TARA timing calculator
A TARA module gives you 40 minutes for 22 questions, about 109 seconds per question.
TARA Problem Solving: 22 questions in 40 minutes
109 seconds a question
Aim to have about 5 to 6 done at 10 minutes, 11 at 20 and 16 to 17 at 30.
Your result
109 seconds a question. Aim to have about 5 to 6 done at 10 minutes, 11 at 20 and 16 to 17 at 30. There is no negative marking, so answer every question before time runs out.
- Even-pace checkpoint
- Answer every question. TARA has no negative marking, so a blank can only cost you. If time is nearly gone, pick an answer for every question left.
- Flag and move on. 109 seconds is an average. When one question has taken twice that, flag it and come back if time allows.
- Problem Solving is the tighter module. In 2026 more than a quarter of candidates left questions unreached or answered some in 5 seconds or less.
- Published count
- Your module
Practise against the clock
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Questions people ask
How long is the TARA test?
Two scored modules of 22 multiple-choice questions, 40 minutes each, plus a 40-minute Writing Task with one prompt from a choice of three (750-word limit). Each module has its own clock.
Is it normal to run out of time in TARA?
In Problem Solving, yes. For 2026 entry, 742 of 2,626 candidates (28%) left Problem Solving questions unreached or answered some in 5 seconds or less. In Critical Thinking it was 116 (4%).
Does TARA have negative marking?
No. UAT-UK's report says there is no negative marking, so a guess can only help. Never leave a question blank.
How much time did candidates actually use?
The median candidate used about 39 minutes 49 seconds of Critical Thinking and the full 40 minutes of Problem Solving. Over 85% used between 35 and 40 minutes.
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How we work this out
What it does
How long you get for each TARA question, where you should be at 10, 20 and 30 minutes, and whether you are on pace mid-paper.
TARA Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: each module is 22 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes on its own clock. Candidates with approved extra time can enter their own total.
Method
- Average time per question is the module time divided by 22. For 40 minutes: 2,400 / 22 = 109.1 seconds.
- Checkpoints are the same even pace: after a quarter, half and three quarters of the time, a quarter, half and three quarters of the 22 questions should be done.
- Mid-paper, we divide the minutes left by the questions left, and compare the questions you have done with what an even pace would have reached by now.
- Timing context is UAT-UK's count of 2026-entry candidates who left questions unreached, or answered some in 5 seconds or less.