UCL · UCAS G400

UCL Computer Science BSc (G400) and the TARA

UCL's Computer Science BSc (UCAS code G400) requires applicants for 2027 entry to sit the TARA, the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions, which is run by UAT-UK and taken on computer at Pearson VUE test centres. The test lasts 120 minutes and is made up of 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 of 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. The Writing Task is not marked by UAT-UK; your response is sent, unmarked, to the universities you have applied to. The entry fee is £78 for candidates in the UK and Ireland and £133 elsewhere. For 2027 entry the October testing window runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, with results released on 16 November 2026.
Practise 18 TARA papers (2 free)Full TARA guide
18
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810
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2
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01

Which UCL programmes require the TARA for 2027 entry

For 2027 entry, six UCL undergraduate programmes require the TARA:
  • G400 Computer Science BSc (this page)
  • G402 Computer Science MEng
  • G430 Computer Science and Mathematics MEng
  • H300 Mechanical Engineering BEng
  • H301 Mechanical Engineering MEng
  • H700 Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng
UCL adopted the TARA from 2026 entry. Mechanical Engineering (both the BEng and the MEng) joins the list for the first time in the 2027 cycle. A change in the opposite direction matters just as much: UCL's social science programmes, including European Social and Political Studies, International Social and Political Studies and the ESPS dual degrees, move to UCL's own Thinking Skills Test for 2027 entry and no longer sit the TARA. Any guide still telling an ESPS applicant to prepare for the TARA is out of date.
Two things neither UCL nor UAT-UK has published: a TARA cut-off score, and the weighting the test carries relative to grades or the personal statement. Any specific threshold quoted elsewhere is someone's estimate, not an official figure.
02

What the three modules ask of a G400 applicant

The TARA is one sitting made up of three modules, and every candidate answers all three. Each module tests something different:
  • Critical Thinking: 22 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, scored. Argument analysis, that is, locating the conclusion, identifying an unstated assumption, naming a flaw, judging what would weaken a claim.
  • Problem Solving: 22 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, scored. Numerical, spatial and logical reasoning with no calculator. Twenty-two questions in 40 minutes leaves just under 1 minute 50 seconds each, so pacing is itself part of the test.
  • Writing Task: 40 minutes, one essay chosen from three prompts, up to 750 words. UAT-UK does not mark it, but a copy of what you wrote is sent to the universities you applied to, so it reaches UCL alongside your scores. Neither UCL nor UAT-UK has published how the Writing Task is used or weighted in selection.
Scored modules are reported from 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal place. There is no pass mark and no negative marking, so leaving a question blank gains you nothing: an educated guess always beats an omission. Calculators and dictionaries are not permitted.
For a G400 applicant, the practical implication is that preparation is not about programming or olympiad mathematics. It is about holding reasoning accuracy steady under a tight clock.
03

How to practise when there are no past papers

UAT-UK has never released a TARA past paper. Official preparation is limited to three things:
  • the TARA Specification
  • the TARA Question Guide
  • two practice sets on Pearson VUE (a specimen with explanations and a sample with an answer review, both covering all three modules)
UAT-UK also directs candidates to papers from discontinued tests, naming BMAT Section 1 (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 (2008 to 2023) and hosting those PDFs on its own site. Those papers share the critical thinking and problem solving question types, so they give you volume, but the only full rehearsals of the real 120-minute, three-module sequence remain the two official sets.
FrontierVUE is built to close that gap:
  • 18 Frontier Original parallel papers, each with 45 items (22 Critical Thinking, 22 Problem Solving, one Writing Task) under a 120-minute clock, mirroring the live structure
  • 810 questions across those papers, plus a 350-question bank organised for topic-by-topic practice, giving a TARA library of 1,250 questions in total
  • every question has a worked explanation and a Chinese translation
  • Papers 1 and 2 are free to attempt
One point of honesty: these are original parallel papers written to the current specification. They are not official past papers and not reproductions of official material. FrontierVUE is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, UAT-UK, Pearson or UCL.
04

Key dates and fees for 2027 entry

The UAT-UK timetable for 2027 entry (UK times):
October sitting
  • Registration opens: 1 June 2026, 3pm BST
  • Booking opens: 20 July 2026, 3pm BST
  • Access arrangements deadline: 14 September 2026, 6pm BST
  • Bursary deadline: 21 September 2026, 6pm BST
  • Booking closes: 28 September 2026, 6pm BST (a hard deadline)
  • Test window: 12-16 October 2026, with fixed regional dates for China, Hong Kong and Macau, where TARA is sat on 14 October 2026
  • Results: 16 November 2026
January sitting
  • Booking opens: 26 October 2026, 3pm GMT
  • Booking closes: 21 December 2026, 6pm GMT
  • Test window: 4-8 January 2027, with TARA on 7 January 2027 for China, Hong Kong and Macau
  • Results: 8 February 2027
Fees: £78 for candidates in the UK and Ireland, £133 elsewhere.
Two cautions. First, Oxford accepts only the October sitting, so anyone applying to both Oxford and UCL must plan the whole programme of preparation around October and cannot treat January as a second chance. Second, if UCL is your only TARA application, check the UCL course page before assuming the January sitting is open to you. Treat the UAT-UK site as the authority on dates, times, fees and booking rules, since departmental pages sometimes lag behind official updates.
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Other UCL courses that require the TARA

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does Computer Science BSc at UCL require the TARA?
Yes. For 2027 entry, applicants to UCL's Computer Science BSc (UCAS code G400) must sit the TARA. Six UCL undergraduate programmes require it for 2027 entry: G400 Computer Science BSc, G402 Computer Science MEng, G430 Computer Science and Mathematics MEng, H300 Mechanical Engineering BEng, H301 Mechanical Engineering MEng and H700 Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng. The TARA is a single 120-minute sitting of three modules; Critical Thinking and Problem Solving are scored, while the Writing Task is forwarded to universities but not marked by UAT-UK.
Is Computer Science a TARA course or a TMUA course?
It depends on the university, not on the UCAS code. UCL's Computer Science BSc (G400) uses the TARA. Oxford's Computer Science course uses the TMUA (Paper 1 and Paper 2) instead, and its course page makes no mention of the TARA at all. If you apply to both, you will need to sit both tests: they are separate papers with different content and different score reports, so preparation for one does not substitute for the other.
Are there TARA past papers to practise on?
No. UAT-UK has never published TARA past papers. Official preparation is limited to the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide and two practice sets on Pearson VUE covering all three modules. UAT-UK itself recommends supplementing these with 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 specification, not official past papers and not copies of official material.
Does the Writing Task matter if UAT-UK does not score it?
It is a compulsory part of the sitting. UAT-UK does not mark it and issues no score for it, but a copy of your response is sent to the universities you applied to, so UCL receives your essay alongside your scored modules (reported from 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal place). Neither UCL nor UAT-UK has published how the Writing Task is used or weighted in selection, so any claim about a percentage it carries is not an official figure. The conditions are fixed: 40 minutes, one prompt chosen from three, up to 750 words, and no dictionary.

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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