See how it works
Work on reasoning, problem solving and written arguments.
Your personal tutor for TARA reasoning and writing
Interactive lessons and practice for all three TARA modules.
Route report · a fictional example
A pattern. Not a cause.
In this fictional route report, every late bus was full. Late buses therefore sit inside the set of full buses. An empty bus in the report could not be late. Crowding causing delay is an assumed link, not an inference from the report. Roadworks could cause both crowding and delays.
In this fictional route report, every late bus was full. Late buses therefore sit inside the set of full buses. An empty bus in the report could not be late. Crowding causing delay is an assumed link, not an inference from the report. Roadworks could cause both crowding and delays.
Story overview
- Interactive lessons
- 42
- Original questions
- 2,333
- Module papers
- 26
Meet Mia, your TARA tutor
Example question for Mia
Reasoning using numerical skills
How can I check whether this method works?Open the lesson
Make room to think
Practise a reasoning skill without a running clock.
Ask about the step
Mia can help with the question or lesson in front of you.
Put it into practice
Work through an original practice paper from start to finish.
Explore your TARA course
Explore a lesson
Reasoning using everyday written language
Work through the idea, then try a step yourself.
Explore this lessonStart free, before deciding anything
3 full topics are open with no card: Reasoning using numerical skills, Space and spatial reasoning, Writing Task. The first Critical Thinking paper and the first Problem Solving paper are free to sit, and the timing gym needs no account at all.
- Reasoning using numerical skills
- Space and spatial reasoning
- Writing Task
What the test asks
TARA assumes very little knowledge. The difficulty comes from reasoning carefully, quickly and without familiar school templates. All three modules are compulsory and run to 120 minutes in total.
Critical Thinking
Read an argument in everyday language, identify what it claims, then judge whether its reasons establish that claim. 22 questions in 40 minutes.
Problem Solving
Create a route through an unfamiliar numerical problem. The official knowledge floor is basic arithmetic, measures, space, tables and graphs. 22 questions in 40 minutes.
Writing Task
Choose one proposition and communicate different sides clearly in no more than 750 words, in 40 minutes.
UAT-UK does not score it. Your response is sent to universities that require TARA.
Calculators and dictionaries are not permitted. Check the official TARA page for the current format.
Checkout is not open yet
The whole course above is live to work through. When checkout opens it will be one payment of £199, with no subscription and no per-hour clock. Until then nothing here takes a card, and saving your interest neither reserves a price nor charges you.
The guarantee when checkout opens: finish 90% of the course before exam day and score under 7.0 out of 9.0 on your average across Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, and you get 100% back within 30 days.
£199planned, once
- 42 interactive lessons
- 2,333 original questions
- 13 complete sittings
- 9 Writing Task prompts
Specialist admissions-test tutoring is commonly listed from £45 to £70 an hour.
Deadlines
Booking, access arrangements and bursaries have separate deadlines.
October 2026
- Account creation opened
- 1 June 2026, 3pm BST
- Booking opens
- 20 July 2026, 3pm BST
- Access arrangements
- 14 September 2026, 6pm BST
- Bursary requests
- 21 September 2026, 6pm BST
- Booking closes
- 28 September 2026, 6pm BST
Standard Oxford applicants must use this sitting.
January 2027
- Requests reopen
- 5 October 2026, 3pm BST
- Booking opens
- 26 October 2026, 3pm GMT
- Access arrangements
- 7 December 2026, 6pm GMT
- Bursary requests
- 14 December 2026, 6pm GMT
- Booking closes
- 21 December 2026, 6pm GMT
UCL applicants and eligible Oxford Foundation Year applicants can use this sitting.
TARA costs £78 in the UK and Republic of Ireland, or £133 elsewhere. A UAT-UK bursary can cover the full UK fee. Regional delivery dates can be narrower, so check the official deadlines before booking.
Free tools, no login
These sit alongside the course rather than inside it. Each answers one question and asks for nothing in return.
Which sitting does your course need?
Choose an Oxford or UCL course to see its sitting guidance, the next support deadline and the booking close, each with its source receipt.
Interpret your scoreRead a module result against the published anchors: near the cohort midpoint, around the top .Module readiness quizA balanced sample across both scored modules. It predicts no TARA score.90-day roadmapWhat to do each week between now and the sitting you chose.12 free guidesOne question each, online and as a PDF, with the sources named.
Check the primary sources
Requirements can change by cycle and course. Use UAT-UK for the test, Oxford for Oxford courses, and UCL for UCL courses as the final check.
Your best TARA attempt
starts with one topic
Start practisingFree to startWorks in your browser