UCL · UCAS H300
UCL Mechanical Engineering BEng (H300): TARA Requirements for 2027 Entry
UCL's Mechanical Engineering BEng (UCAS code H300) requires applicants for 2027 entry to sit all three modules of the TARA, the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions run by UAT-UK and sat on screen at Pearson VUE test centres. The test lasts 120 minutes in total and is organised as three 40-minute modules: Critical Thinking (22 multiple-choice questions), Problem Solving (22 multiple-choice questions) and the Writing Task (one essay chosen from three prompts, up to 750 words). The two marked modules are scored on a scale of 1.0 to 9.0, reported to one decimal place. The Writing Task is not marked by UAT-UK; a copy of your response is sent to the universities you applied to. There is no negative marking and no pass mark, and calculators and dictionaries are not permitted. Mechanical Engineering joins the TARA list at UCL for the first time in the 2027 cycle, covering both Mechanical Engineering BEng (H300) and Mechanical Engineering MEng (H301).
- 18
- Papers
- 810
- Questions
- 2
- Free to try
01
What UCL requires for H300, and the courses people confuse it with
UCL adopted the UAT-UK tests from 2026 entry, and Mechanical Engineering is added to the TARA list for the first time in the 2027 cycle. Six UCL programmes require the TARA for 2027 entry:
- Computer Science BSc (G400) and Computer Science MEng (G402)
- Computer Science and Mathematics MEng (G430)
- Mechanical Engineering BEng (H300) and Mechanical Engineering MEng (H301)
- Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng (H700)
Two points catch applicants out when they check their other choices. First, UCL's social science line has moved away from the TARA for 2027 entry: European Social and Political Studies, International Social and Political Studies and the ESPS dual degree now sit UCL's own Thinking Skills Test instead. Second, Oxford Computer Science uses the TMUA, not the TARA, although third-party guides routinely list it as a TARA course. Across the cycle the TARA covers ten Oxford courses plus these six UCL programmes, sixteen in total.
Neither UCL nor Oxford publishes a TARA score threshold, an average score for admitted applicants, or a stated weighting against the rest of the application, so any cut-off figure circulating online is not official. What is certain is narrower and more useful: the test is compulsory for H300, and an application without it is incomplete.
02
What the three modules ask of an engineering applicant
Critical Thinking: 22 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, roughly 109 seconds each, on identifying conclusions, unstated assumptions and flaws in short written arguments. Very little in A-level Maths or Physics trains this directly.
Problem Solving: another 22 questions in 40 minutes, with no calculator, so numerical, spatial and data-handling work is done mentally or on paper at a pace that standard science papers do not rehearse.
Writing Task: 40 minutes for one essay chosen from three prompts, capped at 750 words. UAT-UK does not mark it and your script is forwarded to the universities you applied to, so UCL receives it.
The TARA contains no subject-content module: there is no mechanics section, no thermodynamics section and nothing drawn from the A-level Physics specification. Preparation therefore means argument analysis, fast mental arithmetic and written structure rather than more revision of engineering content, which is exactly why strong maths and physics candidates can still be caught out. There is no negative marking, so an educated guess on a question you cannot crack always beats leaving it blank.
03
How to practise when there are no past papers
UAT-UK has never released TARA past papers. The official materials are three: 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 itself points candidates at papers from discontinued tests for extra practice: BMAT Section 1 (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 (2008 to 2023), which remain the closest legitimate free question sources to the TARA format.
Even after working through all of that, most applicants are short of full-length, correctly timed rehearsal. FrontierVUE writes Frontier Original parallel papers to the published format: 18 sets, each with 22 Critical Thinking questions, 22 Problem Solving questions and a Writing Task, 810 paper questions in all, sat against the real 120-minute clock. A separate 350-question topic bank supports targeted drilling, giving 1,250 TARA questions in total. Every question carries a worked explanation and a Chinese translation, and Papers 1 and 2 are free to sit.
To be explicit about what these are: they are original papers written to the published specification, not official past papers, and FrontierVUE is not affiliated with or endorsed by UAT-UK, Pearson or UCL.
04
Key dates and fees for 2027 entry
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
- Test window: 12 to 16 October 2026, with regional variations for China, Hong Kong and Macau, where the 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 to 8 January 2027, with the TARA on 7 January 2027 for candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau
- Results: 8 February 2027
Fees: £78 in the UK and Ireland, £133 in other regions.
Oxford accepts only the October sitting. If you are applying to an Oxford TARA course alongside H300, October is the date to plan around. If UCL is your only TARA application, confirm on the UCL course page which sittings it accepts before relying on January.
SAME UNIVERSITY
Other UCL courses that require the TARA
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does UCL Mechanical Engineering BEng (H300) need an admissions test?
Yes. For 2027 entry, applicants to Mechanical Engineering BEng must sit the TARA, and the same applies to Mechanical Engineering MEng (H301). This is the first cycle in which Mechanical Engineering appears on the TARA list. All three modules are taken in one 120-minute session at a Pearson VUE test centre, and you register with UAT-UK before booking a seat.
Is the TARA a maths or physics test?
No. The TARA has no subject-content module. Critical Thinking (22 questions) and Problem Solving (22 questions) are multiple-choice reasoning modules, and the third module is an essay of up to 750 words. Calculators and dictionaries are banned, so the numerical work in Problem Solving is arithmetic, proportion and data reasoning under time pressure rather than mechanics, thermodynamics or A-level Physics content.
Does the Writing Task count for Mechanical Engineering at UCL?
UAT-UK does not mark the Writing Task. A copy of your response is sent to the universities you applied to, so UCL receives your script. Oxford states that the Writing Task will not be used in selection for two of its own courses (Economics and Management, and History and Economics), but UCL has published no equivalent statement for Mechanical Engineering. Prepare on the basis that it will be read: 40 minutes, one prompt from three, up to 750 words.
When is the TARA for 2027 entry and how much does it cost?
The October test window runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, with the TARA sat on 14 October 2026 in China, Hong Kong and Macau; results are released on 16 November 2026. Registration opens on 1 June 2026 and booking runs from 20 July 2026 to 6pm BST on 28 September 2026. The January window is 4 to 8 January 2027 (7 January 2027 in China, Hong Kong and Macau), with booking open from 26 October 2026 to 21 December 2026 and results on 8 February 2027. The fee is £78 in the UK and Ireland and £133 in other regions.
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 Mechanical Engineering BEng
18 Frontier Original TARA papers and 810 questions, every one with a worked solution. The first 2 papers are free to try.