TARA, January 2027 sitting
TARA study plan for January 2027
The January TARA runs from 4 January to 8 January 2027, and booking closes on 21 December 2026 at 6pm. From the week of 2 November you have nine weeks: alternate Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, write one essay every week, and finish with two full timed sittings.
- Test days
- 4 to 8 January
- Book by
- 21 December, 6pm
- Results
- 8 February
- Modules
- 3 × 40 min
Your nine weeks, dated
| Week | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1: 2 to 8 Nov | Find your gaps | Sit one timed Critical Thinking and one Problem Solving module, then write one essay in 40 minutes. List every miss by question type. Book your January slot. |
| 2: 9 to 15 Nov | Critical Thinking: arguments | Conclusions, assumptions and flaws, 20 questions a day. Essay 2. |
| 3: 16 to 22 Nov | Problem Solving: numbers | Percentages, rates, tables and graphs, by hand. Essay 3. |
| 4: 23 to 29 Nov | Critical Thinking: longer arguments | Longer passages with several reasons; find the conclusion first, then test each option against it. One timed module. Essay 4. |
| 5: 30 Nov to 6 Dec | Problem Solving: several steps | Questions that need two or three steps from a table, chart or set of rules; write each step down. One timed module. Essay 5. |
| 6: 7 to 13 Dec | Mixed timed modules | One timed module of each on alternate days. Access arrangements requests close 7 December at 6pm. |
| 7: 14 to 20 Dec | Repair week | Redo every question you missed in weeks 1 to 6 without looking. Essay 6. Bursary requests close 14 December. |
| 8: 21 to 27 Dec | Full sitting | Booking closes 21 December at 6pm. Sit all three modules back to back, timed, and review the next day. |
| 9: 28 Dec to 3 Jan | Second sitting, then rest | One more full sitting early in the week, then old misses only. Rest for the last two days. |
What each module tests
There is no calculator. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving are each scored from 1.0 to 9.0, and a wrong answer costs nothing.
| Module | Format | What it tests |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 22 questions, 40 min | Reasoning in everyday written language: understanding and judging arguments. |
| Problem Solving | 22 questions, 40 min | Reasoning with numbers, using only basic maths: percentages, averages, measures, tables and graphs. |
| Writing Task | 1 essay from 3 prompts, 40 min, 750 words at most | Weighing different sides of a claim and making your case in writing. It is sent to your universities, not marked by UAT-UK. |
Three mistakes to avoid
- Leaving the essay until the end. Universities read it, so write one every week from the start.
- Treating Problem Solving as a maths test. It uses only basic maths; the marks are in reading the question and picking the method, so practise reasoning, not formulas.
- Leaving blanks. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question before the 40 minutes run out.
Questions people ask
When is the January 2027 TARA?
4 January to 8 January 2027. In China, Hong Kong and Macau it is on 7 January 2027.
When does TARA booking close?
21 December 2026 at 6pm UK time.
Is the TARA essay marked?
Not by UAT-UK. A copy goes to the universities you apply to, which use it as they choose.
How much does the TARA cost?
£78 in the UK and Republic of Ireland, £133 elsewhere.