UCLUCAS G430

TARA for UCL Computer Science and Mathematics MEng (UCAS G430)

Computer Science and Mathematics MEng at UCL (UCAS G430) requires all three modules of the TARA for 2027 entry. TARA stands for Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions. It is run by UAT-UK, delivered on computer at Pearson VUE test centres, and runs for 120 minutes in total. UCL began using the TARA for 2026 entry, and for 2027 entry six UCL courses use it: G400 Computer Science BSc, G402 Computer Science MEng, G430 Computer Science and Mathematics MEng, H300 and H301 Mechanical Engineering, and H700 Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng. This page covers only what can be checked line by line against official sources: the structure of the test, the 2027 dates and fees, and where applicants to a joint computing and maths degree should put their effort. UCL has not published a TARA score threshold for G430, nor how heavily the TARA weighs in its overall assessment, and this page will not invent one.
Practise 18 TARA papers (2 free)Full TARA guide
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The TARA for UCL G430 at a Glance
Does UCL G430 require the TARA (2027 entry)
Yes, and all three modules are required
Which modules
Critical Thinking (22 questions), Problem Solving (22) and one Writing Task, 40 minutes each, 120 minutes in total
Booking window for the October sitting
Opens 20 July 2026, 3pm BST; closes 28 September 2026, 6pm BST
TARA test day for China, Hong Kong and Macau
14 October 2026 for the October sitting; 7 January 2027 for the January sitting
Test fee
£78 at UK and Ireland test centres, £133 elsewhere

The dates above come from the official UAT-UK deadlines page and are given in UK time. UCL has not published a TARA score threshold for G430, nor how heavily the TARA weighs in its overall assessment, and this page will not invent one.

4 sections1,432 words8 min read
01

What the TARA tests: three modules, 120 minutes

TARA stands for Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions. It is run by UAT-UK, delivered on computer at Pearson VUE test centres, and runs for 120 minutes in total, split into three modules of 40 minutes each. Computer Science and Mathematics MEng at UCL (UCAS G430) requires all three of them for 2027 entry.
Critical ThinkingProblem SolvingWriting Task
Module length40 minutes40 minutes40 minutes
Questions and format22 multiple-choice questions22 multiple-choice questionsOne of three prompts, no more than 750 words
Marked by UAT-UKScoredScoredNot marked
How it reaches universitiesCounts towards the reported score, on a scale from 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal placeCounts towards the reported score, on a scale from 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal placeYour script is passed on to the universities you have applied to, for their admissions teams to read

The value of the Writing Task depends on how each admissions team reads it rather than on any score.

Score scale

1.0 to 9.0, to one decimal place

Applies to the two scored modules only

Pass mark

None, stated explicitly

UCL has published no TARA threshold for G430 either

Negative marking

None

Permitted equipment

No calculators, no dictionaries

Delivery

On computer at a Pearson VUE test centre

How should you treat the Writing Task? Oxford states on two of its course pages, Economics and Management (LN12) and History and Economics (LV11), that the Writing Task is not used in selection for those courses, and UCL has published no equivalent statement. So the advice on this page for a UCL G430 applicant is to treat the Writing Task as something that will be read, and to finish it properly. That is this page's advice, not an official UCL position.
02

Where the pressure sits: Problem Solving and a joint CS and maths degree

A joint computer science and mathematics degree asks for two things at once: mathematical fluency and formal reasoning. Those two lines map neatly onto the two scored modules of the TARA. The mapping below is this page's own reading at the level of this section, not an official UCL position.

UCL Computer Science and Mathematics MEng (G430)

Each of the degree's two lines maps onto one scored TARA module. This is this page's own reading at the level of this section; UCL has published no module-level requirement or preference for G430.

Problem Solving: 22 multiple-choice questions, scoredThe mathematics itself is not deep; the difficulty is time pressure and incomplete information
  • Ratios, percentages, rates
  • Area and volume, straightforward algebra
  • Reading data from tables and charts
  • Translating a block of prose into a calculable structure quickly
  • Recognising the distractors built into the options
Critical Thinking: 22 multiple-choice questions, scoredIt tests the argument itself, and nothing can be calculated
  • Identifying the conclusion
  • Spotting unstated assumptions
  • Judging which statement would weaken or strengthen a line of reasoning
  • Relying on sensitivity to language and structure

Tap a branch to unfold

Defining a problem cleanly before doing anything is the same skill as defining a problem cleanly before writing any code, which is why Problem Solving sits so close to what G430 is about, and why applicants from a strong maths background often score best here. Conversely, strong mathematicians frequently lose marks on Critical Thinking, because nothing there can be calculated. Give both modules the same preparation budget, and do not let your feel for the stronger module set your expectations for the other.
UCL has published no module-level requirement or preference for G430, and no TARA score threshold for G430 or weighting within its overall assessment, and this page does not speculate about any of it. Any specific cut-off circulating online is not an official figure, so plan to score as well as you can rather than aiming at a rumoured threshold.
03

