Before the test
TARA Problem Solving practice for 2027 entry
In the Problem Solving module of the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions (TARA), you solve unfamiliar problems with basic maths. If your course requires TARA for 2027 entry, check which sitting you can use, then try a worked example and a short timed set without a calculator.
22 questions in 40 minutes
Problem Solving gives you 40 minutes for 22 questions. Each has five options and one correct answer. Calculators are prohibited. You earn one raw mark per correct answer and lose no marks for mistakes. Aim to answer every question, with about 1 minute 49 seconds per question on average.
The full test has three separately timed 40-minute modules. Alongside Problem Solving, you take Critical Thinking and choose one of three Writing Task prompts, with a 750-word limit. Time left in one module does not transfer to the next.
Who can take TARA in January 2027
UCL Computer Science applicants can use either test window. For Oxford, the January option applies to eligible Astrophoria Foundation Year applicants with a January UCAS deadline, including Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Most Oxford applicants had to sit in October. Check the admissions page for your exact course before booking. You can take TARA once per admissions cycle.
Book a Pearson VUE test centre through UAT-UK. For test centres in China, Hong Kong and Macau, the January TARA date is 7 January only. Each December deadline below is at 18:00 UK time. UAT-UK lists January results for 8 February 2027.
| Action | Date |
|---|---|
| Request access arrangements | 7 December 2026 |
| Request a bursary if eligible | 14 December 2026 |
| Book a test slot | 21 December 2026 |
| Test window | 4–8 January 2027 |
How TARA scores work
UAT-UK reports Critical Thinking and Problem Solving separately on a 1.0–9.0 scale. Universities decide how to use the scores and receive the writing response. TARA has no universal pass mark. Use the timed set below to measure your accuracy and pace.
In the previous cycle, 2,626 candidates took TARA, including 1,650 in January 2026. Across both sittings, the median Problem Solving score was 4.7 and the 90th percentile was 7.0. These figures describe the 2025–26 cohort.
Worked example with a fixed finish time
A workshop uses one room from 10:00 to 11:10. A 15-minute briefing comes before a 25-minute demo, followed by 15 minutes of feedback. The demo cannot start before 10:25. Activities can run back to back. What is the latest the briefing can start?
Four questions in 7 minutes and 15 seconds
Set a timer for 7 minutes and 15 seconds and write down one answer per question. These original exercises practise selecting relevant information, finding a method and spotting an equivalent rule, the three skills in the UAT-UK guide.
When time is up, open the answers and give yourself one point per correct choice. Mark whether each mistake came from reading a condition, choosing a method or doing the arithmetic.
The table shows how many people booked each library workshop and how many of those people attended. Which workshop had the largest share of bookings that went unused?
Library workshop bookings and attendance Workshop Booked Attended Bookbinding 24 18 Drawing 40 28 Printmaking 30 20 Photography 50 34 Textiles 36 25 - Bookbinding
- Drawing
- Printmaking
- Photography
- Textiles
Five speakers start at 09:00, 09:20, 09:40, 10:00 and 10:20, one per slot. Eva starts at 10:20. Asha starts before Ben, who cannot start at 10:00. Ciara starts exactly 20 minutes after Dilan. Who starts at 09:40?
- Asha
- Ben
- Ciara
- Dilan
- Eva
A swimming pool charges £4 per visit and makes every fourth visit free. The pattern repeats throughout the membership. Which rule gives the same total for any number of visits?
- Charge £3 for each visit.
- Make every third visit free.
- Make the first three visits £4 each and all later visits free.
- Take £1 off every visit after the first three.
- Take £4 off the full price for each complete group of four visits.
A club needs at least 62 passenger seats. An 8-seat van costs £35 to hire and a 14-seat minibus costs £52. At most three minibuses are available, and there is no limit on vans. What is the lowest possible cost?
- £226
- £261
- £262
- £279
- £280
Reveal answers and explanations
- C. For each workshop, subtract attendance from bookings and use that row’s booking count as the denominator. Printmaking had 10 unused bookings out of 30, exactly one third. Triple the unused bookings in the other rows and compare with the booking totals. You get 18 < 24, 36 < 40, 48 < 50 and 33 < 36, so all four shares are below one third. Photography had the most unused bookings, 16, but a smaller share than Printmaking.
- D. Treat Dilan and Ciara as a consecutive pair, in that order. If the pair starts at 09:00 or 09:20, the two slots left for Asha and Ben force Ben into 10:00. That is forbidden. The pair must start at 09:40, so Dilan goes then. Asha and Ben take 09:00 and 09:20, and Eva stays at 10:20.
- E. Each complete group of four contains one free visit. An incomplete group has no free visit yet. Both rules therefore subtract £4 once per complete group. A matches only on complete groups, B discounts the third visit too early, and C and D already charge the wrong amount at five and four visits respectively.
- B. Try zero, one, two and three minibuses. You need at least 8, 6, 5 or 3 vans respectively, so the totals are £280, £262, £279 and £261. Three minibuses and three vans give 66 seats. The £226 combination uses one fewer van and gives only 58 seats.
What to practise next
Try the official specimen in the Pearson test player so you can rehearse the real interface and a full 40-minute module. At 20 minutes, about 11 answers is a pacing check. If a problem stalls you, record your best choice and move on. Return if you have time.
Read the question before scanning the table. Decide whether it asks for a count, a share or a change. For a share, name the denominator before comparing rows. A benchmark such as one third can eliminate several choices without converting every fraction to a decimal.
After the official specimen, pick questions from UAT-UK’s archive of TSA and BMAT Section 1 papers that target the skill that cost you the most time. Repeat a short set on that skill, then try another full TARA module to see whether your pace improved.
In Cognik, use Data tables to find the right rows and columns as in question 1. Try Constraint ordering for question 2 and Applied calculations for the costs in question 4.
Put it into practice
Explore more questions and step-by-step explanations in Cognik.
