UCL · UCAS H301
TARA for UCL Mechanical Engineering MEng (H301)
UCL's Mechanical Engineering MEng (UCAS code H301) requires applicants for 2027 entry to sit the TARA, the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions, a test mechanical engineering applicants did not have to take in earlier cycles. The TARA is run by UAT-UK and delivered in person at Pearson VUE test centres. One sitting lasts 120 minutes and is made up of three 40-minute modules: Critical Thinking (22 multiple-choice questions), Problem Solving (22 multiple-choice questions) and the Writing Task (one response chosen from three prompts, no more than 750 words). Critical Thinking and Problem Solving are each reported on a scale from 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal place, with no pass mark and no negative marking. The Writing Task is not marked by UAT-UK; your response is sent on to the universities you applied to. Calculators and dictionaries are not permitted. The fee is £78 for candidates in the UK and Ireland and £133 elsewhere.
- 18
- Papers
- 810
- Questions
- 2
- Free to try
01
Why H301 now sits the TARA
UCL adopted the TARA from the 2026 entry cycle, and Mechanical Engineering is included for the first time in the 2027 cycle, so guidance written for earlier years will not mention this requirement.
For 2027 entry, 16 courses in total require the TARA: 10 at Oxford and 6 at UCL. The UCL six are:
- Computer Science BSc (G400)
- Computer Science MEng (G402)
- Computer Science and Mathematics MEng (G430)
- Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng (H700)
- Mechanical Engineering BEng (H300)
- Mechanical Engineering MEng (H301)
Two points are routinely reported incorrectly elsewhere and are worth naming. First, UCL's social science degrees (European Social and Political Studies, International Social and Political Studies and the ESPS dual degrees) moved to UCL's own Thinking Skills Test for 2027 entry and no longer sit the TARA. Second, Oxford's Computer Science course uses the TMUA, not the TARA.
It is also worth being clear about what the TARA is not. It is a non-subject-specific reasoning test, so there is no mechanics, materials or A-level mathematics syllabus to revise, and there is no mechanical engineering version of the paper.
02
What the three modules ask of you
The TARA is one 120-minute test made up of three 40-minute modules, so every H301 candidate answers all three.
- Critical Thinking: 22 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, just under two minutes each, on arguments, assumptions, flaws and inference. No arithmetic is involved.
- Problem Solving: 22 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes covering numerical, spatial and logical reasoning. No calculator is allowed, and no dictionary either. This is the constraint engineering applicants most often underestimate, because many have not worked a numerical problem without a calculator since GCSE.
- Writing Task: 40 minutes to answer one of three prompts in no more than 750 words. UAT-UK does not mark it, and your response is sent to the universities you applied to, so UCL reads exactly what you wrote.
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving are each reported from 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal place. There is no negative marking and no pass mark.
One detail about the Writing Task is worth getting right. For 2027 entry, only two courses, both at Oxford (Economics and Management, LN12, and History and Economics, LV11), state on their course pages that the Writing Task will not be used in admissions selection. No such statement applies to H301. At the same time, neither UCL nor UAT-UK has published a weighting, an average score or a threshold for any part of the test.
03
How to practise when no past papers exist
The official preparation set is small, and it is only three things: the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide, and two practice papers hosted on Pearson VUE (a specimen with explanations and a sample with an answer review), both covering all three modules.
UAT-UK has never released a TARA past paper. It advises candidates to practise instead with the BMAT Section 1 archive (2003 to 2023) and the TSA Section 1 archive (2008 to 2023), and hosts those PDFs itself. Both archives are genuinely useful for question style, but neither matches the current 22 plus 22 plus 750-word structure or the 120-minute clock.
FrontierVUE covers that gap with 18 Frontier Original parallel papers. Each carries 45 items (22 Critical Thinking, 22 Problem Solving and one Writing Task) under the full 120 minutes, for 810 questions across the papers, alongside a 350-question topic bank organised for targeted drilling. Every question has a worked explanation and a Chinese translation. Papers 1 and 2 are free to sit.
To be explicit: our papers are original material written to the published format, not reproductions of official tests, and FrontierVUE has no affiliation with or endorsement from UAT-UK, Pearson or UCL.
04
Key dates and fees for 2027 entry
October sitting (the only one Oxford accepts, and the main route for UCL applicants too):
- 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. There are regional variations for China, Hong Kong and Macau, where the TARA is sat on 14 October 2026
- Results released: 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, and 7 January 2027 for China, Hong Kong and Macau
- Results released: 8 February 2027
Two practical notes. Oxford accepts the October sitting only, so anyone applying to both universities has one realistic window; if you are applying only to H301 and considering January, check the UCL course page first for which sittings it accepts. And registering is not the same as booking a seat: they are two separate steps, and both must be done before the 28 September 2026, 6pm BST cut-off.
The test is sat in person at a Pearson VUE test centre. The fee is £78 for candidates in the UK and Ireland and £133 elsewhere.
SAME UNIVERSITY
Other UCL courses that require the TARA
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does UCL Mechanical Engineering MEng require the TARA?
Yes. For 2027 entry, applicants to Mechanical Engineering MEng (UCAS H301) and Mechanical Engineering BEng (H300) sit the TARA. The TARA is a single 120-minute test made up of Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task, and candidates answer all three modules. UCL adopted the TARA from the 2026 entry cycle and Mechanical Engineering was added for 2027, so guidance written for earlier years will not mention it.
Do Mechanical Engineering applicants have to do the TARA Writing Task?
Yes. The Writing Task is one of the TARA's three modules: 40 minutes, one prompt chosen from three, no more than 750 words. UAT-UK does not score it, and your response is sent to the universities you applied to, so it reaches UCL exactly as you wrote it. For 2027 entry, only two Oxford courses (LN12 Economics and Management and LV11 History and Economics) state that the Writing Task will not be used in admissions selection. No such statement applies to H301, and UCL has not published how it uses the module.
Are there TARA past papers for Mechanical Engineering?
No. UAT-UK has never published a TARA past paper, and because the TARA is non-subject-specific there is no mechanical engineering version of it. The official materials are the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide and two practice papers on Pearson VUE. UAT-UK itself points candidates to BMAT Section 1 (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 (2008 to 2023) for extra practice. FrontierVUE's 18 papers are Frontier Original, written to the published format, and are not reproductions of official tests.
What TARA score do I need for UCL Mechanical Engineering?
There is no published answer. Neither UCL nor UAT-UK has released a cut-off, an average score or a weighting for the TARA, and the test itself has no pass mark. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving are each reported from 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal place. Any specific threshold quoted online for H301 does not come from an official source.
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 MEng
18 Frontier Original TARA papers and 810 questions, every one with a worked solution. The first 2 papers are free to try.