TARA timing calculator
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 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. 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
Not a failure rate. Running short tells you about the clock, not about anyone’s score. Timing figures leave out candidates with extra time.
UAT-UK TARA Technical Report, July 2026, Tables 1 and 18 to 21 · 2,626 candidates, 2026 entry
TARA · 2027 entry
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How we estimate
Scope, source, method, uncertainty, dates and what the answer can and cannot tell you.
How we estimate
Scope, source, method, uncertainty, dates and what the answer can and cannot tell you.
What it covers
TARA Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: each module is 22 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes on its own clock (UAT-UK Technical Report, Table 1). Candidates with approved extra time can enter their own total.
Sources
- UAT-UK: TARA Technical Report 2025-26, Tables 2-4 and 16-21, pages 8-33. Official.
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 (Tables 18 to 21).
Uncertainty and limits
- Questions differ in length and difficulty, so an even pace is a guide, not a rule for each question.
- Answers in 5 seconds or less may be guesses as time ran out, but UAT-UK does not diagnose individual answers.
- UAT-UK's timing summaries leave out durations above 40 minutes 4 seconds, assumed to be access arrangements; the unreached counts include everyone.
Dates and versions
- TARA 2026-entry score distribution, scaling, reliability and timing: data version 2026-09-26.1, checked 26 September 2026.
- Page last changed 27 September 2026.
What the answer means
The answer is a time budget: how many seconds each remaining question can have if you want to reach the end. It does not predict your score, and running short is not a failure rate: plenty of candidates who ran short will still have scored well.
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.
Sources
- UAT-UK: TARA Technical Report 2025-26OfficialTables 2-4 and 16-21, pages 8-33. Published 2026-07. Checked 26 September 2026.
TARA 2026-entry score distribution, scaling, reliability and timing: version 2026-09-26.1, First published version.