UCLUCAS 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
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UCL Computer Science BSc (G400): TARA at a Glance
Does G400 require the TARA?
Compulsory: 2027-entry applicants to UCL's Computer Science BSc (G400) must sit it
Which modules
All three: Critical Thinking (22 questions), Problem Solving (22 questions) and one Writing Task, in a single 120-minute sitting
October booking window
Opens 20 July 2026, 3pm BST; closes 28 September 2026, 6pm BST (a hard deadline)
TARA date for China, Hong Kong and Macau
14 October 2026 (October sitting); 7 January 2027 (January sitting)
Fee and results
£78 in the UK and Ireland, £133 elsewhere; October results on 16 November 2026

Structure, dates, times and fees are the UAT-UK figures for 2027 entry (UK times); treat the UAT-UK site as the authority on them. Neither UCL nor UAT-UK has published a cut-off score, or the weighting the test carries relative to grades or the personal statement.

4 sections1,256 words7 min read
01

Which UCL programmes require the TARA for 2027 entry

For 2027 entry, six UCL undergraduate programmes require the TARA, and the G400 Computer Science BSc covered by this page is one of them. Here is the full list.

G400

Computer Science BSc

The programme this page covers

G402

Computer Science MEng

G430

Computer Science and Mathematics MEng

H300

Mechanical Engineering BEng

Joins the TARA list for the first time in the 2027 cycle

H301

Mechanical Engineering MEng

Joins the TARA list for the first time in the 2027 cycle

H700

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng

UCL adopted the TARA from 2026 entry. In the 2027 cycle two changes run in opposite directions, and both are worth checking.
Added to the TARA for 2027 entryNo longer sitting the TARA for 2027 entry
UCL programmes affectedH300 Mechanical Engineering BEng and H301 Mechanical Engineering MEng, both joining for the first timeUCL's social science programmes: European Social and Political Studies, International Social and Political Studies and the ESPS dual degrees
Admissions test required for 2027 entryThe TARAMoved to UCL's own Thinking Skills Test

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 ThinkingProblem SolvingWriting Task
Length40 minutes40 minutes40 minutes
Format22 multiple-choice questions22 multiple-choice questionsOne essay chosen from three prompts, up to 750 words
Scored?ScoredScoredNot marked by UAT-UK, which issues no score for it
What it testsArgument analysis: locating the conclusion, identifying an unstated assumption, naming a flaw, judging what would weaken a claimNumerical, spatial and logical reasoning, with no calculatorNeither UCL nor UAT-UK has published how it is used or weighted in selection
Where it goesFeeds the score reported from 1.0 to 9.0, to one decimal placeFeeds the score reported from 1.0 to 9.0, to one decimal placeA copy of what you wrote goes, unmarked, to the universities you applied to, reaching UCL alongside your scores

Across the whole sitting there is no pass mark and no negative marking, and calculators and dictionaries are not permitted.

120 minutes

The whole sitting, three modules back to back

Under 1 min 50 s

Average per question in Problem Solving (22 questions in 40 minutes)

1.0 to 9.0

The scale for the scored modules, to one decimal place

750 words

The word ceiling on the Writing Task

There is no pass mark and no negative marking, so leaving a question blank gains you nothing: an educated guess always beats an omission.
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. That last sentence is our reading of the official structure above, not a statement from UCL or UAT-UK.
03

How to practise when there are no past papers

UAT-UK has never released a TARA past paper. Official preparation is limited to what follows.

Official specification

TARA Specification

Official question guide

TARA Question Guide

Official practice

Two sets on Pearson VUE

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

Supplementary practice UAT-UK recommends

BMAT Section 1 (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 (2008 to 2023)

Papers from discontinued tests; UAT-UK hosts the 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 papers

Frontier Original parallel papers, 45 items each, under a 120-minute clock

810 questions

Across those 18 papers

350 questions

A bank organised for topic-by-topic practice

1,160 questions

The TARA library in total

01Step 1

Start with the two official practice sets

A specimen with explanations and a sample with an answer review, both covering all three modules, and the only official material that rehearses the full 120-minute, three-module sequence.

02Step 2

Add volume with the old BMAT and TSA papers

UAT-UK names BMAT Section 1 (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 (2008 to 2023); they share the question types with the TARA and the PDFs sit on the UAT-UK site.

03Step 3

Drill topic by topic with the 350-question bank

Organised for topic-by-topic practice, with a worked explanation and a Chinese translation on every question.

04Step 4

Sit the 18 parallel papers under the 120-minute clock

Each paper has 45 items (22 Critical Thinking, 22 Problem Solving and one Writing Task), mirroring the live structure; 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, in UK times.
2026 – 2027Timeline
Jun 26
Jul 26
Aug 26
Sep 26
Oct 26
Nov 26
Dec 26
Jan 27
Feb 27
Registration opens
1 Jun, 3pm BST
1 June 2026, 3pm BST, on the October sitting's timetable.
October booking opens
20 Jul, 3pm BST
Booking for the October sitting opens on 20 July 2026 at 3pm BST.
Access arrangements deadline
14 Sep, 6pm BST
Deadline to apply for access arrangements: 14 September 2026, 6pm BST.
Bursary deadline
21 Sep, 6pm BST
Deadline to apply for a bursary: 21 September 2026, 6pm BST.
October booking closes
28 Sep, 6pm BST (hard)
Booking closes on 28 September 2026 at 6pm BST. This is a hard deadline.
October test window
12-16 Oct
The window runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, with fixed regional dates for China, Hong Kong and Macau, where the TARA is sat on 14 October 2026.
October results
16 Nov
Results for the October sitting: 16 November 2026.
January booking opens
26 Oct, 3pm GMT
Booking for the January sitting opens on 26 October 2026 at 3pm GMT.
January booking closes
21 Dec, 6pm GMT
Booking for the January sitting closes on 21 December 2026 at 6pm GMT.
January test window
4-8 Jan
The window runs from 4 to 8 January 2027, with the TARA sat on 7 January 2027 for China, Hong Kong and Macau.
January results
8 Feb
Results for the January sitting: 8 February 2027.
Hard deadline Event WindowFor China, Hong Kong and Macau the TARA falls on fixed regional dates: 14 October 2026 for the October sitting and 7 January 2027 for the January sitting.

Entry fee (UK and Ireland)

£78

Entry fee (elsewhere)

£133

October sitting results

16 November 2026

January sitting results

8 February 2027

Applying to both Oxford and UCL: plan everything around the October sitting
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.
If UCL is your only TARA application: check whether the January sitting is open to you
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.
SAME UNIVERSITY

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.
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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