TARA at University of Oxford

Oxford Philosophy, Politics and Economics: TARA requirements

Sources checked 27 September 2026
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The short answer

For 2027 entry, Oxford Philosophy, Politics and Economics (L0V0) 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 TSA, Oxford made 261 offers from 1,885 applications to Philosophy, Politics and Economics (13.8%).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: 14%⁵; 261 of 1,885, 2025-26, TSA; 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 Philosophy, Politics and Economics

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.

Historical scores on the old test's own scale. They cannot be converted to TARA scores.Source for every row: [6] University of Oxford, PPE, checked 27 Sep 2026
Cycle	Test	Group	Statistic	Value	Number
2025-26	TSA	A-level applicants with Maths	mean, Problem Solving	51.9	Not published
2025-26	TSA	A-level applicants with Maths	mean, Critical Thinking	52	Not published
2025-26	TSA	A-level applicants with Maths	mean, Essay	63.3	Not published
2025-26	TSA	A-level applicants without Maths	mean, Problem Solving	45	Not published
2025-26	TSA	A-level applicants without Maths	mean, Critical Thinking	46.5	Not published
2025-26	TSA	A-level applicants without Maths	mean, Essay	61.7	Not published

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	Philosophy, Politics and Economics	TSA	All applicants in the 2025-26 application cycle, all fee statuses; not a single-entry-year cohort	261	1,885 (applicants to the named course)	13.8%	[5] University of Oxford, PPE, checked 27 Sep 2026

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Questions people ask

What TARA score is competitive for Oxford Philosophy, Politics and Economics?

In the 2025-26 cycle under the old TSA, Oxford made 261 offers from 1,885 applications to Philosophy, Politics and Economics (13.8%).⁵

Does Oxford Philosophy, Politics and Economics 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 Philosophy, Politics and Economics applicants scored. The course figures above are the closest evidence for this course.⁶

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
University of Oxford, PPEChecked 27 Sep 2026.
6
University of Oxford, PPEChecked 27 Sep 2026.

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