UCL · UCAS H700
TARA for UCL Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng (H700)
Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng at UCL (UCAS code H700) 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 screen at Pearson VUE test centres. The test lasts 120 minutes and is built from three 40-minute modules: Critical Thinking (22 multiple-choice questions, scored), Problem Solving (22 multiple-choice questions, scored) and the Writing Task (one prompt chosen from three, up to 750 words, not marked by UAT-UK, with your response passed to the universities you applied to). The two scored modules are reported separately from 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal place, there is no pass mark, nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, and calculators and dictionaries are both prohibited. The autumn sitting runs from 12 to 16 October 2026, with candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau taking the TARA on 14 October 2026, and results are released on 16 November 2026. The entry fee is £78 in the UK and Ireland and £133 elsewhere.
- 18
- Papers
- 810
- Questions
- 2
- Free to try
01
Which UCL courses require the TARA for 2027 entry
Six UCL programmes require the TARA 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
- H700 Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng (this page)
UCL first adopted the TARA for 2026 entry, and the two Mechanical Engineering routes are new to the list for 2027. Two points are worth pinning down, because they are widely misreported. First, UCL's social science programmes, including European Social and Political Studies, International Social and Political Studies and the ESPS dual degree, have 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 (Paper 1 and Paper 2), not the TARA — its course page does not mention the TARA at all — so any page claiming that Oxford and UCL both screen computer scientists with the TARA is describing something that does not exist. On scores, neither UCL nor UAT-UK publishes a cut-off, a minimum requirement or any weighting for H700, so treat any figure quoted elsewhere as unsourced.
02
What the three modules ask of you
The TARA is a single 120-minute test made of three 40-minute modules sat back to back in one session, so every candidate writes the Writing Task.
- Critical Thinking: 22 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, roughly 109 seconds each, on argument analysis — locating conclusions, spotting flaws, identifying unstated assumptions and judging what would weaken a claim.
- Problem Solving: a further 22 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes across numerical, spatial and logical reasoning. Calculators and dictionaries are both prohibited, so arithmetic you would normally type has to be organised on paper.
- Writing Task: 40 minutes to choose one prompt from three and write up to 750 words.
Only the first two modules are scored. Each is reported separately from 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal place, there is no pass mark, and nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, so no question should ever be left blank. UAT-UK collects the Writing Task but does not mark it; your response is sent on to the universities you applied to. UCL has published no statement on how, or whether, it uses that essay in selection for H700, and no cut-off score for the two scored modules.
03
How to practise when no past papers exist
Official preparation material is thin. UAT-UK publishes the TARA Specification and the TARA Question Guide, and Pearson VUE hosts two practice sets: a specimen with worked solutions and a sample with an answer review, both covering all three modules. No TARA past papers have ever been released. UAT-UK's own advice is to practise on the archived BMAT Section 1 papers (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 papers (2008 to 2023), which it hosts as PDFs on its site.
That leaves a gap between the archives and the current format, and it is the gap FrontierVUE builds for:
- 18 Frontier Original parallel papers written to the live specification, each with 22 Critical Thinking questions, 22 Problem Solving questions and one Writing Task, sat against the same 120-minute clock — 810 questions across the set.
- A separate 350-question topic bank for drilling by question type.
- 1,250 TARA questions in total on the platform, every one with a worked explanation and a Chinese translation.
- Papers 1 and 2 are free to sit.
To be explicit: these are original parallel papers, not official past papers, and FrontierVUE is not affiliated with, authorised by or endorsed by UAT-UK, Pearson, Oxford or UCL.
04
Key dates and fees for 2027 entry
Registration and booking are two separate steps, and you need both.
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 candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau sitting the TARA 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 candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau sitting the TARA on 7 January 2027
- Results: 8 February 2027
The fee is paid when you book a seat at a Pearson VUE test centre: £78 for candidates in the UK and Ireland, £133 elsewhere.
Sixteen courses require the TARA for 2027 entry, ten at Oxford and six at UCL. Oxford accepts the October sitting only, and its course pages ask all applicants to take all three modules, with only the Economics and Management (LN12) and History and Economics (LV11) pages adding that the Writing Task is not used in selection for those courses. If you are applying to UCL and considering the January sitting, confirm on UCL's own course page before you book.
SAME UNIVERSITY
Other UCL courses that require the TARA
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng at UCL require the TARA?
Yes. For 2027 entry, applicants to Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng (UCAS H700) must sit the TARA. The TARA is a single 120-minute test made of three 40-minute modules taken in one session: 22 Critical Thinking questions, 22 Problem Solving questions and one Writing Task. UCL first adopted the TARA for 2026 entry, and six UCL courses require it for 2027 entry, H700 among them. The fee is £78 in the UK and Ireland and £133 elsewhere, paid when you book a seat at a Pearson VUE test centre.
Are there official TARA past papers I can practise on?
No. UAT-UK has never released past papers for the TARA. The official material is the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide and two practice sets hosted on Pearson VUE: a specimen with worked solutions and a sample with an answer review, both covering all three modules. UAT-UK's own advice is to practise on the archived BMAT Section 1 papers (2003 to 2023) and TSA Section 1 papers (2008 to 2023). FrontierVUE's 18 parallel papers are Frontier Original material written to the current specification, not official past papers, and we are not affiliated with UAT-UK, Pearson or UCL.
Do I need to revise maths, physics or programming for the TARA?
Not by subject. The TARA's three modules are Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task; they test reasoning and argument, and there is no robotics, programming or physics syllabus in them (the official TARA Specification is the authority on scope). What does need practice is pace and paper arithmetic: 22 Problem Solving questions in 40 minutes, roughly 109 seconds each, with no calculator and no dictionary, including sums you would normally do on a screen. Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, so answer every question even when time runs short.
Does the Writing Task count for a UCL Robotics and AI application?
UAT-UK does not mark the Writing Task, but it is one of the three modules in the same sitting, so every candidate writes it, and your response is passed to the universities you applied to. Neither UCL nor UAT-UK has published how it is used in selection for H700, any weighting for it, or any cut-off score for the two scored modules, so any percentage you see quoted is guesswork. For contrast, Oxford states on two course pages only, Economics and Management (LN12) and History and Economics (LV11), that the Writing Task is not used in selection for those courses; that is Oxford's wording and does not transfer to UCL, and we have found no equivalent published statement from UCL. The practical brief is unchanged: 40 minutes, one prompt out of three, up to 750 words, and it reaches the university exactly as you left it.
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 Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng
18 Frontier Original TARA papers and 810 questions, every one with a worked solution. The first 2 papers are free to try.