TARA at University of Oxford

Oxford History and Politics: TARA requirements

Sources checked 27 September 2026
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The short answer

For 2027 entry, Oxford History and Politics (LV21) requires the TARA Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Writing Task, 40 minutes each.^1,2,3,4 Sit it in the October window (12 to 16 October 2026) only.^2,3 In the 2025-26 cycle under the old No admissions test reported in this report, Oxford made 49 offers from 619 applications to History and Politics (7.9%).⁵

TARA modules: 3^1,2,3; Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Writing Task; Published
Writing Task: Required^1,2,3; For this course; Published
When to sit: October only^2,3; 12 to 16 October 2026; Published
Offers per application: 8%⁵; 49 of 619, 2025-26, No; Past cycle

What is a good TARA score for this course?Official page

Course requirements and score context from UAT-UK and the universities.

TARA modules for Oxford History and Politics

Modules: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Writing Task, 40 minutes each^1,2,3Published[1] UAT-UK, checked 27 Sep 2026; [2] UAT-UK, checked 27 Sep 2026; [3] University of Oxford, checked 27 Sep 2026

When to sit the TARA

October window: 12 to 16 October 2026^2,3Published[2] UAT-UK, checked 27 Sep 2026; [3] University of Oxford, checked 27 Sep 2026
Booking: Oxford standard courses require October; Oxford Foundation Year and UCL permit either sitting. China, Hong Kong and Macau have narrower dates; consult UAT-UK.^2,3Published[2] UAT-UK, checked 27 Sep 2026; [3] University of Oxford, checked 27 Sep 2026

Past scores and offer rates

The TARA replaced the TSA. These figures come from TSA cycles and are labelled with the test that produced them.

Offers divided by applications (or by applicant rows in a Freedom of Information release). Not offers per interview and not a personal chance.
Cycle	Course	Test that cycle	Group	Offers	Out of	Rate	Source
2025-26	History and Politics	No admissions test reported in this report	All applicants in the 2025-26 application cycle, all fee statuses; not a single-entry-year cohort	49	619 (applicants to the named course)	7.9%	[5] Merton College, Oxford, checked 27 Sep 2026

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Questions people ask

What TARA score is competitive for Oxford History and Politics?

In the 2025-26 cycle under the old No admissions test reported in this report, Oxford made 49 offers from 619 applications to History and Politics (7.9%).⁵

Does Oxford History and Politics require the TARA Writing Task?

Yes. The Writing Task is required for this course.^1,2,3

How should I read the published TARA score distribution?

UAT-UK's percentile tables cover every TARA candidate. They tell you where a score sits nationally, not what Oxford History and Politics applicants scored. No course-level figures have been published yet.³

Sources

Every figure on this page links to one of these. A checked date is the day we read the page, not the day it was published. Labels: Published, Past cycle, Calculated from published counts, Estimate, Not published.

1
UAT-UKChecked 27 Sep 2026.
2
UAT-UKChecked 27 Sep 2026.
3
University of OxfordChecked 27 Sep 2026.
4
UAT-UKOxford pp16-17; UCL pp21-22Checked 27 Sep 2026.
5
Merton College, OxfordChecked 27 Sep 2026.

Data checked 27 September 2026. Missing figures are shown as not published, never as zero or a guess.