UCLUCAS 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.
Practise 18 TARA papers (2 free)Full TARA guide
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Papers
810
Questions
2
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TARA for UCL H700 at a Glance
Required?
Compulsory: applicants to Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng (H700) at UCL must sit the TARA for 2027 entry
Which modules
Critical Thinking + Problem Solving + Writing Task: three 40-minute modules sat back to back in one 120-minute session
How it is scored
The first two modules are reported separately from 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal place; UAT-UK collects the Writing Task but does not mark it
When you sit it
12 to 16 October 2026, or 4 to 8 January 2027; candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau sit the TARA on 14 October 2026 and 7 January 2027
Booking and fee
October booking opens 20 July 2026 and closes 28 September 2026; the fee is paid when you book a Pearson VUE seat, £78 in the UK and Ireland and £133 elsewhere

Everything above refers to 2027 entry. Neither UCL nor UAT-UK has published a cut-off, a minimum requirement or any weighting for H700.

4 sections1,160 words6 min read
01

Which UCL courses require the TARA for 2027 entry

Six UCL programmes require the TARA for 2027 entry, and H700, the subject of this page, is one of them. UCL first adopted the TARA for 2026 entry, and the two Mechanical Engineering routes are new to the list for 2027.

G400

Computer Science BSc

G402

Computer Science MEng

G430

Computer Science and Mathematics MEng

H300

Mechanical Engineering BEng

New to the list for 2027 entry

H301

Mechanical Engineering MEng

New to the list for 2027 entry

H700

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng

The course this page covers

Two points are worth pinning down separately, because they are widely misreported.
UCL's social science routes have moved to the Thinking Skills Test for 2027 entry
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. Preparing for the TARA on the strength of older information is wasted work.
Oxford's Computer Science course uses the TMUA, not the TARA
Oxford's Computer Science course uses the TMUA (Paper 1 and Paper 2), not the TARA, and its course page does not mention the TARA at all. 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 ThinkingProblem SolvingWriting Task
Length and volume40 minutes, 22 multiple-choice questions40 minutes, 22 multiple-choice questions40 minutes, one piece of writing, up to 750 words
Time per questionAbout 109 secondsAbout 109 secondsNot applicable
What it asksArgument analysis: locating conclusions, spotting flaws, identifying unstated assumptions and judging what would weaken a claimNumerical, spatial and logical reasoningChoosing one prompt from three and answering it
Scored?Scored, 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal placeScored, 1.0 to 9.0 to one decimal placeNot marked by UAT-UK; your response is passed to the universities you applied to

Only the first two modules are scored, each reported separately, and there is no pass mark. Calculators and dictionaries are prohibited throughout.

Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, so no question should ever be left blank. In Problem Solving, arithmetic you would normally type has to be organised on paper.
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, and no TARA past papers have ever been released. Here is what official and archived material actually exists.

TARA past papers

Never released

TARA Specification

Published by UAT-UK

The authority on what is in scope

TARA Question Guide

Published by UAT-UK

Pearson VUE specimen

One set, with worked solutions

Covers all three modules

Pearson VUE sample

One set, with an answer review

Covers all three modules

Archived BMAT Section 1 papers

2003 to 2023

UAT-UK's own suggestion for extra practice, hosted as PDFs on its site

Archived TSA Section 1 papers

2008 to 2023

UAT-UK's own suggestion for extra practice, hosted as PDFs on its site

That leaves a gap between the archives and the current format, and it is the gap FrontierVUE builds for. The order below is our suggested route rather than an official sequence; only the step about the BMAT and TSA archives comes from UAT-UK's own advice.
01Step 1

Start with the TARA Specification and Question Guide

Both come from UAT-UK, and the official TARA Specification is the authority on scope.

02Step 2

Work through the two practice sets on Pearson VUE

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

03Step 3

Top up with the BMAT and TSA archives

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.

04Step 4

Drill by question type in the topic bank

FrontierVUE keeps a separate 350-question topic bank for drilling by question type.

05Step 5

Sit whole parallel papers against the 120-minute clock

The 18 Frontier Original parallel papers are 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.

18

Frontier Original parallel papers

810

Questions across those parallel papers

350

Topic-bank questions for drilling by type

1,160

TARA questions on the platform in total, each 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.
2026 – 2027Timeline
Jun 26
Jul 26
Aug 26
Sep 26
Oct 26
Nov 26
Dec 26
Jan 27
Feb 27
Registration opens (October sitting)
1 Jun 2026, 3pm BST
Registration and booking are separate steps: registration opening is not the same as being able to pick a seat.
Booking opens (October sitting)
20 Jul 2026, 3pm BST
Access arrangements deadline (October sitting)
14 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
Bursary deadline (October sitting)
21 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
Booking closes (October sitting)
28 Sep 2026, 6pm BST
October test window
12 to 16 Oct
Candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau sit the TARA on 14 October 2026.
Booking opens (January sitting)
26 Oct 2026, 3pm GMT
October results
16 Nov 2026
Booking closes (January sitting)
21 Dec 2026, 6pm GMT
January test window
4 to 8 Jan
Candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau sit the TARA on 7 January 2027.
January results
8 Feb 2027
Hard deadline Event WindowWithin each window the date is fixed for candidates in China, Hong Kong and Macau: 14 October 2026 for the October sitting and 7 January 2027 for the January one.

UK and Ireland

£78

Paid when you book a Pearson VUE seat

Elsewhere

£133

Paid when you book a Pearson VUE seat

Where you sit it

On screen at a Pearson VUE test centre

The TARA is run by UAT-UK

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 Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng (H700) at 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.
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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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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