TARA PAST PAPERS

TARA Past Papers & 18 Frontier Original Practice Papers

There are currently no officially released TARA past papers. UAT-UK publishes only two official practice tests, and explicitly recommends that candidates use the BMAT Section 1 and TSA Section 1 archives, which share the same question types, for extra practice. Building on that, FrontierVUE has produced 18 Frontier Original TARA papers containing 810 questions, each written to the official format (22 Critical Thinking + 22 Problem Solving + a Writing Task) and supplied with full worked solutions and mark schemes. Every paper can be sat online in a timed interface that mirrors the real exam. Register free to try 2 of them at no cost.

Past papers
18
Questions
810
Years covered
—
Try past papers freeRead the exam guide
PAPER LIST

Paper list

The papers below are Frontier Original TARA practice papers, not official past papers. The first 2 are free to try; a one-off per-subject purchase unlocks every paper and the full question bank.

Free to try2 / 18
#YearPaperQuestionsDurationAccess
012026Jun · Paper 145120 minFree to try
022026Jun · Paper 245120 minFree to try
032026Jun · Paper 1045120 minPremium
042026Jun · Paper 1145120 minPremium
052026Jun · Paper 1245120 minPremium
062026Jun · Paper 1345120 minPremium
072026Jun · Paper 1445120 minPremium
082026Jun · Paper 1545120 minPremium
092026Jun · Paper 1645120 minPremium
102026Jun · Paper 1745120 minPremium
112026Jun · Paper 1845120 minPremium
122026Jun · Paper 345120 minPremium
132026Jun · Paper 445120 minPremium
142026Jun · Paper 545120 minPremium
152026Jun · Paper 645120 minPremium
162026Jun · Paper 745120 minPremium
172026Jun · Paper 845120 minPremium
182026Jun · Paper 945120 minPremium
OFFICIAL MATERIAL

7 official documents worth using for the TARA

None of them is a past paper, because no TARA past paper exists. Only 4 are the TARA's own; 2 are archives of a different test that UAT-UK recommends and hosts, and the last is the course list. Each entry says what it is actually good for.

  1. TARA Content Specification

    The official statement of what is assessed. It is where the maths expectation for Problem Solving is set out: fractions, place value, percentages, the four rules of number, averages, time, money and measures, and conversions between km, m, cm, mm and between kg and g. Reading it first removes a lot of misdirected revision.

  2. TARA Question Guide

    Defines the ten question types in the examiners' own words: seven in Critical Thinking, three in Problem Solving. It also notes that a question can fall into more than one type. This is the official basis for turning "work out what the question is asking" into a trainable skill.

  3. Official specimen test, with explained answers

    Sat on the Pearson VUE platform, covering all three modules, with explained answers. Its value is not the number of questions but that it is the only way to see the real computer-based interface before test day.

  4. Official sample test, with answer review

    Also on Pearson VUE, covering all three modules, with an answer review afterwards. Worth saving for later in your preparation and spending as a timed full rehearsal, rather than using it up on day one.

  5. BMAT Section 1 archive, 2003 to 2023

    Recommended by UAT-UK, which hosts the PDFs on its own site, on the basis that the question types share a common history. This is the largest body of comparable material available. Note it belongs to a different test, so its instructions and paper structure are not the TARA's.

  6. TSA Section 1 archive, 2008 to 2023

    Also recommended and hosted by UAT-UK on the same basis. Together with the BMAT archive it forms the largest source of practice available in the absence of past papers.

  7. Course list for 2027 entry (PDF)

    The authoritative list of which courses require the TARA. Worth checking yourself: the three errors that recur most often in third-party articles (that Oxford Computer Science requires it, that single-honours History at Oxford requires it, that UCL's social sciences require it) are all refuted by this document in under a minute.

ABOUT THE EXAM

What is the TARA?

The TARA (Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions) is run by UAT-UK and delivered worldwide by Pearson VUE — the newest member of the same test family as the TMUA and ESAT. It comprises three 40-minute modules: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, both multiple choice, plus a Writing Task. Oxford uses it from 2027 entry across 10 social-science courses (Economics and Management, PPE, History and Economics, History and Politics, Human Sciences, Experimental Psychology, Psychology and Philosophy and more; single-honours History and Computer Science are not on the list). UCL adopted it from 2026 entry and narrows it for 2027 entry to four Computer Science courses plus two in Mechanical Engineering, with its social-science routes moving to UCL's own Thinking Skills Test. Calculators and dictionaries are banned throughout.
Read the full TARA guide: test dates, paper structure and university requirements
WHY PAST PAPERS

Why past papers are the most effective preparation

Past papers are the only practice material drawn from the same source as your real exam. The TARA's question style, stem length, distractor design and time pressure can only truly be reproduced by the genuine papers — even the best mock questions are an approximation. Work through the back catalogue systematically and your sense of what gets tested, and how, will be far sharper than that of candidates who rely on textbooks alone.

Practising year by year also reveals how the test has evolved: which topics recur, which question types have been getting harder. A well-proven approach is to keep the most recent papers for full timed mocks and use the older years for topic-by-topic drilling.

Timing matters as much as content. Half the difficulty of the TARA is time allocation. Sitting past papers in FrontierVUE's timed interface records how long you spend on every question, so you can pinpoint the question types you get right but answer too slowly — and train speed exactly where it is needed.

WHY FRONTIERVUE

Sharper than a stack of PDFs

  • Exam-style pacing: a timed online interface reproduces real exam pressure, with instant marking on submission — no answer keys to check by hand.

  • Worked solutions: every past-paper question comes with a full worked solution, and mistakes can be saved to a review list for repeat practice.

  • Performance analytics: accuracy and timing are broken down by topic, so your weak areas are visible at a glance instead of guessed at.

  • Free to start: registration is free and the first 2 past papers in every subject cost nothing. A one-time per-subject purchase (£58.80 per subject, £108.80 for any two) unlocks the full TARA bank — every past paper and mock.

  • Always current: when a new TARA sitting is released, the papers and solutions are added at no extra cost for unlocked subjects.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find TARA past papers?
TARA has no officially released past papers — UAT-UK publishes only two official practice tests, and recommends the BMAT Section 1 and TSA Section 1 archives, which use the same question types, for further practice. FrontierVUE turns that into 18 Frontier Original TARA papers written to the official format, each with worked solutions and a mark scheme, sat online under timed exam conditions.
Are TARA past papers free to practise on FrontierVUE?
Registration is free and the first 2 TARA past papers are free to try, with full marking and solutions. A one-time per-subject purchase (£58.80 per subject, £108.80 for any two subjects) unlocks every TARA past paper and mock — no subscription.
Do the TARA past papers come with worked solutions?
Yes. Every TARA past-paper question on FrontierVUE includes a full worked solution, and your attempts feed per-topic analytics so you can see exactly where marks are being lost.
How many TARA past papers should I do before the exam?
Most successful candidates work through the majority of the available back catalogue: older papers for topic-by-topic practice, and the most recent papers saved for full timed mocks in the final weeks. Quality matters more than volume — review every mistake before moving on.
Can I practise TARA past papers under real exam conditions?
Yes. FrontierVUE runs every TARA past paper in a timed online interface that mirrors exam pacing, then marks it instantly and breaks down your accuracy and timing by topic.
KEEP EXPLORING

Keep exploring

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 practising TARA past papers now

Register free and try 2 past papers per subject at no cost — judge the question quality and exam-style interface before you buy.

Try past papers freeSee pricing