A complete TARA preparation programme built from the official UAT-UK Question Guide and Content Specification — organised around the ten question types the test actually uses, plus the Writing Task.
TARA tests general academic reasoning, not subject knowledge, so there is no syllabus to revise. What it rewards is recognising a question type on sight and having a method ready for it. Every lesson teaches one type, drills it, and ends on timed practice at exam pace.
What you'll learn
All seven Critical Thinking question types, from main conclusion to applying principles
The negation test for assumptions, and how to tell a flaw from a merely false statement
Argument structure: modus ponens and tollens, and the two invalid forms that mimic them
All three Problem Solving types, including the calculator-free arithmetic the test assumes
The Writing Task's three parts — explain, argue against, then state the extent of your agreement
Exam pace: roughly 1 minute 50 per question, flag-and-return, and never leaving a blank
Course curriculum
Sixteen 90-minute lessons, in the order the test runs them: Critical Thinking, then Problem Solving, then the Writing Task. Every lesson ends with timed practice.
1Critical ThinkingArgument anatomy, then each of the seven question types, with a timed mini-mock9 sessions13.5 hrs
2Problem SolvingCalculator-free maths clinic, the three question types, and a timed mini-mock5 sessions7.5 hrs
3Writing Task and Full MockThe three-part structure, then a complete timed mock across all modules2 sessions3 hrs
Total16 sessions24 hrs
Modules and topics
Three modules taken in order, each separately timed and non-returnable — you cannot go back to an earlier one. No calculators or dictionaries; an erasable booklet is provided for working.
Module 3
Writing Task
1 of 3 prompts · max 750 words · 40 min
Part A — explain what the statement means
Part B — give a reasoned argument against it
Part C — discuss the extent to which you agree
Not marked, but a copy is sent to every university you apply to
Frequently asked questions
Applicants to Oxford and UCL courses that require TARA — including Economics & Management, Mathematics and the social sciences. The test is deliberately challenging and is designed to separate able candidates who all hold top grades.
No subject knowledge at all — TARA tests general academic reasoning and writing rather than a syllabus. Problem Solving does assume fluent calculator-free arithmetic, so the programme opens that module with a skills clinic and a self-audit checklist.
Sixteen 90-minute lessons — 24 hours in total. Critical Thinking runs across the first nine, Problem Solving the next five, and the Writing Task the last two, finishing on a full timed mock. The scheme of work is adaptable and can be condensed if your test date is close.
No. It is not scored, but a copy of what you write is sent to each university you apply to — so it is read by the people deciding on your application, and we treat it accordingly.
Self-study · iBGuru
Prefer to self-study? TARA
Lectures, study notes and practice questions, organised topic by topic on iBGuru, our study app.
