UCL
UCL Thinking Skills Test (TST): Do You Sit the TST or the TARA for 2027 Entry?
The UCL Thinking Skills Test (TST) is an internal online admissions assessment run by UCL itself, and for 2027 entry it applies to three undergraduate programmes in the Department of European and International Social and Political Studies: European Social and Political Studies BA (R990), International Social and Political Studies BA (LV01) and European Social and Political Studies: Dual Degree BA (R992). UCL states plainly that "The TST replaces the TARA used in the 2026 cycle", so applicants to those three programmes no longer sit the TARA. At the same time, four Computer Science programmes and two Mechanical Engineering programmes at UCL still require the TARA for 2027 entry. This page exists to settle one question quickly: which of the two you actually need to sit. Where UCL has not published a detail, we say so rather than filling the gap ourselves.
- 18
- Papers
- 810
- Questions
- 2
- Free to try
01
2027 Entry: Which UCL Programmes Sit the TST, and Which Sit the TARA
The three programmes that sit the UCL Thinking Skills Test (all in the Department of European and International Social and Political Studies):
| UCAS code | Programme | 2027 entry test |
|---|---|---|
| R990 | European Social and Political Studies BA | UCL Thinking Skills Test |
| LV01 | International Social and Political Studies BA | UCL Thinking Skills Test |
| R992 | European Social and Political Studies: Dual Degree BA | UCL Thinking Skills Test, with high scorers then interviewed online by Sciences Po staff |
The six programmes that still sit the TARA:
| UCAS code | Programme | Department |
|---|---|---|
| G400 | Computer Science BSc | Computer Science |
| G402 | Computer Science MEng | Computer Science |
| G430 | Computer Science and Mathematics MEng | Computer Science |
| H700 | Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng | Computer Science |
| H300 | Mechanical Engineering BEng | Mechanical Engineering |
| H301 | Mechanical Engineering MEng | Mechanical Engineering |
Three things that catch applicants out:
- These three social science programmes did sit the TARA for 2026 entry; the switch to the TST is a 2027 change. UCL's wording is "The TST replaces the TARA used in the 2026 cycle." Many TARA guides online still list ESPS and ISPS under the TARA, which is the 2026 position.
- The two Mechanical Engineering programmes are new to the TARA for 2027 entry.
- The TST is the second stage of a two-stage process. UCL screens the UCAS application first, and shortlisted candidates are then invited to sit the TST. The course pages also note that "A small number of outstanding students may be eligible for admission without the test."
Sources: UCL Tests, tasks and interviews, ESPS BA (R990), ISPS BA (LV01), ESPS Dual Degree BA (R992). All checked on 16 August 2026.
02
What UCL Has Published About the TST, and What It Has Not
Verified (checked on ucl.ac.uk, 16 August 2026):
- The TST is an internal online assessment with no travel required. UCL's wording: "The TST is an online test, which means no travel to London is required."
- For 2027 entry there is one sitting per month across five months: "We offer test dates once per month in October, November, December, January and February."
- Registration does not go through Pearson VUE. Applicants register and choose a test date through the department's own online form on the UCL website.
- For the Dual Degree (R992) there is an extra round: candidates who perform well in the TST are invited to an online interview conducted by staff from Sciences Po.
Not yet published by UCL (we could not find an official source, so we are not guessing):
- Question types and module structure
- Number of questions
- Duration
- Scoring scale, score range, and whether there is a pass mark
- The specific dates of each 2027 sitting
- Whether there is a fee
- Whether official specimen papers or past papers exist
One trap we found in testing: on the day we checked, the department's own how to apply pages (on the EISPS site and the Arts & Humanities site) still carried the 2026 wording, saying the TARA had replaced the previous UCL Thinking Skills Test, which is the opposite of UCL's central 2027 position. Treat the central Tests, tasks and interviews page and the 2027 course pages as authoritative, and email eisps.admissions@ucl.ac.uk if you need it confirmed.
Question counts and durations for the TST circulate on third-party sites. We could not trace any of them to a UCL source, so they do not appear on this page.
03
TARA and the UCL Thinking Skills Test, Side by Side
| TARA | UCL Thinking Skills Test | |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | UAT-UK | UCL itself (internal test) |
| Delivery | Computer-based at a Pearson VUE test centre | Online, with no travel to London required |
| UCL programmes for 2027 entry | G400, G402, G430, H700, H300, H301 | R990, LV01, R992 |
| Structure | Three 40-minute modules, 120 minutes in total: Critical Thinking, 22 multiple-choice questions; Problem Solving, 22 multiple-choice questions; Writing Task, one of three statements, 750 words maximum | Not yet published |
| Scoring | 1.0 to 9.0, reported to one decimal place; no pass mark; no negative marking; no calculators or dictionaries | Not yet published |
| Test dates | October sitting 12 to 16 October 2026 (fixed at 14 October 2026 for China, Hong Kong and Macau); January sitting 4 to 8 January 2027 (7 January 2027 for China, Hong Kong and Macau) | One sitting per month from October to February; exact dates not yet published |
| Booking | Register with UAT-UK, then book a seat with Pearson VUE | The department's own online registration form |
| Fee | GBP 78 (UK and Ireland), GBP 133 (rest of world) | Not yet published |
| Official past papers | None; the TARA has never released any | Not yet published |
| Role in selection | Considered alongside grades and the UCAS personal statement in a holistic review | Second stage of a two-stage process, after UCAS shortlisting |
On cut-off scores: neither Oxford nor UCL has published a TARA score threshold or weighting, and UCL has published no TST threshold either. Any specific "you need X to get in" figure does not come from an official source.
