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.

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UCL: TST or TARA?

UCL programmes sitting the Thinking Skills Test for 2027 entry (EISPS): Three: R990, LV01 and R992
UCL programmes still sitting the TARA for 2027 entry: Six: G400, G402, G430, H700, H300 and H301
TST sittings and booking: One sitting per month, October to February, with exact dates not yet published; booked through the UCL department's online form
TARA test dates for 2027 entry: 12 to 16 October 2026 and 4 to 8 January 2027; fixed at 14 October 2026 and 7 January 2027 for China, Hong Kong and Macau
TST question types, length and scoring: Not yet published by UCL

The programme lists, the TST's sittings and booking route, and everything marked "not yet published" come from UCL's central Tests, tasks and interviews page and the 2027 course pages, checked 16 August 2026; the TARA dates come from the UAT-UK website, checked the same day.

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2027 Entry: Which UCL Programmes Sit the TST, and Which Sit the TARA

For 2027 entry, three UCL programmes switch to the university's own Thinking Skills Test, all of them in the Department of European and International Social and Political Studies, while six programmes in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering still require the TARA. Both lists are set out by UCAS code below, so you can place your own programme in one group or the other. The three programmes that sit the UCL Thinking Skills Test (all in the Department of European and International Social and Political Studies):

European Social and Political Studies BA

R990

Sits the UCL Thinking Skills Test for 2027 entry

International Social and Political Studies BA

LV01

Sits the UCL Thinking Skills Test for 2027 entry

European Social and Political Studies: Dual Degree BA

R992

Sits the UCL Thinking Skills Test for 2027 entry, with high scorers then interviewed online by Sciences Po staff

The six programmes that still sit the TARA (four in Computer Science, two in Mechanical Engineering):

Computer Science BSc

G400

Computer Science; sits the TARA for 2027 entry

Computer Science MEng

G402

Computer Science; sits the TARA for 2027 entry

Computer Science and Mathematics MEng

G430

Computer Science; sits the TARA for 2027 entry

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng

H700

Computer Science; sits the TARA for 2027 entry

Mechanical Engineering BEng

H300

Mechanical Engineering; new to the TARA for 2027 entry

Mechanical Engineering MEng

H301

Mechanical Engineering; new to the TARA for 2027 entry

ESPS and ISPS really did sit the TARA for 2026 entry

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

Mechanical Engineering BEng (H300) and Mechanical Engineering MEng (H301) 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.

What UCL Has Published About the TST, and What It Has Not

On the UCL Thinking Skills Test, the four points below are what we were able to verify on ucl.ac.uk on 16 August 2026.

How the TST is delivered

Online, no travel to London

UCL's wording: "The TST is an online test, which means no travel to London is required."

TST sittings for 2027 entry

One per month, October to February

UCL's wording: "We offer test dates once per month in October, November, December, January and February."

How to register for the TST

The department's own online form

Not through Pearson VUE; applicants register and choose a test date on the UCL website

An extra round for ESPS Dual Degree BA (R992)

An online Sciences Po interview

Candidates who perform well in the TST are invited; 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 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.

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.

TARA and the UCL Thinking Skills Test, Side by Side

The two assessments differ in who runs them, how they are delivered, when they happen and how they are scored, so the quickest way through is side by side. The TARA column carries published information; wherever UCL has published nothing about the TST, the cell says so.

	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

"Not yet published" in the TST column means nothing could be found on UCL's own website, not that we did not look.

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.

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. Every date on the axis below can go into your calendar today.

2026 – 2027Timeline

Jun 26

Jul 26

Aug 26

Sep 26

Oct 26

Nov 26

Dec 26

Jan 27

Feb 27

Registration opens

1 Jun 2026

UAT-UK registration opens 1 June 2026, 3pm BST.

Booking opens

20 Jul 2026

Booking opens 20 July 2026, 3pm BST.

Access arrangements deadline

14 Sep 2026

Applications for access arrangements close 14 September 2026, 6pm BST.

Bursary deadline

21 Sep 2026

Bursary applications close 21 September 2026, 6pm BST.

October booking closes

28 Sep 2026

Booking for the October sitting closes 28 September 2026, 6pm BST.

October test window

12 to 16 Oct 2026

Test window 12 to 16 October 2026, with the TARA fixed at 14 October 2026 for China, Hong Kong and Macau.

January booking opens

26 Oct 2026

Booking for the January sitting opens 26 October 2026, 3pm GMT.

October results

16 Nov 2026

Results for the October sitting are released 16 November 2026.

January booking closes

21 Dec 2026

Booking for the January sitting closes 21 December 2026, 6pm GMT.

January test window

4 to 8 Jan 2027

Test window 4 to 8 January 2027, with 7 January 2027 for China, Hong Kong and Macau.

January results

8 Feb 2027

Results for the January sitting are released 8 February 2027.

Hard deadline Event WindowDates from the UAT-UK website, checked 16 August 2026.

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.

18 papers

Frontier Original parallel papers, not official past papers

45 questions

Per paper, Writing Task included

120 minutes

Timed per paper, matching the real structure and pacing

1,160 questions

TARA questions in total, including a 350-question topic bank

What FrontierVUE offers is Frontier Original practice papers. They are not official past papers and we do not present them as such. The 18 papers hold 810 questions between them, each paper built as 22 Critical Thinking questions, 22 Problem Solving questions and one Writing Task, timed at 120 minutes, with a further 350-question topic bank alongside. Every question comes with a worked solution and a Chinese translation. 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.

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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