In March of 2025, a new admissions test from University Admissions Testing (UAT) and Pearson VUE – The Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions (TARA). It has been confirmed by University College London (UCL) that it will be implementing the test in 2025 for 2026 entry applicants.Â
Although full details about the test are yet to be revealed, we have an understanding of how the test may be used and which universities could potentially use it. In this guide, we’ll explore everything we currently know about the TARA and explore potential future information about the test based on what has been stated by UAT and UCL. Let’s get started!
How Will You Be Affected? - Students
- The TARA has been confirmed to be a new admissions test by UAT, focusing on applicants' general reasoning abilities
- The TARA will be used at UCL for at least ten different courses.
- The test may come to Cambridge and LSE too, though nothing is confirmed yet.
- The TARA will be sat during two testing sessions in October 2025 and January 2026, each lasting two days.
- There are currently no practice materials available for the test, so preparation will be difficult until more information is available.
- The test will likely use the same testing platform as other UAT/Pearson-VUE tests, so getting to grips with this may help ease you into your preparation when official practice questions are released.
- We at UniAdmissions are watching out for further TARA developments and will be ready to update you as they come out.
How Will You Be Affected? - Schools
- UAT is launching a new admissions test, the TARA, which will test applicants on their academic reasoning skills.
- The test will be used by UCL for 2025/26 applicants, but the test may also be used by Cambridge in hte same admissions cycle.
- The TARA is replacing the STAT for Computer Science at UCL, so ensure applicants no longer prepare for this test.
- The TARA will have similar test dates to the ESAT and TMUA, taking place over two days in both October and January.
- There are currently no preparation materials for the TARA, so inform your students that it will not be possible to effectively prepare for the test until more details are released.
- The test will likely use the same platform as other UAT/Pearson VUE tests, so it may be beneficially for students to explore this platform before official materials are released.
- UniAdmissions is watching the development of this test carefully and will ensure our support is fully up-to-date in time for the 2025 admissions season.
What is the TARA?
TARA stands for the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions, which is a new admissions test run by UAT UK and Pearson VUE. The test is said to be a non-subject-specific test, meaning it is not designed for any specific course or subject area. Instead, it tests general skills that are applicable to a wide variety of subjects.Â
A question format has yet to be revealed, but the title indicates that reasoning will be the primary area being tested. This could potentially lead to the TARA being similar to the Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT), which tests an applicant’s reasoning abilities in both reading and writing. However, there are currently no concrete clues as to what the TARA will involve.Â
Who Has To Sit the TARA?
The TARA was first revealed during the 2025 UCAS Conference by a speaker who discussed various aspects of the new test. Although details were vague, the speaker believed that the test would be used within Humanities-based courses, as well as Psychology being referenced as a specific example.Â
A few days later, in March 2025, the official University College London (UCL) website published further details about the TARA on programme pages for the courses that would require it. Below are all of the course pages that feature the TARA within the entry requirements:Â
Which UCL Courses Use The TARA
- Computer Science (BSc/MEng)
- European Social and Political Studies (BA)
- European Social and Political Studies: Dual Degree (BA)
- International Social and Political Studies (BA)
- Mathematical Computation (MEng)
- Management Science (BSc)
- Robotics and Artificial Intelligence MEng
- Social Sciences (BSc)
- Social Sciences with Data Science (BSc)
- Sociology (BSc)
Based on the list above, we can see some differing evidence about what the test was designed for compared to the information provided by the speaker at the UCAS conference. UCL will be using the TARA for subjects like Computer Science and Robotics as well as Humanities and Social Science courses, indicating that the test may have a wider user than initially thought. This is notable, as the TARA will be replacing the Skills for Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) for UCL Computer Science, which was implemented for 2025 entry.Â
As well as this, Psychology is not included on the list of courses here, which contradicts what was said at the conference. So what did the speaker mean when saying this?Â
Will Cambridge Use the TARA?