Key dates and fees for 2027 entry

The following dates come from the official UAT-UK deadlines page and are given in UK time. The October and January sittings each have a full booking-to-results chain; the gold dashed lines mark the official hard deadlines, and any row opens for detail.
2026 – 2027Timeline
Jun 26
Jul 26
Aug 26
Sep 26
Oct 26
Nov 26
Dec 26
Jan 27
Feb 27
Registration opens
1 June 2026, 3pm BST
Registration opens for the 2027 entry cycle.
Booking opens (October)
20 July 2026, 3pm BST
Booking opens for the October sitting.
Access arrangements deadline
14 September 2026, 6pm BST
The deadline to apply for access arrangements.
Bursary deadline
21 September 2026, 6pm BST
The deadline to apply for a bursary.
Booking closes (October)
28 September 2026, 6pm BST
Booking closes for the October sitting; that sitting has to be booked before this point.
October testing window
12-16 October 2026
The October testing window runs 12-16 October 2026. China, Hong Kong and Macau have fixed regional days within it: 12-13 October for the ESAT, 14 October for the TARA and 15-16 October for the TMUA.
China/HK/Macau TARA day
14 October 2026
Within the 12-16 October 2026 window, candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau sit the TARA on 14 October 2026.
Booking opens (January)
26 October 2026, 3pm GMT
Booking opens for the January sitting.
October results
16 November 2026
Results day for the October sitting.
Booking closes (January)
21 December 2026, 6pm GMT
Booking closes for the January sitting.
January testing window
4-8 January 2027
The January testing window runs 4-8 January 2027.
China/HK/Macau TARA day
7 January 2027
Within the 4-8 January 2027 window, the TARA for China, Hong Kong and Macau is on 7 January 2027.
January results
8 February 2027
Results day for the January sitting.
Hard deadline Event WindowAll times are UK times: BST for the October sitting deadlines and GMT for the January booking deadlines.

Test fee at UK and Ireland test centres

£78

Bursary applications close 21 September 2026, 6pm BST

Test fee elsewhere

£133

Bursary applications close 21 September 2026, 6pm BST

October sitting: TARA day for China, Hong Kong and Macau

14 October 2026

Window 12-16 October 2026; results 16 November 2026

January sitting: TARA day for China, Hong Kong and Macau

7 January 2027

Window 4-8 January 2027; results 8 February 2027

Oxford accepts the October sitting only, so anyone also applying to an Oxford TARA course effectively has one attempt. Which sittings UCL accepts should be confirmed on UCL's own admissions pages, and this page does not decide that for you.
04

Preparing for a test with no past papers

No TARA past papers have ever been released, and that fact should shape the whole revision plan. The official materials amount to three things: the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide, and two practice tests on Pearson VUE. UAT-UK itself also recommends supplementing these with BMAT Section 1 papers from 2003-2023 and TSA Section 1 papers from 2008-2023, and hosts those PDFs on its own site. What follows lays out everything genuinely available; the ordering is this page's suggestion.
01Official documents

The TARA Specification and the TARA Question Guide

The two documents UAT-UK publishes. Fix the specification in your head first: 22 plus 22 multiple-choice questions, plus one Writing Task of no more than 750 words, across three 40-minute modules.

02Official practice

The two practice tests on Pearson VUE

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

03Recommended by UAT-UK

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

UAT-UK itself recommends these past papers as supplementary practice and hosts the PDFs on its own site.

04Where volume comes from

Original papers built to the same specification

There is no bank of real TARA papers to work through, so volume has to come from original papers built to the same specification, and their usefulness depends on whether they genuinely follow the 22 plus 22 plus 750-word format across three 40-minute modules.

FrontierVUE has built a set of parallel papers to that specification, matching the structure of the real test: 45 questions each, with a 120-minute limit.

Parallel papers

18 Frontier Original papers

45 questions each: 22 Critical Thinking, 22 Problem Solving and one Writing Task, with a 120-minute limit

TARA questions in total

1,160 questions

810 questions inside the papers, plus a further 350 in a topic-based practice bank

Explanations and translations

On every question

Every question carries a worked explanation and a Chinese translation

Free to try

Papers 1 and 2

These two papers are free to attempt

To be explicit: these are original parallel papers written to the published specification. They are not official past papers and are never described as such, and FrontierVUE has no affiliation with or endorsement from UAT-UK, Pearson or UCL.
SAME UNIVERSITY

Other UCL courses that require the TARA

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What TARA score does UCL G430 require?
UCL has not published a TARA score threshold for G430, and has not published how heavily the TARA weighs in its overall assessment. What is official is the scale itself: results are reported from 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal place, and there is no pass mark. Any specific cut-off circulating online is not an official figure, so plan to score as well as you can rather than aiming at a rumoured threshold.
Are there TARA past papers?
No. No TARA past papers have ever been released. The official materials are the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide and two practice tests on Pearson VUE, and UAT-UK additionally recommends BMAT Section 1 papers (2003-2023) and TSA Section 1 papers (2008-2023) for extra practice. The 18 FrontierVUE papers are original parallel papers written to the published specification; they are not official past papers and are never described as such.
When do candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau sit the TARA?
The October window runs 12-16 October 2026, with fixed regional days for China, Hong Kong and Macau: the TARA is sat on 14 October 2026, with 12-13 October for the ESAT and 15-16 October for the TMUA. Booking for that sitting closes on 28 September 2026, 6pm BST, and results are released on 16 November 2026. The January window runs 4-8 January 2027, with the TARA on 7 January 2027 for China, Hong Kong and Macau. Booking closes 21 December 2026, 6pm GMT, and results are released on 8 February 2027.
Does Oxford Computer Science also require the TARA?
No. Oxford Computer Science requires the TMUA (Paper 1 and Paper 2), and the TARA is not mentioned anywhere on that course page. Ten other Oxford courses use the TARA, including Philosophy, Politics and Economics (L0V0), Human Sciences (BCL0), Experimental Psychology (C830) and History and Politics (LV21), and Oxford accepts the October sitting only. Two further points worth knowing: single-honours History at Oxford requires no written test at all, and only the joint courses History and Economics (LV11) and History and Politics (LV21) use the TARA. Separately, UCL's social science courses such as European Social and Political Studies have moved to UCL's own Thinking Skills Test for 2027 entry and no longer use the TARA.
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。

Start preparing for the TARA for Computer Science and Mathematics MEng

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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