Economics (LV11), saying the Writing Task will not be used in selection for those courses. No such note appears on the Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics page, so a CV85 applicant should treat all three modules as part of the application and write the essay accordingly. Oxford has not published any weighting for it.
Are there TARA past papers to practise with?
No. UAT-UK has never published past papers for the TARA. The official material is the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide, and two practice sets on Pearson VUE (a specimen with worked explanations and a sample with an answer review, both covering all three modules). UAT-UK itself recommends practising with BMAT Section 1 papers (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 papers (2008 to 2023). FrontierVUE adds 18 Frontier Original parallel papers (810 questions) and a 350-question topic bank, 1,250 questions in total with explanations and Chinese translations, Papers 1 and 2 free. These are original parallel papers, not official past papers.
How much does the TARA cost, and when do I book for 2027 entry?
The fee is £78 for candidates in the UK and Ireland and £133 for candidates elsewhere. Registration opens at 3pm BST on 1 June 2026, booking opens at 3pm BST on 20 July 2026, and booking closes at 6pm BST on 28 September 2026. The October window runs from 12 to 16 October 2026 (14 October 2026 for candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau), with results on 16 November 2026. The January sitting (test window 4 to 8 January 2027, 7 January 2027 for China, Hong Kong and Macau) is not accepted by Oxford, so book the October date.
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。
Start preparing for the TARA for Psychology and Philosophy
18 Frontier Original TARA papers and 810 questions, every one with a worked solution. The first 2 papers are free to try.