Based on the talk given at the conference, combined with the current state of other UAT admissions tests, there is a good chance that the test may be adopted by the University of Cambridge in 2025, as well as the London School of Economics (LSE). This could potentially extend to Imperial College London too, although this is less likely as the university does not teach any Humanities-based courses.Â
Why might this be the case? Firstly is the fact that UAT currently operates two other admissions: the Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA) and Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT). Both of these admissions tests have strong ties to Cambridge, with the former originally being a test operated by a partner of the University (Cambridge Application Admissions Testing) and the latter being a test designed to replace two Cambridge exclusive tests – the Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment and Engineering Admissions Assessment.Â
These two tests were originally announced to be used by Cambridge in 2023 before being adopted by other universities in the following months. UCL has also adopted these tests for the first time in 2025 for 2026 entry, which indicates a full commitment to working with UAT in a similar manner to Cambridge and Imperial.Â
Secondly, the speaker at the conference referenced that the TARA may act as a replacement for the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA), which was an admissions test previously used by both Cambridge and UCL. Many of the courses that previously used the TSA were left without an admissions test in 2024, so this would be the perfect opportunity to reinstate a test for them.Â
Admissions testing is important for the University of Cambridge, as it receives hundreds of applications for many courses each year. Acceptance rates at Cambridge are very low due to the limited amount of places available, but requiring an admissions test makes the offer-making process easier for the admissions team as it provides an extra metric to assess applicants.Â
While the test isn’t subject-specific, the TARA will act as a great way to differentiate more capable applicants in a way that is quick and easy for the admissions team at not only Cambridge but many other Russell Group universities as well (Oxford is unlikely to adopt this test as it still uses the TSA). Of course, this will depend on the quality of the test, but the ESAT and TMUA have indicated that UAT have managed the process well so far.Â
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When is the TARA?
One of the most important details to come from the UCAS conference was the 2025/26 testing dates for all three of UAT’s admissions tests, including the TARA. Like the ESAT and TMUA, the TARA will be sat across two testing periods, both of which last two days. Although details of when registration opens aren’t currently available, the following dates will be when applicants can sit the TARA:Â
TARA Test Dates 2025/26
October Testing Period
October 15th – 16th 2025
October Testing Period
January 12th – 13th 2025
The existence of two testing periods of the TARA further supports the idea that it will be used by Cambridge, as the October sittings for both the ESAT and TMUA are primarily in place for Cambridge applicants (Cambridge applicants cannot sit the January sittings of either test). While this isn’t solid evidence, it is likely that some Cambridge courses will require the test. Â
How is the TARA Scored?
In those tests, an applicant’s raw marks are added and then converted into a final score on a scale between 1.0 and 9.0. This was also the scoring system used by the previous NSAA and ENGAA.Â
In the chance that the TARA includes a longer written task (such as an essay task), it may be the case that this task isn’t marked by UAT itself, as essays are much harder to add an object score to. However, this is all currently speculation, so we cannot confirm details until more information is provided by UAT or one of the universities.Â
TARA Preparation
If you’re applying for a subject that will require the TARA, you may now be wondering how you can get ahead of the competition and start preparing for the test. Unfortunately, without any information on how the test will function, it’s currently not possible to engage is effective practice for it.Â
if you’re eager to start working on it, the primary thing you can do that may be beneficial is to learn more about academic reasoning and how it is implemented in a variety of contexts.Â
If you’re looking for example questions from other tests that may be similar to the TARA, the closest options currently available as the LNAT and TSA, as well as the Verbal Reasoning subtest from the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT). These all test general reasoning and analysis abilities, which may be how the TARA functions. However, be aware that the question in the TARA may be completely different from what you’ve practiced with.Â
One thing to consider is that the test will likely be computer-based, seeing as this is where Pearson-VUE specialises. Because of this, it’s recommended that you explore the testing systems used for the test mentioned above, as the TARA will likely use the same system. Doing this may help you get to grips with the technology used by the TARA quicker, even if the questions end up being different.Â
That concludes our look at the new TARA test from UAT and UCL. The UniAdmissions team will continue to monitor the situation and update you are more information comes out, so be sure to check this guide for more details soon. We will also ensure that all of our Full-Blue Programmes contain appropriate admissions test support in time for the 2025/26 application season.Â
We hope this guide has been helpful and that you’re ready to take on this new test! Thank you and good luck!
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