TARA figures from About the TARA and UAT-UK Deadlines, checked 16 August 2026.
04
If the TARA Is What You Actually Need, You Can Start Now
If you have applied to G400, G402, G430, H700, H300 or H301, the TARA is what you need, and its timetable is already fixed:
- 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
- October sitting: booking closes 28 September 2026, 6pm BST; test window 12 to 16 October 2026, with the TARA fixed at 14 October 2026 for China, Hong Kong and Macau; 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 (7 January 2027 for China, Hong Kong and Macau); results 8 February 2027
One thing to be clear about first: the TARA has never released any past papers. The official materials are the TARA Specification, the TARA Question Guide, and two practice tests on Pearson VUE (one specimen with explained answers, one sample with answer review) covering all three modules. UAT-UK itself recommends the BMAT Section 1 archive (2003 to 2023) and the TSA Section 1 archive (2008 to 2023) as extra practice, and hosts those PDFs on its own site.
What FrontierVUE offers is Frontier Original practice papers. They are not official past papers and we do not present them as such:
- 18 original parallel papers, each with 45 questions (22 Critical Thinking, 22 Problem Solving, plus a Writing Task), timed at 120 minutes, matching the structure and pacing of the real test
- 810 questions inside the papers, plus a 350-question topic bank, for 1,250 TARA questions in total
- A worked solution for every question, and a Chinese translation for every question
- Paper 1 and Paper 2 are free to attempt, with no payment required first
If the TST is your test, we do not have a TST question bank, and we will not repackage TARA papers as TST preparation. Until UCL publishes the TST's format, treat any product claiming to predict TST questions with suspicion.
(FrontierVUE is not affiliated with or endorsed by UAT-UK, Pearson, the University of Oxford or UCL.)
SAME UNIVERSITY
Other UCL courses that require the TARA
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do UCL's ESPS and ISPS programmes still require the TARA for 2027 entry?
No. UCL states that for the 2027 cycle European Social and Political Studies BA (R990), International Social and Political Studies BA (LV01) and European Social and Political Studies: Dual Degree BA (R992) all sit the internal UCL Thinking Skills Test instead, in its own words: "The TST replaces the TARA used in the 2026 cycle." Be aware that the department's own how to apply pages may still show the 2026 position, so treat UCL's central Tests, tasks and interviews page and the 2027 course pages as authoritative.
How many questions does the UCL Thinking Skills Test have, how long is it, and how is it scored?
UCL has not published this. As of 16 August 2026, what we could verify on ucl.ac.uk is only that the TST is an internal online test with no travel to London required, that there is one sitting per month in October, November, December, January and February for 2027 entry, and that candidates register and pick a date through the department's online form. Question types, question counts, duration and scoring are not stated officially, and we are not going to guess on UCL's behalf. Figures circulating on third-party sites could not be traced to UCL. For confirmation, email eisps.admissions@ucl.ac.uk.
I have applied to UCL Computer Science or Mechanical Engineering. Do I need to sit the TST?
No, the TARA is your test. For 2027 entry UCL uses the TARA for six programmes: Computer Science BSc (G400), Computer Science MEng (G402), Computer Science and Mathematics MEng (G430), Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng (H700), Mechanical Engineering BEng (H300) and Mechanical Engineering MEng (H301). The TST applies only to the three EISPS social science programmes. One related warning: Oxford Computer Science requires the TMUA, not the TARA, so do not conflate the two universities' computing routes.
Can a TARA score be used in place of a TST score, or the other way round?
No. They are two entirely separate assessments: the TARA is run by UAT-UK and taken at a Pearson VUE test centre, while the TST is set, delivered and booked by UCL online. UCL has published nothing suggesting a TARA score can substitute for a TST score, or the reverse. If you have applied to both a UCL Computer Science programme (TARA) and ESPS (TST), each programme's own requirement stands and you would need to plan for both sittings; it is worth confirming timings with eisps.admissions@ucl.ac.uk and the Computer Science department in advance.
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 Thinking Skills Test
18 Frontier Original TARA papers and 810 questions, every one with a worked solution. The first 2 papers are free to try.